Not a ukulele instrument review this week (would be lost in the noise of NAMM posts), but an accessory of the sort that pretty much every ukulele player will have in their gig bag. A clip on tuner. This one is the Peterson Stroboclip HD.
Showing posts with label tuner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tuner. Show all posts
18 Jan 2020
10 Feb 2017
10 Feb 2017T16:08
In that discussion, somebody (a new ukulele player) was asking what accessories they should buy to go with it. I was staggered by the rather unhelpful responses, including odd ideas and several items that really just are not needed when starting out. I was also staggered at the lack of mention of the basics.
So, here you go... enjoy
Now - please bear in mind that these are the ABSOLUTE BASICS I recommend. If you like buying gear, you will find my fuller list of ukulele accessories here - some of your suggestions may be on the longer list - but this video was about BASICS.
© Barry Maz
Read More »
The Essential Ukulele Accessories
Just a short Ukulele Beginners Tips video I was compelled to make following a discussion I saw online recently.
In that discussion, somebody (a new ukulele player) was asking what accessories they should buy to go with it. I was staggered by the rather unhelpful responses, including odd ideas and several items that really just are not needed when starting out. I was also staggered at the lack of mention of the basics.
So, here you go... enjoy
Now - please bear in mind that these are the ABSOLUTE BASICS I recommend. If you like buying gear, you will find my fuller list of ukulele accessories here - some of your suggestions may be on the longer list - but this video was about BASICS.
© Barry Maz
10 Sept 2016
10 Sept 2016T13:10
© Barry Maz
Read More »
D'Addario Ukulele Clip On Tuners - REVIEW
Product review time and not an instrument itself in this feature,
rather a set of gizmos that no ukulele player is really ever without. Today we are looking at a pair of clip-on tuners from D'Addario.
Ahhh, the clip-on tuner... the blessing and curse of the ukulele world. Why a blessing? Well that much is surely obvious - they are cheap and make it much easier (and quicker) to tune than using pitch pipes or a tuning fork and you just kind of leave them there ready to do their thing - a great invention. And why a curse? Well I think that in many cases with the ukulele beginner they rely too much on the tuner. "But my tuner says so, and therefore it must be right". And with that I fear that a new generation of players are losing the ability to actually listen to notes and certainly the ability to tune by ear from another instrument...
Please don't get me wrong though. I love them, and I use them all the time for the convenience factor, but I would still urge all of my readers to learn to use your own ears as well as using a tuner!
Rant over, and on to this pair. You will surely agree that D'Addario is a trusted name in musical instrument products, so you would expect these to have a certain decent quality level to them. You would not be wrong. The market for clip on tuners is pretty excessive in my opinion and I have seen so many that are flimsy or badly designed. Neither of those complaints apply here.
First up is a tuner I have featured before on Got A Ukulele in the form of the NS Micro Headstock Tuner (the PW-CT. I first starting using the Micro because I had become sick of the overly large clip on tuners I was using before such as the Snark. Sure, they do their job, but not only do I think they look ugly, but I lost count of how many I broke, in many cases as a result of being on stage, turning the ukulele and whacking them on a microphone stand. No, I wanted something smaller and the Micro from D'Addario is now what I have been using for clip on tuning for some time.
The form factor is tiny, to such an extent that when performing, most in the audience would not know it is there. And it becomes even more unobtrusive when you hit the 'reverse' button and put the tuner on the other way around so the display is behind the headstock. Brilliant.
Not that the diminutive size means it is hard to read though.. the screen is extremely bright and easy to read, and also importantly in operation it registers notes quickly and accurately. Some cheap tuners can fail in this department leading to sights of people on stage endlessly plucking notes trying to get the tuner to even register. This works as you would expect with both a note and needle display showing you whether you are sharp or flat, together with a colour guide (green in tune, red out of tune).
The clip part is not spring loaded like so many others, rather you adjust the size to fit the headstock and push it on.
The clip part is not spring loaded like so many others, rather you adjust the size to fit the headstock and push it on.
