TubeNet

I know. I know... 'tuners' have been around the block many times. But... I don't remember this particular situation being addressed:

I use a 'cheapo' Korg CA-30 tuner with a remote pickup clipped to my horn. It works fine most of the time. But... until I'm in the middle of a large ensemble like a concert band. It seems like it also picks up everything else in the room.

Do I have a 'bum' pickup? or is there something out there that offers better discretion?

I suspect that your pickup is picking up sound from the surroundings which causes your tuba to vibrate. Try using a microphone instead of the pickup, to get more air vibration and less metal. Wrap a little cloth or plastic foam around the mic to prevent it from rattling, and stick it down in the bell. If that works, you could attach a small microphone permanently inside the bell where a brace connects it to the top bow. (That's where brass vibration will be minimal.)

My local music store suggested the Intelli IPM 100 "Microphone for Tuner" for use with my Korg CA 30.

It's advertised mostly for fiddles and such, but its spring-clip fitting is big enough for the mouthpipe of my Imperial Eb, just beyond the receiver. This singles-out the tuba sound most of the time, but still gets a bit lost when the trumpets blast en-masse. Mine just died after two or three years, but they're cheapish (less than $10), so I'll be getting another one next time I'm out that way.

I don't know if this is useful info for you Dan but I've observed that attaching the pickup to a metal music stand causes it to register my sound when I'm alone in my practice room. I'm completely disconnected physically from the tuner yet it still registers. I believe this due to sympathetic vibration. So my guess is that Mr. Hovey's comment is accurate...

Art Hovey wrote:I suspect that your pickup is picking up sound from the surroundings which causes your tuba to vibrate.

Pete

ppalan wrote:I don't know if this is useful info for you Dan but I've observed that attaching the pickup to a metal music stand causes it to register my sound when I'm alone in my practice room. I'm completely disconnected physically from the tuner yet it still registers. I believe this due to sympathetic vibration. So my guess is that Mr. Hovey's comment is accurate...

Art Hovey wrote:I suspect that your pickup is picking up sound from the surroundings which causes your tuba to vibrate.

Pete

Exactly. This 'sympathetic' condition is what I want to eliminate. I don't give a damn what the trumpets and trombones are doing!

Clip one of these to the leadpipe at a point you can see it:

Curmudgeon wrote:

My ear is very good and that's the problem.... trying to match pitches with folks who can't hit a bull in the *** with a bass fiddle!

TubaTinker wrote:My ear is very good and that's the problem.... trying to match pitches with folks who can't hit a bull in the *** with a bass fiddle!

I understand that: everyone ensemble I play in wants to play sharp, and the conductor has to spend more time than necessary getting the entire band down to A=440.

TubaTinker wrote: This 'sympathetic' condition is what I want to eliminate.

I don't think you can entirely eliminate this with such a large mass of vibrate-able metal like tuba/sousaphone. I know I haven't found a way without having everyone else be quiet which sure isn't going to happen with the groups I usually frequent. I've stopped even trying to use a tuner in the rehearsal room. I do try to get in the "ballpark" before hand and then just listen and adjust as necessary. As I'm sure you do as well. Sorry to be not very helpful.
Pete

iiipopes wrote:Clip one of these to the leadpipe at a point you can see it:

I find these things to be particularly useless; for me anyway. There's simply no place to clip them on my horns. If I use the leadpipe they're either "around the corner out of sight or too close for my eyes. Plus they suffer from the same sympathetic vibration syndrome as do the cassette-shaped Korgs, etc with the same sort of pickup on a long cord. As far as I'm concerned all of these tuners don't really work except at home so that's where I leave them

I use my Peterson clip on tuner in all sorts of situations with minimal problems. The only real problem is when it says I'm not in tune.

ppalan wrote:

iiipopes wrote:Clip one of these to the leadpipe at a point you can see it:

I find these things to be particularly useless; for me anyway. There's simply no place to clip them on my horns. If I use the leadpipe they're either "around the corner out of sight or too close for my eyes. Plus they suffer from the same sympathetic vibration syndrome as do the cassette-shaped Korgs, etc with the same sort of pickup on a long cord. As far as I'm concerned all of these tuners don't really work except at home so that's where I leave them

Vive la difference with the experiences. I have all but set aside the venerable Korg hand-held in favor of the Snark for all of my instruments, keeping one Korg with an integral metronome for personal practice. Then again, I am near sighted.

Where do you clip your mike, Dan, bell or leadpipe? I have had two different mikes, and have gone to clipping them on the leadpipe. It seems to give a better read and be less reactive to other instruments in the room. On one of them, the mike the part would slip past the the leadpipe and have minimal contact with the tuba and again react to every sound in the room. When I could get it to stay on the pipe it seems to work well for me. I tried one of those Snarks and it wouldn't stay clipped to the Mirafone lead pipe and would fly off. On the King it would block view of the music.

Sandlapper wrote:Where do you clip your mike, Dan, bell or leadpipe?.....

I think I have tried virtually all locations on several of my horns and it doesn't seem to make much difference. Typically... it works just fine when I first give a tuning note to The Band. Once the sections start coming in.... the needle goes all over the place. Same is true when we start playing a piece of music. It's just annoying as hell.

As my teacher used to say: even if you're right, you're wrong.