Apple’s iPhone and iPod have ever-expanding
libraries of useful applications for guitarists—and
the new iPad will no doubt fuel even more. One
of the handiest types for us guitarists is the tuner.
At press time, there were more than 70 apps
with tuning functions of some sort. We took a
look at 12 guitar-specific apps ranging in price
from free to $9.99. The apps were tested with
a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Martin DC-16,
and we compared the apps’ functionality with
the results the Paul got from a Boss TU-1000 and
what the Martin got with its built-in tuner.
Free Tone-Generating Apps
If you’re looking for a simple tone generator to
tune your guitar to, we tested three free options:
• iTuner has tones for guitar or bass, though
those for bass aren’t very strong.
• Guitar Tuner by PFG Software is polyphonic,
and the tones are recorded rather
than electronic. It features 21 tuning options,
though there are some lag issues.
• Guitar Tuner is a straightforward tone generator
with nine tuning options, including a
half- or whole-step down.
Free Chromatic Tuners
Free tuners are hit or miss. Luckily, they’re
free so you’re not out any cash, but we’ll save
you the trouble.
• Tuner Tool has seven tuning options, including
chromatic. It has decent tracking across all
strings, but we experienced difficulty picking
up the low E. One thing we appreciated was
the large “No Sound” button that flashed
when the tuner wasn’t picking up any signal.
• Trace Tuner is a chromatic tuner with a unique
display that “traces” the tuning for five seconds
in order to improve accuracy. It picks up low
frequencies well, works well at close or far proximities,
and can also transpose pitches. It was
remarkably accurate for a free application.
Paid Tuners
With paid tuners, you get increased accuracy
and features, but not all of them are winners.
• Easy Tune ($.99) opened strong with
instructions—something none of the other
apps had—but it all proved to be for nothing:
The app didn’t detect a signal, even when
our iPhone was placed inside the soundhole
of our acoustic guitar.
• PitchBot Smart Chromatic Tuner ($1.99)
was very responsive at a distance, picking up
fretted notes and low frequencies without
problems. The traditional needle display was
a bit jumpy for our tastes.
• TuneORama ($2.99), from the same developer
as PitchBot, allows you to transpose
and cycle through different tunings easier
than any of the apps we tried. The chromatic
mode was also useful.
• StayInTune – Chromatic Tuner ($3.99) is one
of the smoothest-operating apps we tested. It
has a simple (though unattractive) needle display,
and includes a tone generator with either
synth or recorded piano tones. There are
modes for several different instruments, which
makes it useful for the whole band.
• ClearTune – Chromatic Tuner ($3.99) has
a needle-and-dial display that’s a little erratic
but quite accurate. It allows you to change
octaves and has a tone generator with an
extended range.
• OmniTuner ($5.99) is feature packed, with
tunings for many different instruments, multiple
guitar tunings, and the ability to create
and download your own tunings. These
features are nice, but in its simplest form it
wasn’t as accurate as most of the other tuners
apps we tested.
• iStroboSoft ($9.99) is the Peterson Tuners
StroboSoft tuning application brought to
the iPhone. It’s extremely responsive from
distances of just a few inches up to four feet,
and it also features a handy Noise Filter that
adeptly ignored normal-volume voices—the
only tuner with such a feature. This app was
incredibly accurate.
Results
| Best Free Tuner Trace Tuner | Best Value StayInTune | Best Overall iStroboSoft |
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Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.