Together with the ability to flip the screen, the micro also has adjustment buttons allowing you to 'tune the tuner' (meaning adjust the frequency of the A note up and down from the standard 440 Hz). It also has a cool Metronome feature the displays a bouncing light back and forth to the beat setting you choose. Handy for practice.
So I say all that about my dislike for larger clip on tuners, and then out of the package from D'Addario falls their standard Chromatic Headstock Tuner which is clearly much larger than the micro. Would I rekindle my love for the larger tuners?
Well actually, yes I really rather like this one too. First of all, you could really not say it was ugly like the Snark. It's modern looking, sleek and best of all it folds down flat when on the headstock. I like that.
And when you unfold it the tuner immediately springs into life showing off its large and very bright screen that is super easy to read.
Attaching it is simple as it employs the more standard spring loaded clip mechanism, but the whole thing feels solid and it doesn't have the flimsy hinge so often the plague of these things.
Attaching it is simple as it employs the more standard spring loaded clip mechanism, but the whole thing feels solid and it doesn't have the flimsy hinge so often the plague of these things.
Operation wise it's exactly the same as the Micro, just larger - the same note and needle display with colour coding and the same ability to reverse the screen and mount it underneath the headstock. Whilst it also has buttons to tune the tuner, it lacks the metronome feature of the micro, which is a shame as that large screen could have shown that off really clearly.
But that is a minor gripe for a clip on tuner that I really rather like. It's the look of it for me, coupled with the ability to fold it down and that super clear screen that I really rather like.
At the end of the day, if you play ukulele you WILL be buying a clip on tuner. In fact if you are like me, you will go through lots of them. I say, avoid the cheap and nasty. Some of those are hard to actually operate and not that accurate and I've far too many fall apart. I consider D'Addario to be a name you can trust, and these are certainly well constructed with no flimsy hinges. If you think clip on tuners are expensive, I can assure you they are not. I remember the days where tuners were huge bulky things that you had to plug a cable into and cost a fortune. I also remember the first clip on tuners from Intellitouch and they cost close to £100 and this was 20 years ago! No, clip on tuners today are NOT expensive.
Which one do I recommend? That's hard to say - get both! Take a look at the video below to see them in action. Seriously - both will perform well for you.
Which one do I recommend? That's hard to say - get both! Take a look at the video below to see them in action. Seriously - both will perform well for you.
The Chromatic Headstock Tuner retails for around $27 and the NS Micro for around $21 (though shopping around will get you them much cheaper!)
© Barry Maz
14 Nov 2012
14 Nov 2012T10:38
The Peterson uses a strobe pattern technology on the display rather than a needle or red and green lights allowing you to tune much much finer than with normal tuners. Many clip on tuners are accurate to about +/- one or two percent, yet the Peterson claims to offer 1/10th of a percent accuracy. It certainly works very well and is satisfying to use.
The other day though I was browsing the iTunes App store and came across a free app download called Strobe Tuner Pro. I gave it a go. This is just a mini review, as really, there isn't that much to write about!
On opening the app you are presented with a simple looking screen. Top left shows the note that is being registered, top right in red is a large strobe wheel, and at the bottom 12 mini strobe wheels for each of the musical notes. The app uses the devices microphone input to register, and before you hit a note you will see that all of the wheels are spinning wildly in a blurry fashion (that I can't show on a photograph for obvious reasons)
To use a strobe tuner you adjust your tuning until the strobe pattern for the note you are looking for slows to a complete stop. Some of my older readers may recall this strobe pattern being used on the edge of record deck platters to adjust speed. It tricks the brain in to seeing a frozen image at certain speeds in a real strobe wheel - in the app it's simulated but works the same way - allowing for extremely accurate tuning. It's fiddly (as is the Peterson) but this is the stage of getting that 1/10th of a percent accuracy.
