Dirk's Guitar Tuner

This guitar tuner is specifically developed for fast and easy tuning of guitars. Six and seven string acoustic and electric guitars and four, five or six string bass guitars can be tuned.

The tuner reacts quickly and accurate (± 0.5 Cent) and is insensitive for surrounding noises. The sounding string is recognized automatically and the deviation is displayed clearly. The sounding tone is displayed on a scale as well in case the deviation is bigger then 50 Cent so the tone is in range of another note. This comes in handy when tuning a new string for the first time. “Quadra Flat Tuning” is supported for tuning without removing the capo. The frequency of the A4 is adjustable between 430Hz and 450Hz in 1Hz steps.

Please take some time to read this manual. This will certainly save you a lot of time later on. If you find things missing, in error or unclear please send me an e-mail.

1. Select the microphone
   You can do this by clicking on the 'menu' button and selecting 'settings'. After this you can select the microphone from the list. If the guitar tuner does not receive any microphone signal then this 'settings' screen will pop up automatically. Check in the lower right graph (microphone signal) of the guitar tuner if the selected microphone produces a signal.
2. Adjust the microphone's sensitivity
   You can do this by clicking on the 'Microphone Volume Settings' button in the 'settings' screen. A Windows screen will be opened where you can adjust your microphone's sensitivity (volume). Configure the microphone sensitivity halfway the scale and make sure that the checkbox for selecting the microphone is selected. It is often possible to enable the “microphone boost” here through the “advanced” button. Mostly this is not advisable because the microphone will become too sensitive then.

3. Start tuning
   Play the string that you want to tune, and watch the upper gauge to view the deviation. The deviation of the tone is also given as a number in the “Cent” screen. Touch the other strings with your fingers to prevent them from producing sound and disturbing the measurement. The tuner reacts faster and more accurate if the microphone is placed closer to the string.
4. Tool tips
   By hovering above a screen or button with the mouse, a tool tip with a short description will be shown. A tool tip is a small yellow block of text floating above the screen or button.

• Release the string using the tuning peg on your guitar until just below the right pitch. Play the string and tune it upwards slowly while viewing the deviation gauge on the guitar tuner. The deviation should approximately be between -3 and 3 Cent. If the tone is too high then repeat the previously described process. The tuning process should end with tensioning the string (tuning up) and not with releasing it.

• Touch the remaining strings with your fingers to prevent them from producing sound and disturbing the measurement.
• Place the microphone close to the string that you want to tune. The measurement is faster and more accurate if the microphone is placed closer to the string.

The trial version of the Guitar Tuner runs on every pc or laptop that conforms to the system requirements as stated in this manual. You may install the trial version of the Guitar Tuner on multiple computers and send it to your friends.

The trial version does not support tuning the lower B, E and A strings. The rest of the strings can be tuned. It is the intention that this is enough to test the Guitar Tuner. The function “quadra flat tuning” is not supported by the trial version.

• Frequency
  the number of waves per second of a tone (pitch).
• Sound
  the total range of wavelengths that can be perceived by the human ear.
• Tone
  sound with a fixed pitch.
• Note
  notation indicating a tone with a specific pitch and length.
• Scale
  increasing or decreasing sequence of tones in a fixed order.

• Pitch
  the perceived frequency of a tone. This is the fundamental frequency.
• Fundamental tone or tonic
  the perceived pitch. The lowest tone of the collection of tones that make up a sound.
• Overtone
  a tone in a sound that has a higher frequency then the tonic. The overtones are multiples of the tonic.
• Beat(ing)
  a beat(ing) occurs when two tones with a small difference in pitch sound at the same time.

• Interval
  The difference in pitch between two tones.
• Semitone
  the smallest musical interval in western music. An octave exists of twelve semitones. In an equal temperament all semitones are evenly divided in frequency. On a piano the interval between two adjacent white keys, is one semitone, if there is no black key in between. If there is a black key in between the adjacent white keys, then the interval between the two white keys is two semitones. In that case the interval between the white keys and the black one is one semitone. The interval between a tone and the same sharp tone (for example C and C#) is always one semitone.
• Octave
  the difference between two tones where the second tone has twice the frequency of the former.
  1 Octave = 12 Semitones.

• Tuning or temperament
  the way in which the combination of frequencies for a specific range of tones on an instrument are selected. In Western music the equal temperament is most popular. Other temperaments are for example: the just intonation, the Pythagorean tuning, the mean tone temperament, the well temperament and the 31 equal temperament.
• Chromatic scale
  a chromatic scale is a scale that contains all twelve semitones within an octave:
  c – c# – d – d# – e – f – f# – g – g# – a – a# – b (the white and black keys of a piano)
• Half-tone and whole-tone steps
  a half tone step is equal to an interval of one semitone such as the interval between two adjacent white keys on a piano without a black key in between. A complete tone step is equal to an interval of two semitones such as the interval between two adjacent white keys on a piano that do have a black key in between.

