OMG! This Changes Everything!

For help with setups and other technical issues.
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ChrisDesign
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OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by ChrisDesign » Tue Jan 28, 2020 8:15 pm

You have to download the Peterson iStrobesoft Tuner app and use it to set your intonation!

I’ve been using my Korg DT-10 for years and believed I had tuning and intonation nailed. I was wrong. Watching a rig run down of Metallica, their guitar tech uses the Peterson app. I downloaded it, set my tuning and intonation, and... wow. My guitar sings!

Those few small adjustments make a world of difference. Tone just feels right now in a way it never felt right before.

I’m in no way associated with Peterson, and I don’t get money for this. I’m just bowled over with how perfect my jazzmaster note sounds!

Iphone link: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/istrobosoft/id308296029
"I own a '66 Jaguar. That's the guitar I polish, and baby - I refuse to let anyone touch it when I jump into the crowd." - Kurt Cobain

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bodhi
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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by bodhi » Sat Feb 01, 2020 3:01 am

Owning a few of the Polytune tuners, one clip-on and one of the pedal format (Polytune 2), I find it interesting that on occasion I've noticed very slightly different results even with products from the same brand. Though perhaps it might be somehow influenced by battery power in the clip-on version?

How does the app results compare to the physical tuner, are we talking "off by a lot"? Or is it perhaps a matter of setting up the guitar again after some temperature changes or something? There are also at least a few VSTs and other apps around that support strobe tuning (including TC's, which I own but haven't used in ages), are you able to compare the app to some alternative gear to share an understanding of how it's different?
Jazzmaster project (got a body, placeholder neck, some pickups and ideas)
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ChrisDesign
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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by ChrisDesign » Mon Feb 03, 2020 1:33 am

I tune with the Korg DT-10, and then the strobe tuner. We’re talking along 1 cent max. Yes, this is subtle, but it’s enough to make a difference. If I had a first store, I wouldn’t let anyone try a guitar until I had strobe tuner tuned it. It makes the guitar feel magic to me.
"I own a '66 Jaguar. That's the guitar I polish, and baby - I refuse to let anyone touch it when I jump into the crowd." - Kurt Cobain

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by N0_Camping4U » Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:49 pm

So you say you tune with two different tuning pedals? I'm intrigued by this, just making sure I understand what you're saying correctly.
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master."

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by andy_tchp » Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:18 pm

No, OP is referring to Peterson's mobile strobe tuning app for iOS/Android.

Can confirm its excellent.

Results shouldn't be different per se, just more (precise) data and faster response (always my bugbear with tuners).

Peterson claim +/- 0.1 cent accuracy vs something like the Boss TU-2 being accurate to +/- 3 cents (and the newer TU-3 to +/- 1 cent).
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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by timtam » Mon Feb 03, 2020 7:23 pm

Anecdotally, people reporting small disagreements between tuners seems to be quite common. You'd think testing tuners against a universal standard would be more common, with manufacturers advertising their verification against a NIST or similar standard. Instead we're supposed to take them basically on faith.

There are online pure tone generators. For tuners/apps based on microphone input (or you could probably connect your PC speaker out to a pedal / desktop tuner's input jack) you can check your tuner(s) yourself ... assuming the online tones are accurate ;) ...
http://onlinetonegenerator.com/tuning/guitar.html
https://www.gieson.com/Library/projects ... s/tonegen/
https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

As well as accuracy, you would want to test sensitivity, ie how far off frequency you need to go before the indicator changes to show that you're off. eg here the Snark clip on (using mic) does not fare as well as the D'Addario on that test (using a signal generator) ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67E6Gt98HjM
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by sgarnett » Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:43 am

The pitch of a plucked string starts sharp, drifts flat, and fluctuates continuously. Some tuners use hysteresis to damp that, but you can’t really tell what they are ignoring. Others track it well, but it’s difficult to visually filter the information. The IStroboSoft app does a great job of presenting the unfiltered data in a way your eyes can handle. I’ve found that using it for both setting intonation and routine tuning does make a big difference compared to other tuners.

Puretones are useful for calibration, assuming their own calibration is accurate, but they don’t really test the tuner’s handling of a real guitar string.

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by timtam » Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:58 pm

sgarnett wrote:
Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:43 am
The pitch of a plucked string starts sharp, drifts flat, and fluctuates continuously. Some tuners use hysteresis to damp that, but you can’t really tell what they are ignoring. Others track it well, but it’s difficult to visually filter the information. The IStroboSoft app does a great job of presenting the unfiltered data in a way your eyes can handle. I’ve found that using it for both setting intonation and routine tuning does make a big difference compared to other tuners.