In this app, there is no dedicated ukulele setting, but I just left it on the Key of C option (though there are others for other tunings). But that is all irrelevant really as on the main screen are all of the notes you need to tune a ukulele whether in standard C tuning, or indeed any tuning. Just hit a string and use the smaller strobes at the bottom to to find which note you are closest too and then when you are near the note you need, use the main red screen and the plus or minus percentage in the top left under the note to fine tune.
So how does it stack up? Well I spent some time getting my Martin uke in tune with the Peterson. I then checked the settings with the app. Bang on. I then purposefully put the Martin out of tune and re-tuned with the app. Checked the tuning with the Peterson and ..... bang on.
Wow. The Peterson costs big bucks, but this app does the same basic thing just as well. Sure there are some downsides to using an app - it relies on quiet as it is using the microphone not vibration so perhaps only really suited to home or studio use. It's also not something that you can leave clipped on for tuning during a set for obvious reasons! It also doesn't come with the Peterson 'sweetened tunings' option but the jury is still out for me on those, but it's also incapable of having the tuning adjusted like on the Peterson which is a handy feature for when you want to be in tune with another instrument that is tough to re-tune (like a piano) - with this you can only be in tune with the App. Finally, it requires you to have an iPhone or an iPad and I know how divisive that whole topic can be (I have searched for an Android version but not found one as yet).
But, if you already have one of the Apple devices and use it for tuning, then this really is worth looking at - it's about as accurate as an App tuner can get and considering the high price of the Peterson, is getting you pro level tuning for nothing!
The app can be downloaded at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strobe-tuner-pro/id473530418?mt=8
Read More »
Strobe Tuner Pro - APP - Mini REVIEW
You may have already read on Got A Ukulele my review of the Peterson Stroboclip Tuner - the excruciatingly expensive yet staggeringly accurate clip on tuner that the pro's adore.
The Peterson uses a strobe pattern technology on the display rather than a needle or red and green lights allowing you to tune much much finer than with normal tuners. Many clip on tuners are accurate to about +/- one or two percent, yet the Peterson claims to offer 1/10th of a percent accuracy. It certainly works very well and is satisfying to use.
The other day though I was browsing the iTunes App store and came across a free app download called Strobe Tuner Pro. I gave it a go. This is just a mini review, as really, there isn't that much to write about!
On opening the app you are presented with a simple looking screen. Top left shows the note that is being registered, top right in red is a large strobe wheel, and at the bottom 12 mini strobe wheels for each of the musical notes. The app uses the devices microphone input to register, and before you hit a note you will see that all of the wheels are spinning wildly in a blurry fashion (that I can't show on a photograph for obvious reasons)
To use a strobe tuner you adjust your tuning until the strobe pattern for the note you are looking for slows to a complete stop. Some of my older readers may recall this strobe pattern being used on the edge of record deck platters to adjust speed. It tricks the brain in to seeing a frozen image at certain speeds in a real strobe wheel - in the app it's simulated but works the same way - allowing for extremely accurate tuning. It's fiddly (as is the Peterson) but this is the stage of getting that 1/10th of a percent accuracy.
In this app, there is no dedicated ukulele setting, but I just left it on the Key of C option (though there are others for other tunings). But that is all irrelevant really as on the main screen are all of the notes you need to tune a ukulele whether in standard C tuning, or indeed any tuning. Just hit a string and use the smaller strobes at the bottom to to find which note you are closest too and then when you are near the note you need, use the main red screen and the plus or minus percentage in the top left under the note to fine tune.
So how does it stack up? Well I spent some time getting my Martin uke in tune with the Peterson. I then checked the settings with the app. Bang on. I then purposefully put the Martin out of tune and re-tuned with the app. Checked the tuning with the Peterson and ..... bang on.
Wow. The Peterson costs big bucks, but this app does the same basic thing just as well. Sure there are some downsides to using an app - it relies on quiet as it is using the microphone not vibration so perhaps only really suited to home or studio use. It's also not something that you can leave clipped on for tuning during a set for obvious reasons! It also doesn't come with the Peterson 'sweetened tunings' option but the jury is still out for me on those, but it's also incapable of having the tuning adjusted like on the Peterson which is a handy feature for when you want to be in tune with another instrument that is tough to re-tune (like a piano) - with this you can only be in tune with the App. Finally, it requires you to have an iPhone or an iPad and I know how divisive that whole topic can be (I have searched for an Android version but not found one as yet).
