Best tuner?

[Javimont]

Hi everyone,

I am looking for a good tuner. Does anyone know the best tuner for low pitches? I have problems with most tuners I have tried because they cannot detect the tuba low register.

Please, let me know. Thanks,
Javier

[mdc2d]

I teach high school band and have really enjoyed using the Tonal Energy (TE Tuner) Tuner/Metronome app on the iPad (or iPhone).

It has some great features including drones, instrument selection, equal/just intonation. It produces drones (multiple pitches) while also showing the tuner function which helps develop what LJV mentioned. I believe its under $10.

[eupher61]

Nothing is better than an old-school 12 window strobo tuner. Nothing.
Those are big and bulky, somewhat pricey, and somewhat hard to find used.

The best of the new school tuners I've found is the Peterson StroboClip. It's accurate and easy to read. It's NOT a true strobe tuner, but it simulates one.

Search the archives here, you'll see a lot of commentary, some of it useful.

[Mark]

I kinda like those clamp-on tuners, but I can't find a place on a tuba that is far enough away from my eyes to be able to focus on it.

+1

[Reptilian]

I love my trusty Korg ca-40 and contact mic.

It has survived a thousand drops on tile and is spot on. I inherited a rather fancy rack tuner for my bass guitar, and my $15 Korg is just as accurate.

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-CA-40-Large- ... korg+ca-40

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-CM-100L-Cont ... korg+ca-40

Works great when tuning up in a noisy environment or checking your pitch for whatever reason during a performance. I tried the clip on tuner and love the idea, but I prefer the display to be on my stand next to the music.

[bigbob]

I love my trusty Korg ca-40 and contact mic.

It has survived a thousand drops on tile and is spot on. I inherited a rather fancy rack tuner for my bass guitar, and my $15 Korg is just as accurate.

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-CA-40-Large- ... korg+ca-40

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-CM-100L-Cont ... korg+ca-40

Works great when tuning up in a noisy environment or checking your pitch for whatever reason during a performance. I tried the clip on tuner and love the idea, but I prefer the display to be on my stand next to the music.

Thank You I like that one... does the mike help?? or is it a waste to buy it when the CA 4o seems to work well by itself....Would 440 be the standard for a CC tuba? Ive never tuned before? Thanks again.....BB

[Reptilian]

I love my trusty Korg ca-40 and contact mic.

It has survived a thousand drops on tile and is spot on. I inherited a rather fancy rack tuner for my bass guitar, and my $15 Korg is just as accurate.

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-CA-40-Large- ... korg+ca-40

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-CM-100L-Cont ... korg+ca-40

Works great when tuning up in a noisy environment or checking your pitch for whatever reason during a performance. I tried the clip on tuner and love the idea, but I prefer the display to be on my stand next to the music.

Thank You I like that one... does the mike help?? or is it a waste to buy it when the CA 4o seems to work well by itself....Would 440 be the standard for a CC tuba? Ive never tuned before? Thanks again.....BB

It works fine by itself in a quite environment. The mic is a contact mic that only picks up the vibrations of the instrument it is connected to, so it will only pick up your instrument in a noisy environment such as when the band/orch is tuning up or in the middle of a rehearsal/performance. Monitoring your pitch in ensemble can be especially beneficial when learning the tendencies of a new horn, but it's important not to depend on it too much. Get to know your horn well and only use it this way when you really need it. Once your horn is in tune, and you are familiar with it, use your ears.

unless you're playing in a pro ensemble, yea, tune it to 440. And if you are playing in a pro ensemble, you'll know what pitch