• Diatonic scale
  a diatonic scale is a scale with half and whole-tone steps:
  C major: c – d – e – f – g – a – b (the white keys on a piano or the buttons on a diatonic accordion)
  C minor: c – d – eb – f – g – ab – bb
• Hertz
  unit for frequency.
  1 Hz = 1 wave per second.
• Cent
  logarithmic unit for the difference in pitch with respect to a tone in the scale.
  1200 Cent = 1 Octave.
  100 Cent = the distance between 2 successive semitones in an equal temperament.
  

• Frequency spectrum
  all frequencies that occur in a sound. The frequency spectrum can be presented in the form of a graph.
• Bisonoric
  the term 'bisonoric' is used to indicate to that a key of an accordion-like instrument generates a different tone when closing or opening the bellows. Examples: bandoneón, squeeze box, harmonica.
• Tuning table
  a work table with all kinds of supplies for tuning the reeds of an accordion.

This screen displays the signal measured by the microphone. With this screen you can check if your microphone works. This screen is not used for the tuning process.

These sound level gauges displays the sound levels of the strings. The sound levels that are displayed here depend on the sensitivity of the microphone that is configured in Windows. These gauges are not used for the tuning process.

This screen displays a small graph of the frequency spectrum of the note to be tuned. This screen is not used for the tuning process.

This screen displays the note value of the sounding string. The note value is displayed as a large character in the middle of the screen.

The number left to this character shows the string number. For a six or seven string guitar the high E string is number 1 and the low E string is number 6. The low B string is number 7. For a bass guitar the G string is number 1 and the B string is number 5. The high C string is not being numbered. In the upper right corner of this screen the frequency of the A4 is displayed. Normally this is 440 Hz, but this value can be adjusted with the slider at the right side of the Instrument Tuner. In the upper left corner the frequency that the selected tone should have is displayed. The 'Quadra Flat Tuning' setting is displayed in the lower right corner.

This screen displays the deviation of the measured tone with respect to the closest tone in the scale. The display ranges from 50 Cents too low to 50 Cents too high.

The red line indicates the value of the measured tone. The measured tone is tuned when the red line is in the middle (on the green zero-line) of the gauge. A small deviation (+/- 3 Cents) is permitted because this can not or hardly be detected by the human ear. If the red line is on the left side of the middle then the tone is too low and if the blue line is on the right side of the middle then the tone is too high. The number in the small screen “Cent” shows the deviation of the tone in Cents.

This screen shows the measured tone on the scale. The vertical lines show the different notes. The notes on the guitar are indicated by green characters.

A blue vertical line shows in which note the measured tone lies. If the measured tone is in range of one of the notes on the guitar then the tuner will measure and display the deviation of this tone. The blue vertical line is then on top of one of the green characters. With this screen you can see if a tone that is out of the range of the notes on the guitar is to high or to low. This comes in handy when tuning a new string for the first time.

Set the frequency of the A4
With the slider on the right side of the Instrument Tuner you can tune your instrument in another pitch than the standard A=440Hz. With this slider you can set the A frequency between 430Hz and 450Hz with 1Hz steps. All other keys will change accordingly. The current pitch (frequency) of the A is displayed in the top of the screen that displays the note value.

Guitar or bass
You can change between tuning a guitar and a bass using the buttons “Guitar” and “Bass”. While tuning a guitar the notes B1, E2, A2, D3, G3, B3 and E4 can be tuned. While tuning a bass the notes B0, E1, A1, D2, G2 and C3 can be tuned.

Quadra Flat Tuning
Each time the 'Flat' button is pressed, the number of b's will increase in the bottom of the screen that displays the note value. This way it is possible to tune 1 to 4 tones above the displayed note value. If the capo is used then it is not necessary to remove it. Press multiple times on the 'flat' button depending on the capo's position.

How much is a Cent?
The deviation of a tone with respect to the closest tone in the scale is indicated in Cent. 100 Cent is the distance between a tone in the scale and the next. If the tone to be tuned has a deviation of 50 Cent then its pitch is exactly between two tones of the scale.

The guitar tuner configures its settings automatically as much as possible. This way the tuner is easy to use. The number of settings is kept to a minimum. By pressing on the button 'Menu' and selecting “Settings” the microphone to be used can be selected.

If the microphone does not work right away then it is possible that your Windows settings are not configured as they should. The Windows screen, where you can change the microphone settings, can be shown by clicking on the 'Microphone Volume Settings' button.