Tuner Poll

What is your preference for the tuner note names?

  • Mixed sharps and flats as it is now, i.e. C, C#, D, Eb...

    Votes: 172 46.4%
  • All sharps, i.e. C, C#, D, D#...

    Votes: 40 10.8%
  • All flats, i.e. C, Db, D, Eb...

    Votes: 159 42.9%

  • Total voters
    371
  • Poll closed .
You should have added an option for no preference. As long as it's accurate, that's all that matters to me.
 
I voted all sharps (apparently I’m a weirdo), because my Boss TU-2 can only show natural or sharp (with the little red dot). So that’s what I’m used to.
 
I wouldn't want to use the downtune feature; then I'd have to remember if I'd set it to something other than E. (yes, I know I could just not use it...)

But I would like the consistency of either all flats or all sharps.
 
I'm in the same boat. I gig with 3 guitars tuned to E and one tuned to Eb. I tend to use the Axe-Fx display for tuning on stage because I prefer it over the one on the FC-6. Will I need to change the Downtune control when doing a quick tuning check/fix on the Eb guitar between songs?

Assuming I understand correctly, the Downtune feature is for two common scenarios:
  • People like me that play some gigs in standard and some gigs down a half step and I'd like to have all of my pitch block harmony settings to auto-transpose so I don't have to have two sets of those presets.
  • People that are always drop tuned to Eb (or whatever) but want everything to be "as played". IOW, my fingers are playing A minor stuff but I'm dropped a half step so I'm actually playing Ab minor stuff but I'd like to set the pitch block to match what my fingers are playing rather than the dropped pitch. So I can set the harmony to A minor and because of the Downtune setting the Axe3 will actually harmonize in Ab minor.
For someone that switches actual guitar tunings during a gig, I would think you'd want to leave Downtune off.
 
I now understand what the confusion is. If I understand correctly it's when people are tuning down a half-step and the strings read Eb, Ab, C#, ... that is confusing.

What I've done for the next firmware update, instead, is add a Downtune control. When Downtune is set to, say, 1 semitone, the tuner will read one semitone higher than the actual pitch so tuning to Eb standard the tuner will read E, A, D, ...

Also, when using Downtune the Pitch block and any other blocks that rely on pitch will be offset by the number of semitones.

7 YEARS. I've been wanting this for 7 years. I feel like my voice has been heard. I can hardly believe it's happening!! THANK YOU!
YES.gif
 
it's a bit off topic, but again about tuning;
maybe there could be an option for tuning instead A= 440 Hz as standard frequency,
there could be an option A=432 Hz as an alternative frequency and of course the other notes in relation to that
Which is in fact the natural tuning for A, and altered by around 1922
However just my 2 cents, not a big deal but interesting
i voted mixed.

That's a myth. Before A-440 became a standard orchestras tuned to a variety of frequencies, and some still do. There is no such thing as "a natural tuning for A," it's just a man-made conception. The stuff about 432 being the natural resonance of cells is just hogwash.

Danny W.
 
Not a fan of having the tuner display a pitch that is not the real pitch. I think the user has to save presets with the guitar tuning in mind, and use that key for pitch block harmonies.

the issue I’ve had with the tuner, is that I tune EAD exactly on pitch, but G 1 cent flat, and B&E 9 cents flat.

And I want that relationship to remain in tact even if I tune the whole guitar down.

So I’d like to have a tuner profile for different guitars.

gtr 1

6-E (0 cents)
5-A (0 cents)
4-D (0 cents)
3-G (-1 cents)
2-B (-9 cents)
1-E (-9 cents)

gtr 2

6-C# (0)
5-F# (0)
4-B (0)
3-E (-1)
2-G#(-9)
1-C#(-9)

as it stands now, when I tune a dropped down guitar, the axe will try to match the pitch it hears, to a guitar string number and then applies the offset. So, in the above example, when I pluck string 5 which I want tuned to F# (0 cents), the axe thinks the closest pitch is a G which it labels string 3, and it applies a -1 cent offset, because that’s what is supposed to happen to string 3. String 4 is a B, and I want string 4 to be tuned 0 cents,but the Axe indicates B on string 2 and applies a -9 cent offset.
 