Puretones are useful for calibration, assuming their own calibration is accurate, but they don’t really test the tuner’s handling of a real guitar string.
Good points. I've tried to tighten up my tuning technique recently to minimize 'extraneous' factors present in a plucked string tone that can confound the tuning process. eg use the neck pickup (closer to middle of string / fundamental), turn the tone right down to take out the higher frequency harmonics, pluck nearer the middle of the string (to excite fewer harmonics). That does mean I'm tuning with something a bit closer to a pure tone, and a more consistent tone. It does seem to result in more consistent tuning.

Rather than pure tones, perhaps the idea of a 'standard' to test guitar tuners would be verified recordings of tuned real strings.
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by soggy mittens » Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:40 pm

Tune with the Peterson and then check it against any other tuner and then take a pic of the difference please, otherwise it is just hearsay as far as I'm concerned. :)
If OSG has tort me anything...

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by mgeek » Tue Feb 04, 2020 11:08 pm

I thought the very nature of frets and even western scales means that it's literally impossible to be in tune all over a fretboard, there's always going to be a compromise where your open G sounds better than your E chord, or vice versa? ie just intonation and all that

This makes me a little sceptical of any claims of particular tuners providing a magic result tbh - though always open to being proven wrong

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by sgarnett » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:24 am

soggy mittens wrote:
Tue Feb 04, 2020 10:40 pm
Tune with the Peterson and then check it against any other tuner and then take a pic of the difference please, otherwise it is just hearsay as far as I'm concerned. :)
That would be useless for comparison for the reasons I already mentioned. YMMV, and convincing you to try it is Peterson’s concern, not mine.

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by NateD81 » Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:35 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:18 pm
No, OP is referring to Peterson's mobile strobe tuning app for iOS/Android.

Can confirm its excellent.

Results shouldn't be different per se, just more (precise) data and faster response (always my bugbear with tuners).

Peterson claim +/- 0.1 cent accuracy vs something like the Boss TU-2 being accurate to +/- 3 cents (and the newer TU-3 to +/- 1 cent).
Big fan. is it perfect - No clue. what I do know is that I've had a lot of success intonating and tuning my guitars over my standard tuners. definitely worth the 10 bucks or so I paid.

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ChrisDesign
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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by ChrisDesign » Thu Feb 06, 2020 1:29 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:18 pm
No, OP is referring to Peterson's mobile strobe tuning app for iOS/Android.

Can confirm its excellent.

Results shouldn't be different per se, just more (precise) data and faster response (always my bugbear with tuners).

Peterson claim +/- 0.1 cent accuracy vs something like the Boss TU-2 being accurate to +/- 3 cents (and the newer TU-3 to +/- 1 cent).
This is exactly right! My Korg DT-10 is great for stage and quick tuning, but it cannot distinguish the fine detail like the strobe.

I have set up all my guitars and basses now. It’s like going from a £500 guitar to a £1500 guitar! It’s shocking the jump in quality just by fine tuning the intonation and tuning with a £10 app!
"I own a '66 Jaguar. That's the guitar I polish, and baby - I refuse to let anyone touch it when I jump into the crowd." - Kurt Cobain

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by somanytoys » Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:11 am

I’ve had that app for many years, it’s really a great tuner, app or pedal.

There’s probably nothing quite like an expensive, real strobe tuner, but their app and pedals are amazingly close to one (a friend has the pedal). I don’t really know why I haven’t bought one of their pedals yet, this reminds me that I need to, and sell 1 or 2 others off that aren’t nearly as good.

We’re all aware that there are many factors that affect a guitar’s tuning, especially at different points. The thing is that this gives very specific and correct info of the tuning at any given point, and fluctuates with the variations so that you can see it, which makes it especially useful if you’re trying to setup a guitar.

It’s so damn precise that it can be irritating to use to just tune if a guitar isn’t setup correctly, but that’s really the guitar’s fault, it’s only the messenger. Which means that I need to learn better how to set up my guitars & basses properly myself.

I think I might get the new Strobostomp HD pedal for tuning, but the Strobosoft Deluxe looks perfect for doing setups. Decisions, decisions....
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: OMG! This Changes Everything!

Post by somanytoys » Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:47 am

This thread just cost me $130.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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