Electronic tuner

"Pitch" is the perceived fundamental frequency of a musical note, which is typically measured in hertz.

More complex tuners offer chromatic tuning for all 12 pitches of the equally tempered octave.

Most musical instruments generate a fairly complex waveform with multiple related frequency components.

Additional "harmonics" (also called "partials" or "overtones") give each instrument its characteristic timbre.

Background noise from other musicians or harmonic overtones from the musical instrument can impede the electronic tuner from "locking" onto the input frequency.

"Clip-on" tuners typically attach to instruments with a spring-loaded clip that has a built-in contact microphone.

Clipped onto a guitar headstock or violin scroll, these sense pitch even in loud environments, for example when other people are tuning.

The NTune consists of a switching potentiometer, a wiring harness, illuminated plastic display disc, a circuit board and a battery holder.

After tuning is complete the musician pushes the volume knob back down, disconnecting the tuner from the circuit and re-connecting the pickups to the output jack.

In "intonation" mode, the device displays how much adjustment the bridge requires with a system of flashing LEDs on the control knob.

A needle, LCD or regular LED type tuner uses a microprocessor to measure the average period of the waveform.

Electric guitar and bass players who perform concerts may use electronic tuners built into an effects pedal, often called a stomp box.

Some higher-priced electronic tuners support tuning to a range of different temperaments—a feature useful to some guitarists and harpsichord players.

Some expensive tuners also include an on-board speaker that can sound notes, either to facilitate tuning by ear or to act as a pitch reference point for intonation practice.

The first clip-on tuner was made by Mark Wilson from the OnBoard Research Corporation, and was marketed as Intellitouch PT1.

The first strobe tuner dates back to 1936 and was originally made by the Conn company; it was called the Stroboconn and was produced for approximately 40 years.

These weights permitted setting it to different reference frequencies (such as A4 = 435 Hz), although over a relatively narrow range, perhaps a whole tone.

Wind instrument players and repair people liked this tuner because it needed no adjustment to show different notes.

Other companies, such as Sonic Research, TC Electronic, and Planet Waves, sell highly accurate LED-based true strobe tuners.

In front of these flashing lights is a motor-driven, translucent printed disc with rings of alternating transparent and opaque sectors.

If the note is out of tune then the pattern appears to be moving as the light flashing and the disc rotation are out of sync from each other.

Many good turntables for vinyl disc records have stroboscopic patterns lit by the incoming AC power (mains).

Unless reference and measured quantity are interchanged, the operating principle is the same; the turntable speed is adjusted to stop drifting of the pattern.

For instance, needle/LED display type tuners cannot track the signal to identify a tone of the Caribbean steelpan (often nicknamed the "steeldrum") due to its very short "voice".

In 2004 Peterson made a model of LCD strobe in a sturdy floor based "stomp box" for live on-stage use.

On the virtual strobe system, each band combines a few close frequencies for easier reading on the LCD.

This is still extremely accurate for intoning and tuning most instruments—but, as of this writing, no virtual strobe tuner provides detailed information on partials.

Sonic Research and Planet Waves both released a true-strobe with a bank of LEDs arranged in a circle that gives a strobing effect based upon the frequency of the input note.

In popular music, amateur and professional bands from styles as varied as country and heavy metal use electronic tuners to ensure that the guitars and electric bass are correctly tuned.

An acoustic guitar or upright bass that is perfectly in tune backstage can change in pitch under the heat of the stage lights and from the humidity from thousands of audience members.