Tuner Settings

Concert A Calibration

Concert A Calibration sets the tuning frequency Tunable uses to tune. The default, 440 Hz, serves as a tuning standard for the musical note of A above middle C, or A4 in scientific pitch notation.

You may change the Concert A Reference from 440 Hz to the frequency of your choice by selecting Concert A Calibration on the Tuner Settings screen.

Instrument Transposition

A transposing instrument is an instrument for which music notation is not written at concert pitch. If your instrument is a transposing instrument (eg. Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, French Horn, etc), you will want to select the instrument transposition so Tunable displays the correct note being played by your instrument. If your instrument is not a transposing instrument, use the default Concert Instrument - C setting.

You may change the instrument transposition by selecting Instrument Transposition on the Tuner Settings screen. You may select your instrument transposition By Instrument or By Key at the top of the Instrument Transposition screen. After changing the Instrument Transposition, the Tuner and Tone Generators will use the new transposition.

Selecting transposition By Instrument or By Key accomplishes the same result. By Instrument is helpful if you don’t know the transposition of your instrument and By Key is useful if you do (or your instrument is not listed).

Alternate Temperament

In musical tuning, temperaments are systems used to determine where each note in the 12 note octave is to be placed in relation to the others. Most modern Western musical instruments are tuned in the Equal Temperament system where each “space” or interval between each note is an equal 100.0 cents apart. Depending on the temperament, there will be different intervals between each note.

You may change the alternate temperament by selecting Alternate Temperament on the Tuner Settings screen. Tunable includes several common and historical temperaments. You may also add a custom temperament by selecting the Add button (in the top right), supplying a Temperament Name, and the offset in cents from equal temperament for each of the 12 chromatic intervals.

Note: Perfect 5ths is a common temperament for the violin family. It is a just intonation temperament and utilized by beginning on the instrument’s open string.

Temperament Key

The temperament key is used in conjunction with the alternate temperament. The temperament key should be set to the musical key signature being played.

You may change the temperament key by selecting Temperament Key on the Tuner Settings screen.

Note: The Temperament Key option is not displayed and has no effect when Alternate Temperament is Equal Temperament or Perfect 5ths.

Microphone Sensitivity

The microphone sensitivity option adjusts how sensitive the tuner should be to the audio microphone. The lower the setting, the louder your instrument will need to be. The higher the setting, the softer your instrument can be for Tunable to tune correctly.