Which tuner is right?

krcassid

Inspired
hi guys. I’m loving my Axe 3 Fc12. But, i’ve Run into a frustrating issue... let me say 1st that I’m a freak about my tuning. I can’t stand a guitar that’s out of tune. With my Axe II, I was almost ready to buy a Peterson Strobe because I never felt the Axe 2 was as accurate as I like.

But, gloiusly, the Axe 3 has a strobe tuner! However, i’m Having problems this it. Here’s the deal:

When I strike a string to tune, I am getting 3 very different readings from the Axe strobe, the Axe linear tuner and (by far the worst) the FC12 tuner. The FC12 will show me dead center, perfectly in tune. The linear tuner on the Axe display might show me a few cents off and the Strobe tuner shows me WAY off (maybe 5+ Cents, almost always sharp vs the other 2 tuner displays. If I use the strobe to tune (which I prefer) and tune everything “up” to that, then the other 2 tuners often show me 2 bars sharp. However, if I tune to the Axe linear, the FC will show me in tune as well but I am very flat on the strobe. The FC seems happy if you are w/in 3-4 cents but that doesn’t work for me—to inaccurate.

So, I have 3 tuners on my Axe 3 and none of them agree. I’ve tried across multiple guitars. There are no “pre-Axe” efx.

I’m so frustrated i’m Back at the point of buying a Peterson but it sure seems like a $2500 modelor should not need this.

You guys have any suggestions? Is anybody experiencing similar problems? I’m inclined to use the strobe but, if I do, both other tuners show me being way flat. Thx!
 
there are less "dots" in the display for the FC, so it needs to show Center a bit earlier than exact dead center on the higher resolution Axe3 screen.

that said, i've never had any problem with the "3 tuners" which really are all the same. a "few cents" off is acceptable as a string will naturally go in and out of tune due to just how hard you strike it and where.

it sounds like things are working normally.
 
Sometimes it shows I'm in tune but the strobe is flat, but on other strings they are both in tune on the center tuner line and strobe. I just go by the main center line and not the strobe.
 
Sometimes it shows I'm in tune but the strobe is flat, but on other strings they are both in tune on the center tuner line and strobe. I just go by the main center line and not the strobe.
I do the same, I don’t trust the strobe that still spins when the reading says zero.
 
Does anyone else notice that when the AFX screen reads 0 cents, the strobe is still spinning?

That's to be expected. A strobe tuner display is necessarily more precise than any lateral tuner display. That means the strobe tuner can show a value that is off center when the lateral tuner is showing center. The reverse shouldn't be true though.

By the same token, the tuner display on the AxeFX is more precise than the display on the FC12 (strictly speaking, there is no tuner on the FC12).
 
That's to be expected. A strobe tuner display is necessarily more precise than any lateral tuner display. That means the strobe tuner can show a value that is off center when the lateral tuner is showing center. The reverse shouldn't be true though.

By the same token, the tuner display on the AxeFX is more precise than the display on the FC12 (strictly speaking, there is no tuner on the FC12).
But I’ve had the strobe stop spinning with the other part showing a couple of cents off.
 
But I’ve had the strobe stop spinning with the other part showing a couple of cents off.
.

This is exactly why I posted this. Both of the other displays, AFX and FC12 are showing me (relatively ) in tune but that strobe is still moving pretty good. This is true on all strings and all guitars.. now, the strobe should be the most accurate, right? So, I tune to the strobe and now i’m 5 cents flat on the other 2 (and vice, versa). That’s why I asked, in my OP: “which one is correct? I need to be in tune in the studio (and elsewhere) and I can definitely hear 3-5 cents.

Seems to me, you have to make a choice. Are you going to tune to the strobe or to the lateral tuner. There are not all that close. I can send you pics where the strobe has stopped dead but those arrows in the display are way off center still.
 
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This is exactly why I posted this. Both of the other displays, AFX and FC12 are showing me (relatively ) in tune but that strobe is still moving pretty good. This is true on all strings and all guitars.. now, the strobe should be the most accurate, right? So, I tune to the strobe and now i’m 5 cents flat on the other 2 (and vice, versa). That’s why I asked, in my OP: “which one is correct? I need to be in tune in the studio (and elsewhere) and I can definitely hear 3-5 cents.

