Precision Strobe Tuner vs PianoMeter

Precision Strobe Tuner 2.0 A General Purpose Chromatic Musical Instrument Tuner App with special Temperament and Piano Tuning Functions. The PST combines a radial Spectrum Display with a classic Strobe Tuner and Note Dial for an ultimate visualization of pitch and tone. The Strobe Display is highly sensitive with response speed that is practically instantaneous and has long been the preferred tool for piano tuners and instrument technicians. The central Spectrum Display shows the input spectrum wrapped around the Display, with each Octave drawn in a separate color. The Note Dial is marked like a clock with the twelve notes of the Scale. All overtones of the input are shown as peaks in the Spectrum Display pointing towards their corresponding Notes. The Fundamental Indicator Tic on the Spectrum Display shows the Note of the Fundamental along the Note Dial, with the color designating the Octave. Use the Spectrum Display for coarse adjustment by tuning the Fundamental to the center of the desired Note Indicator. As the input approaches the desired Note, a Two Group pinwheel pattern becomes visible rotating in the Strobe Display. Fine tuning is accomplished by adjusting to stop rotation. The Strobe Display responds instantaneously to changes in pitch and is extremely sensitive. The outside Strobe Display works just like a classic rotating disk strobe tuner. The Two-Group pattern rotates CCW when the input is flat, and CW when sharp. When the rotation is stopped, the note is in tune. The previews show a general strobe display demonstration, an example of using the calibration function to measure the accuracy of a tuning fork and an example of guitar string tuning. The first screenshot shows the display tuning a Guitar Low E string. The Fundamental appears as an Orange peak in the Spectrum Display. This string rings bright, so the overtones are also dominant in the Display. The second screenshot shows the display for an E 440 Tuning Fork with the Calibration Dial enabled and adjusted. This Fork is 2.9 cent Flat. The PST also includes a Programmable Temperament Function with 5 user definable banks. The third screenshot shows an example of a Temperament Bank set up to a typical Piano Stretch Curve. This can also be used for tuning alternate temperaments, pedal steel guitar setups, or special guitar intonation systems. In addition, there are several Special Measurement Banks used for String Inharmonicity characterization and Piano Stretch Curve Estimation. Individual strings can be characterized by measuring the Fundamental and 2nd Harmonic separately. By careful selection of a few representative measurement points, a reasonable smooth fit Piano Stretch Curve can be generated. Any number of measurements can be used. The final screenshot shows the Input Signal Scope/Spectrum Display Page. The Detailed Operation Manual can be viewed here: www.precisionstrobe.com

PianoMeter is a piano tuning app for professionals and hobbyists that will transform your iPhone or iPad into a professional quality electronic tuning aid. NOTE The "free" version of this app is primarily for evaluation, and it only allows you to tune notes on the piano between C3 and C5. To tune the entire piano you will need to buy an upgrade through an in-app purchase. What makes PianoMeter unique: Unlike most musical instruments, pianos cannot be simply tuned to the generic "equal temperament" frequencies that most tuning apps use. Piano tuning must be "stretched" wide of equal temperament for the piano to sound good. Traditionally this is done by professional piano tuners listening to complicated beat ratios of various musical intervals. PianoMeter makes the process more straightforward by directly measuring the tonal characteristics ("inharmonicity") of each note on the piano and automatically calculating the ideal “stretch” or offset from equal temperament. In other words, it creates a custom tuning for each piano with the best compromise between musical intervals like octaves, fifths, fourths, and twelfths, the way aural piano tuners do when fine-tuning. Functionality and pricing: There are three levels of functionality: a free (evaluation) version, a paid "plus" version with basic tuning functionality, and a "professional" version with features geared towards professional piano tuners. The extra functionality is unlocked through one-time in-app purchases. The Free version includes the following limited functionality: • Tuning functionality for the mid-range of the piano only • Automatic note detection • Ability to measure each note on the piano to see how its current tuning compares to the ideal tuning curve (see if a piano is roughly in tune) • Swipe in the graphing area to show a live frequency spectrum or the inharmonicity of measured notes. Upgrading to "Plus" adds the following functionality: • Tuning functionality for the entire piano • Tune to frequency standards other than A=440 • Tune to historical or custom temperaments • Calibrate device to an external frequency source • A TuneLab-inspired Peak View as an alternative visualization of the pitch using the FFT spectrum. Upgrading to Professional unlocks all features of the "Plus" version, plus the following: • Save and load tuning files, so a piano doesn't need to be re-measured each time it is tuned • Pitch raise mode that calculates overpull for an initial first pass "rough" tuning (for pianos that are extremely flat) • Custom tuning styles: create a custom tuning curve by adjusting interval weighting and stretch • Multi-partial tone generator that plays the target frequencies • New colorful "Tonal Energy" display that shows a brief history of the pitch • Automatically back up tuning files to iCloud • Access to all future features and enhancements Upgrade costs: Free to Plus (approximately US$30) Free to Pro (approximately US$350) Note about permissions This app requires permission to access the microphone on your device and permission to read and write files. In the Pro version, the app can optionally use the "location" permission to tag your tuning files with their geolocation.