page_title: Electronic tuner
section_title: Regular types
hierarchical_section_title: Electronic tuner / Regular types
caption_attribution_description: Korg &#160;Pitchblack &#160;Chromatic Pedal Tuner
context_page_description: In music, an electronic tuner is a device that detects and displays the pitch of musical notes played on a musical instrument. "Pitch" is the highness or lowness of a musical note, which is typically measured in Hertz. Simple tuners indicate—typically with an analog needle-dial, LEDs, or an LCD screen—whether a pitch is lower, higher, or equal to the desired pitch. In the 2010s, software applications can turn a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer into a tuner. More complex and expensive tuners indicate pitch more precisely. Tuners vary in size from units that fit in a pocket to 19" rack-mount units. Instrument technicians and piano tuners typically use more expensive, accurate tuners.
  The simplest tuners detect and display tuning only for a single pitch—often "A" or "E"—or for a small number of pitches, such as the six used in the standard tuning of a guitar. More complex tuners offer chromatic tuning for all 12 pitches of the equally tempered octave.
context_section_description: Regular electronic tuners contain either an input jack for electric instruments (usually a ​¹⁄₄-inch patch cord input), a microphone, or a clip-on sensor (e.g., a piezoelectric pickup) or some combination of these inputs.  Pitch detection circuitry drives some type of display (an analog needle, an LCD simulated image of a needle, LED lights, or a spinning translucent disk illuminated by a strobing backlight). Some tuners have an output, or through-put, so the tuner can connect 'in-line' from an electric instrument to an instrument amplifier or mixing console. Small tuners are usually battery powered. Many battery powered tuners also have a jack for an optional AC power supply.
  Most musical instruments generate a fairly complex waveform. It contains a number of harmonic partials, including the fundamental frequency (which a typical listener perceives as the pitch of the note) and additional "harmonics" (also called "partials" or "overtones"). Each instrument produces  different ratios of harmonics, which is what makes notes of the same pitch played on different instruments (e.g., an A 440 Hz note played on oboe, violin or electric guitar) sound different. As well, this waveform  constantly changes. This means that for non-strobe tuners to be accurate, the tuner must process a number of cycles and use the pitch average to drive its display. Background noise from other musicians or harmonic overtones from the musical instrument can impede the electronic tuner from "locking" onto the input frequency. This is why the needle or display on regular electronic tuners tends to waver when a pitch is played. Small movements of the needle, or LED, usually represent a tuning error of 1 cent. Typical accuracy of these types of tuners is around ±3 cents. Some inexpensive LED tuners may drift by as much as ±9 cents.
  "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.
  Some guitar tuners fit into the instrument itself. Typical of these are the Sabine AX3000 and the "NTune" device. The NTune consists of a switching potentiometer, a wiring harness, illuminated plastic display disc, a circuit board and a battery holder. The unit installs in place of an electric guitar's existing volume knob control. The unit functions as a regular volume knob when not in tuner mode. To operate the tuner, the player pulls the volume knob up. The tuner disconnects the guitar's output so the tuning process is not amplified. The lights on the illuminated ring, under the volume knob, indicate the note being tuned. When the note is in tune a green "in tune" indicator light illuminates. 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.
  Gibson guitars released a guitar model in 2008 called the Robot Guitar—a customized version of either the Les Paul or SG model. The guitar is fitted with a special tailpiece with in-built sensors that pick up the frequency of the strings. An illuminated control knob selects different tunings. Motorized tuning machines on the headstock automatically tune the guitar. In "intonation" mode, the device displays how much adjustment the bridge requires with a system of flashing LEDs on the control knob.
  The first automated guitar tuner was invented by JD Richard in 1982 while studying Electrical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Canada. This tuner was based on phase-locked-looped feedback design that listened to the frequency of the string and turned a stepper motor (with a 400/1 gear ratio) attached to the tuning peg of the guitar. This first design never went into production although the thesis paper can still be obtained at the university. (Ref: UNB, Canada, Department of Electrical Engineering, Paper "Automated Guitar Tuner by J.D. Steven Richard - April 1982"; Supervisor Dr. J.P. Burgess)
caption: Some rock and pop guitarists and bassists use "stompbox" format electronic tuners that route the electric signal for the instrument through the unit via a ​1⁄4-inch patch cable. These pedal-style tuners usually have an output so that the signal can be plugged into a guitar amp.
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