Never seen the built-in tuner actually work

[ferez21]

Hi,

I can't seem to make the built-in audio track tuner to work, is there some hidden setting to enable it or any reason it might not be working?

Yes, I'm using monophonic audio with just a single piano note playing at a time, honestly, i tried to make it work like 5 times but it never displayed anything ever.

[cactus-head]

hi,

1) plug in external instrument or mic to audio interface
2) arm audio track with input channel routed from interface
3) play external instrument and make sure view meters in Mixcraft react. If no reaction check audio interface if input is muted
4) click on the tuning fork on the audio track to make sure it's on

That should do it. The tuner reacts to input not on playback just in case you tried that.

The tuning display is next to the Panning slider. There's the slight possibility that when you were changing the theme you overwrote the tuning display if you altered the vu meter display. They appear in the same box.

[ferez21]

The tuner reacts to input not on playback just in case you tried that.

Thanks, so that's what I was missing, I thought I could use it to tune samples but I guess its not possible.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Add the Gtune Guitar Tuner as an effect.

Greg

[aquataur]

There is a VST from GVST called GTune. Thats what Greg is probably referring to.
It works better. I only can get it to work on playback however.

A pseudo strobe tuner used to exist called G-tune. This seems obsoleted. The author says his product is now Strobosoft from Peterson. You have to have 49 bucks spare. Their $10 i-strobosoft works well too.

Melda have a free thing called MTuner which has extensions towards a strobe tuner and seems to work well. Again, only on playback.

I personally have TBStrobetuner on the PC, which always works and a Sonic Research stomp box tuner, which is the cream of all.
I also have several Digitech multi-FX devices with built in tuners, and believe it or not, they are utterly worthless.

The i-strobosoft and Sonic Research tuners work reliable, TBStrobe too. I can attest to that.
Whatever you get, tune before record.

[ferez21]

Thanks guys,

I've already had a tuner plugin from Waves that works great, just thought that using the built in tuner might be more streamlined and quicker to use, so i guess I'll just keep on using my plugin

[aquataur]

Some more contemplation leads me to the following conclusions:

I share the feelings about the supplied tuner.

By the time you hit the DAW, you are pretty late to think about tuning. It is not the DAW´s purpose to guarantee correct tuning, so having a tuner there can only be a crutch at best.
Many of us are multi-trackers that record in a home studio manner, where you actually sit in front of the PC doing it all.
But even if you sit two meters away, the small display becomes awkward.

I come to believe that programming the algorithms for a good tuner is not that trivial, and Peterson pridely attest to this by attaching a price tag to their software solution, that rivals the cost of the whole DAW package. Thus Mixcraft folks probably have better things to think about.

It therefore does not make sense to insist on a tuner that runs inside the DAW at all cost.
Again, I am happy with TBstrobe that runs on the PC, but not inside the DAW. Since I use the mobile to control the DAW anyways, I sometimes use i-Strobosoft for tuning if I feel too lazy to lift my ass.

[Rolling Estonian]

FWIW, I got the TC Electronics Polytune software with purchase of my polytune a few years back (gift from wife, would NEVER spend that on a tuner). It works really well, you can actually get it for free here. Just click on the right side under 'product library' and 'software'.

https://www.tcelectronic.com/product.ht ... Code=P0CKF

M

[ferez21]

Some more contemplation leads me to the following conclusions:

I share the feelings about the supplied tuner.

By the time you hit the DAW, you are pretty late to think about tuning. It is not the DAW´s purpose to guarantee correct tuning, so having a tuner there can only be a crutch at best.
Many of us are multi-trackers that record in a home studio manner, where you actually sit in front of the PC doing it all.
But even if you sit two meters away, the small display becomes awkward.

I come to believe that programming the algorithms for a good tuner is not that trivial, and Peterson pridely attest to this by attaching a price tag to their software solution, that rivals the cost of the whole DAW package. Thus Mixcraft folks probably have better things to think about.

It therefore does not make sense to insist on a tuner that runs inside the DAW at all cost.
Again, I am happy with TBstrobe that runs on the PC, but not inside the DAW. Since I use the mobile to control the DAW anyways, I sometimes use i-Strobosoft for tuning if I feel too lazy to lift my ass.

If programming the tuner algorithm takes away from Acoustica's other efforts at new features and bug fixes in Mixcraft, i dont mind if they just ditch it, it just seem like a nice extra but absolutely not necessary or essential.
Seems like using a 3rd party tuner works better for most people here anyway.

[aquataur]

I checked the TC polytune VST. This seems to be an older version, but works.
Be prepared to wait ages for the C++ library to download and install. I thought this had stalled, because it showed no signs of progress.

Yes it works. What they call "stream mode" is supposed to be akin to a strobe tuner, and indeed the handbook promises a higher resolution. But it disappoints. I checked my pedal steel, all 10 strings produce a static display, suggesting in-tune strings.
Cross-checking with TBstrobe reveals that they are slightly out here and there, where TC suggests perfect pitch.

But this is probably precise enough, and if you use this for tuning, you are in a good starting position.
If you want to go the DAW way, that´s it...

I observed a few things...

• I do not care for the polytuning thang. It is geared towards a six string instrument.

• It starts with the 6 string display, but when disappointed, switches to chromatic (single string mode)

• You can change reference pitch down to 435 Hz. So no luck for you flat earthers.

All those tuners want to see a signal on playback, but playback does not work for tuning.

• Insert the vst into the fx list.

• Arm your track for recording and click on the loudspeaker symbol on the track to hear it. I have forgotten what the function is named in English.

• You have to mute the master volume or you will hear feedback echoes building up.

have fun.

[Acoustica Greg]

Gtune Guitar Tuner comes with Mixcraft, and you can use it on any audio, not just guitar.

[aquataur]

I spent more time with GTune.
Like many others it displays a green center that lulls you into the confidence of believing you have perfect pitch.
It has the advantage though that it displays below how many cents your are off.
In comparison, you clearly see the display rotating on a strobe tuner for the same pitch, which tells you that you are still off.

While there is a heated debate wheter you can hear that (and many claim the average musician can´t), errors like that amount.
While you may not be able to distinguish two tones that are 5 cents apart per se, you will certainly be able to hear the difference between a perfectly tuned instrument being played (provided it is set up properly) and a sloppy.

You will guaranteed hear it on an instrument that has even more strings.
And you will never be able to set up the intonation properly with anything less than a strobe tuner.

My friend is a teacher in a musical college, and he smiled upon my strobe tuner when he first saw it, claiming he could always tune a guitar better by ear than any tuner can. And he certainly is one with "golden ears". Not long later he ordered one...

This btw does not explain why the TC polytune does not display properly in stream mode, which is a pseudo strobe display.
(Note: I talk about the free, older version. They might have fixed this)

So I kindly disagree with the usefulness of those linear tuners. YMMV.
But as I made clear above, I don´t see it the duty of the DAW or the makers thereof to supply a perfect tuner.

[Sturdy]

Wanted to post that the GTune built in tuner might be handy as an effect in the chain when putting together your own sampled instrument and may need to check the pitch of the samples. At least working on recording samples for an instrument I often was trying to determine what the note was and verify that it was proper pitch, or close enough if it was oscillating some. Seems like the tuner naturally goes hand in hand with assembling samples for a sampled instrument.