Seems to me, you have to make a choice. Are you going to tune to the strobe or to the lateral tuner. There are not all that close. I can send you pics where the strobe has stopped dead but those arrows in the display are way off center still.
Noticed this a while back but never brought it up.
 
I’m so frustrated i’m Back at the point of buying a Peterson but it sure seems like a $2500 modelor should not need this.
I have a suggestion, since your ready to buy a Peterson anyway why not instead just try resetting the tuning offsets on the Axe-Efx to the Peterson Sweetened Tuning offsets first and see if that helps.
For those that aren't aware of what I'm talking about reset your tuning offsets as follows.

    • E6 = -2.3 cent
    • A5 = 0
    • D4 = 0
    • G3 = -0.4 Cent
    • B2 = -2.1 Cent
    • E1 = -2.3 Cent
 
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I have a suggestion, since your ready to buy a Peterson anyway why not instead just try resetting the tuning offsets on the Axe-Efx to the Peterson Sweetened Tuning presets first and see if that helps.
For those that aren't aware of what I'm talking about reset your tuning offsets as follows.

    • E1 = -2.3 cent
    • B2 = 0
    • G3 = 0
    • D4 = -0.4 Cent
    • A5 = -2.1 Cent
    • E6 = -2.3 Cent
I feel as if you have just described why Ozzy only wanted brown M&M’s.
 
    • E1 = -2.3 cent
    • B2 = 0
    • G3 = 0
    • D4 = -0.4 Cent
    • A5 = -2.1 Cent
    • E6 = -2.3 Cent

This is exactly how I have the AxeFX tuner offset setup...works well for me and I always use the strobe to tune up with. Never had an issue using this.
 
No point worrying over a few tenths of a cent.... I mean you could breath on your string and the 1 degree rise in temp from toir breath will cause the string to expand and shift the tuning slight.

Perfect tuning is an illusion on stringed instruments
 
The strobe tuner and bar tuner use different algorithms. The bar tuner measures the average period of the waveform. The strobe tuner works like, well, a strobe tuner. It "demodulates" the signal with a quadrature oscillator. This effectively measures the fundamental ONLY. The frequency of the fundamental will not necessarily match that of the overall waveform.

So it's like having two tuners, a traditional tuner and a strobe tuner running simultaneously and, just as with separate physical tuners, the results may not necessarily be the same.

A guitar string is not perfect. The resonances of the overtones aren't always perfect integer multiples of the fundamental. This is exacerbated by the pickups which pull on the strings and cause the overtones to be off (in extreme cases causing the dreaded "stratitis").

Which measurement is correct? That's up to you decide. Some people prefer the sound of the strings being tuned to the frequency of the overall waveform. Others prefer the results of a strobe tuner.
 
The strobe tuner and bar tuner use different algorithms. The bar tuner measures the average period of the waveform. The strobe tuner works like, well, a strobe tuner. It "demodulates" the signal with a quadrature oscillator. This effectively measures the fundamental ONLY. The frequency of the fundamental will not necessarily match that of the overall waveform.

So it's like having two tuners, a traditional tuner and a strobe tuner running simultaneously and, just as with separate physical tuners, the results may not necessarily be the same.

A guitar string is not perfect. The resonances of the overtones aren't always perfect integer multiples of the fundamental. This is exacerbated by the pickups which pull on the strings and cause the overtones to be off (in extreme cases causing the dreaded "stratitis").

Which measurement is correct? That's up to you decide. Some people prefer the sound of the strings being tuned to the frequency of the overall waveform. Others prefer the results of a strobe tuner.
As a buddy once told me when i told him his guitar was out of tune...

Me: I think your guitar may be out of tune.
Him: Your ears are out of tune, I tuned this guitar last week.
 
The strobe tuner and bar tuner use different algorithms. ... Which measurement is correct? That's up to you decide. Some people prefer the sound of the strings being tuned to the frequency of the overall waveform. Others prefer the results of a strobe tuner.

I did a quick tuning test by plucking at the 12th fret. FWIW on the AF3 the two methods seemed to agree better. YMMV.
 
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