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Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:23 pm
by Michael Bush
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GFCYPS

The Korg OT-120 Wide 8 Octave Chromatic Orchestral Tuner...

I know, tuners are limited and all that. And I use a drone for a few minutes EVERY DAY. So please no lectures about that. My main ensemble tunes to me, so I want something more objective than my amateur ear. And I lost the tuner I was using, so I'm going to buy another one.

Has anyone tried this one? From the description it sounds like it would have some hope of capturing the low notes, so I'm hoping someone here can provide a reality check.

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:47 pm
by Mark Horne
The Korg looks nice, but for a little less than the same price you can get a Peterson Stroboclip. Clip it onto your leadpipe and leave it there while you play - it can help you tune any note in the context of a performance. I have found it very useful in this regard.

Used to be, I would use a Peterson strobe on the music stand to set the tuning note for the band and then have an LCD needle-type tuner on the leadpipe while playing. I find the strobe much easier to read without having to focus on it too much (easily read with just peripheral vision). Since it reads the vibrations off your instrument, it doesn't get confused by everyone else's pitch. From what I've seen so far, it's every bit as accurate as the other Peterson digital strobes.

It has been very helpful for me to observe the pitch tendencies of my playing while actually playing with the ensemble - it doesn't always follow what you observe in the practice room by yourself.

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:18 pm
by tubagirl5
Yup, it is a great tuner. I've had mine for probably 7 years and have used it everyday. Picks up all notes, including pedals very accurately.

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:41 pm
by iiipopes
The Korg CA-1 does the same thing equally well and it's only @$15: same adjustments and calibrations, same range, same condenser mic and computer chip; I use mine especially for all of the "big three" in the low range I regularly play gigs with: bass guitar, double bass and tuba, as well as guitar, check to see where the piano is at a jazz gig, etc. I just got home tonight from using it to check the oboe in community band. Last Saturday we had no oboe so the director tuned the band to me. So for the Amazon price of the OT-120 you could buy six of the CA-1 and have one in every horn and guitar/bass case.

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:28 am
by Michael Bush
Thanks! The range is the issue for me. I didn't realize the small tuner could manage it.

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:57 am
by MartyNeilan
I have both a Korg CA-20 and the predecessor of the above model, the OT-12. Neither has any problem with the lower notes, unlike many other brands of tuners. The soundback feature on the OT-12 is very useful, but you do need an external clip-on mic to use it. I don't use the OT-12 too often as it is considerably bigger than the mini sized CA-20, but there are times I like the accuracy of the needle tuner - especially when setting the intonation on a bass guitar bridge.

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:02 am
by MikeMason
peterson iphone app.always with me,always has batteries...

Re: Anybody tried this tuner?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 5:59 pm
by fairweathertuba
Wow, I just took a look over on Amazon and there's quite a range of tuners and prices. Ever the cheapskate, I am thinking about buying the $10 Snark clip on.