But, if you already have one of the Apple devices and use it for tuning, then this really is worth looking at - it's about as accurate as an App tuner can get and considering the high price of the Peterson, is getting you pro level tuning for nothing!
The app can be downloaded at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strobe-tuner-pro/id473530418?mt=8
10 May 2012
10 May 2012T08:15
It's a really simple affair with only two main settings. In the "All Notes" setting, you get a chromatic tuner that works with any note, and in the middle setting, "Ukulele C" you get a tuning that recognises standard GCEA tuning, and when you pluck recognises the string number as well as the note. To be honest, I am not sure whether this is really needed, and if they felt it was needed, why not put a D tuning option in? The third option is basically just a link to the aNueNue site.
Anyway - the app works by using the device microphone to listen to your instrument (nb - older iPod Touch users will need to use a microphone from the earpiece to work it). You pluck the string, the needle registers the note on a bright rainbow dial. When in tune the green light comes on, when its not, it's one of the red lights either side.
It claims it is accurate to plus or minus 1% (which I think is unlikely) but it does work, and works well. It picks up my plucking quickly, and most of all it's free so why not download it?
(Note - this is one of those apps designed mainly for iPhone - whilst it works on iPad it runs in that smaller window that iPhone apps use - still perfectly useable though.)
You can get it from the App store here - aNueNue tuner app
Read More »
aNueNue tuner APP - REVIEW
Had to share this with you - we all love a ukulele bargain. Uke maker aNueNue have released a new tuner app for the iPhone (and iPod Touch and iPad) - and best of all, it's FREE!
It's a really simple affair with only two main settings. In the "All Notes" setting, you get a chromatic tuner that works with any note, and in the middle setting, "Ukulele C" you get a tuning that recognises standard GCEA tuning, and when you pluck recognises the string number as well as the note. To be honest, I am not sure whether this is really needed, and if they felt it was needed, why not put a D tuning option in? The third option is basically just a link to the aNueNue site.
Anyway - the app works by using the device microphone to listen to your instrument (nb - older iPod Touch users will need to use a microphone from the earpiece to work it). You pluck the string, the needle registers the note on a bright rainbow dial. When in tune the green light comes on, when its not, it's one of the red lights either side.
It claims it is accurate to plus or minus 1% (which I think is unlikely) but it does work, and works well. It picks up my plucking quickly, and most of all it's free so why not download it?
(Note - this is one of those apps designed mainly for iPhone - whilst it works on iPad it runs in that smaller window that iPhone apps use - still perfectly useable though.)
You can get it from the App store here - aNueNue tuner app
6 May 2012
6 May 2012T15:30
All the names were put into a hat and, in the spirit of impartiality, a name was drawn by my 2 year old daughter (who doesn't follow any of you on Twitter, and in fact doesn't know what Twitter, or a Snark tuner is...)
CONGRATULATIONS TO - John Wigley (Twitter @johnwigleythera ) who was the winner. Will be getting in touch with you soon via Twitter to get your details. Well done and enjoy your tuner!
Keep an eye on GAU for more competitions soon!
Read More »
Tuner Competion - THE RESULT!
Well, thanks for all your entries, folks, but the competition closed last night.
All the names were put into a hat and, in the spirit of impartiality, a name was drawn by my 2 year old daughter (who doesn't follow any of you on Twitter, and in fact doesn't know what Twitter, or a Snark tuner is...)
CONGRATULATIONS TO - John Wigley (Twitter @johnwigleythera ) who was the winner. Will be getting in touch with you soon via Twitter to get your details. Well done and enjoy your tuner!
Keep an eye on GAU for more competitions soon!