Not a fan of having the tuner display a pitch that is not the real pitch. I think the user has to save presets with the guitar tuning in mind, and use that key for pitch block harmonies.

the issue I’ve had with the tuner, is that I tune EAD exactly on pitch, but G 1 cent flat, and B&E 9 cents flat.

And I want that relationship to remain in tact even if I tune the whole guitar down.

So I’d like to have a tuner profile for different guitars.

gtr 1

6-E (0 cents)
5-A (0 cents)
4-D (0 cents)
3-G (-1 cents)
2-B (-9 cents)
1-E (-9 cents)

gtr 2

6-C# (0)
5-F# (0)
4-B (0)
3-E (-1)
2-G#(-9)
1-C#(-9)

as it stands now, when I tune a dropped down guitar, the axe will try to match the pitch it hears, to a guitar string number and then applies the offset. So, in the above example, when I pluck string 5 which I want tuned to F# (0 cents), the axe thinks the closest pitch is a G which it labels string 3, and it applies a -1 cent offset, because that’s what is supposed to happen to string 3. String 4 is a B, and I want string 4 to be tuned 0 cents,but the Axe indicates B on string 2 and applies a -9 cent offset.
i think you can just choose an offset of -3? i'm assuming Cliff is adding more than just a half step down.

or you can just keep it exactly as it is now.
 
...For someone that switches actual guitar tunings during a gig, I would think you'd want to leave Downtune off.

I don't switch tunings at gigs, I switch guitars. I'm accustomed to seeing "Eb" on the first and sixth strings when I check the Eb guitar on stage, but seeing C# and F# for the fourth and third strings isn't intuitive to me. I think of those as my Db and Gb strings when I'm dropping everything down half a step. That's why the ideal solution for me would be to have the option to set the tuner readout to show all the accidentals as flats.

That said, I do see the benefit of the Downtune feature for guys using pitch block harmonies with downtuned guitars.
 
I don't switch tunings at gigs, I switch guitars. I'm accustomed to seeing "Eb" on the first and sixth strings when I check the Eb guitar on stage, but seeing C# and F# for the fourth and third strings isn't intuitive to me. I think of those as my Db and Gb strings when I'm dropping everything down half a step. That's why the ideal solution for me would be to have the option to set the tuner readout to show all the accidentals as flats.

That said, I do see the benefit of the Downtune feature for guys using pitch block harmonies with downtuned guitars.
Both the Downtune and the choice of incidentals displayed would be an awesome two-fer....
 
I now understand what the confusion is. If I understand correctly it's when people are tuning down a half-step and the strings read Eb, Ab, C#, ... that is confusing.

What I've done for the next firmware update, instead, is add a Downtune control. When Downtune is set to, say, 1 semitone, the tuner will read one semitone higher than the actual pitch so tuning to Eb standard the tuner will read E, A, D, ...

Also, when using Downtune the Pitch block and any other blocks that rely on pitch will be offset by the number of semitones.

A thought - simplify all this with a note display option on the tuner allowing the user to:
Display enharmonic equivalents as A) sharp B) flat

This options would get you out of guessing what key or tuning the use is targeting and avoid the potential added confusion of displaying relative tuner notes which could also cause confusion.
 
IMO, the tuner should never display anything other than the actual pitch. Having it display an E when tuning to Eb seems like a very poor solution.

I know, I can turn that off and I don't have to use it. Just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

There's nothing wrong with it the way it is now.
 
IMO, the tuner should never display anything other than the actual pitch. Having it display an E when tuning to Eb seems like a very poor solution.
I know, I can turn that off and I don't have to use it. Just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.
There's nothing wrong with it the way it is now.

I can't do chords like super-Dylan, and it isn't always fast or accurate, but I have perfect pitch. When I hear an Ab and try to think of it as an A, it feels like a thorn bush forms behind my eyes.

My personal preference is for the basic accidentals to always show both names.

C#/Db

F#/Gb
 
My personal preference is for the basic accidentals to always show both names.

C#/Db

F#/Gb

I was coming here to post this. Can the display just show the flat and then maybe have the sharp in corner in a smaller font? takes all the guesswork out of it... could even select to show sharps/flats. Technically I have no idea how much space tuner code takes up so maybe that's an issue (or man hours to get it done if it's deemed worthwhile).
 
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