28 Apr 2012
28 Apr 2012T19:05
The Snark is a great tuner - and all you have to do is use Twitter to enter. See the instructions on THIS LINK - just make sure to follow me on Twitter and post the tweet as per the instructions - and that's it.
Only one week to go now to get your entries in!
Best of luck!
Read More »
COMPETITION REMINDER - Win a Snark Tuner!
Reminder of my free to enter competition to win a Snark Ukulele tuner! The last week now!
The Snark is a great tuner - and all you have to do is use Twitter to enter. See the instructions on THIS LINK - just make sure to follow me on Twitter and post the tweet as per the instructions - and that's it.
Only one week to go now to get your entries in!
Best of luck!
17 Apr 2012
17 Apr 2012T20:16
I am giving away a brand new Red Snark (the one with the option of using it as a clip on or with the in built microphone) which as you will see in many reviews, is a highly regarded tuner. This is a free to enter prize draw.
Now this is going to be a Twitter competition. Don't worry if you have never used twitter - it's free and quick to sign up an account here.
To enter, all you have to do is the following two things
1. Follow my Twitter account - you can find me HERE or at @bazmaz_ukulele . (And don't worry, you don't have to stay following me for ever if you really don't want to, only as long as the competition runs, as I will be notifying the winner via Twitter, and will need to Private Message them to get address details.)
2. Tweet the following text exactly as you find it below. Don't add any other text.
I want to win a SNARK#ukulele tuner with Got A Ukulele http://www.gotaukulele.com/2012/04/competition-win-snark-tuner.html RT and follow @bazmaz_ukulele to enter!
And that's it. If you come across the tweet on Twitter, simply ReTweet it and make sure you are following me to enter that way too. Tweets must be made by midnight (GMT) on 5 May 2012 to qualify. After that date, I will draw a random winner and let them know they have won. Then you just need to wait for your Snark to arrive
Good luck - and feel free to share and tell your friends too!
Read More »
COMPETITION - Win a Snark Tuner
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!
You may have seen my recent review of the Peterson Strobe tuner, and agree that its a bit pricey for most tastes. For me though, the best value and best featured ukulele clip on tuner is the Snark tuner by QWIK. And because I like that tuner quite so much, I am giving one lucky reader of Got A Ukulele a chance to win one!
I am giving away a brand new Red Snark (the one with the option of using it as a clip on or with the in built microphone) which as you will see in many reviews, is a highly regarded tuner. This is a free to enter prize draw.
Now this is going to be a Twitter competition. Don't worry if you have never used twitter - it's free and quick to sign up an account here.
To enter, all you have to do is the following two things
1. Follow my Twitter account - you can find me HERE or at @bazmaz_ukulele . (And don't worry, you don't have to stay following me for ever if you really don't want to, only as long as the competition runs, as I will be notifying the winner via Twitter, and will need to Private Message them to get address details.)
2. Tweet the following text exactly as you find it below. Don't add any other text.
I want to win a SNARK
And that's it. If you come across the tweet on Twitter, simply ReTweet it and make sure you are following me to enter that way too. Tweets must be made by midnight (GMT) on 5 May 2012 to qualify. After that date, I will draw a random winner and let them know they have won. Then you just need to wait for your Snark to arrive
Good luck - and feel free to share and tell your friends too!
RULES (IMPORTANT)!
1. Competition ends at midnight GMT on 5 May 2012
2. To be eligible for the prize draw, you must tweet the above statement and be following my Twitter account @bazmaz_ukulele
3. On draw day, I will pick a random winner of those eligible entries and inform them via a message on Twitter. Only those following my Twitter account will be able to receive the Direct Message. The message will ask for your email address in order for me to correspond with you to obtain your mailing address
5. In the event that the winner fails to respond to the request, after seven days a second draw will take place
6. This prize has no alternative cash value.
7. No purchase necessary
8. Tweeting your entry is no guarantee that the Tweet was received. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost or delayed, or which are not received for any reason
9. The prize in not transferable to another person
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
