Tune!It Help

Tune!It Help

Introduction

Menu Command Summary

Action bar

Trouble shooting

Introduction

Tune!It is an innovative program designed to tune musical instruments on an Android device. Tune!It automatically detects the pitch of the input signal and shows the corresponding note and its deviation in cents. Optionally the harmonics, the spectrum or the wave form of the input signal can be displayed in real time. Other features include :

reference tone
customizable library of historical temperaments
custom tuning to set up special instrument tunings using offset and harmonics
melodic ear training
alternative input from WAV files
calibration functions

Menu Command Summary

Tune!It has the following menu options displayed on top of the screen :

Settings
Tools
Help

Settings Menu

Tune!It's settings can be changed or adjusted in the following areas :

General Settings
Spectrum Settings
Ear training settings
Advanced settings

Tools Menu

Calibrate device
Calibrate device using external reference tone
Edit Custom Tuning
Edit custom tunings using Notepad style editor
Import Custom Tuning
Import custom tunings
Edit temperaments
Edit temperaments using Notepad style editor
Open WAV file
Process sound from WAV file
Save spectrum
Save spectrum readings

Help Menu

Help contents
Activate registration
Displays dialog activates the registration and turns Tune!It into a registered version
About
Displays current program information such as version number, evaluation or registered version and serial number if unregistered version..

Action bar buttons

Spectrum
Activates/Deactivates the spectrum display
Wave
Activates/Deactivates the wave form display
Harmonics
Activates/Deactivates harmonics display
Custom
Activates/Deactivates Custom tuning
EarTraining
Previous
Pause
Next
Calib Ref Pitch

The Action bar can be hidden by dragging it off the screen or by selecting an option in the Settings menu.

Chromatic Tuner

The chromatic tuner is TUNE!IT's default mode and shows a meter box with digital displays at the top of the screen and a piano keyboard at the bottom half of the screen. The chromatic tuner can be activated by clicking on the Tuner button. The chromatic tuner detects the pitch of the input signal and displays the corresponding note and it's deviation from the selected tuning ( A = 440 Hz and equal temperament tuning is the default). The note will be highlighted in red and its deviation is shown in the cents (1/100 of a semitone). Cents will be displayed digitally as well graphically in form of a floating red rectangle. The note is exactly in tune if the red rectangle shrinks to a line over the 0 cent mark.
Note : Make sure to play only one note at a time otherwise incorrect readings may occur (e.g. on a guitar plug only one string and mute remaining strings ).

General Settings

The following paramaters are available to customize the behavior of the Chromatic Tuner :

Sensitivity This parameter sets the dB threshold for the signal amplitude to be detected. The sensitivity can be set between -90dB which is high sensitivity and 0dB. High sensitivity enables the tuner to detect and process very weak signals, however this may cause some false readings during signal pauses.
There is also an option to to set the sensitivity automatically by the program.
Frequency range Tune!It can detect frequencies between 20 Hz and 20000 Hz . The frequency range can be selected for a number of instruments such as bass, guitar and piano or a custom frequency range can be entered. The default custom frequency range is set from 20 to 4800 Hz . Limiting the frequency range can speed up processing and guarantee correct readings. The upper frequency range determines which sampling rate Tune!It is going to use. Below 5512Hz the sampling rate is 11025, up to 11025Hz the sampling rate is 22050 and above the sampling rate used is 44100 . When Custom tuning, Tune!It automatically adjusts the frequency range according to the currently selected tuning.
Reference pitch The reference pitch defaults to A = 440 Hz which is the standard. This can be changed to any other note/octave and frequency e.g. A4 = 441.5 or C4 = 260 . There is also the option of calibrating the reference pitch via an external sound source .
Calibration This allows you to calibrate your sound card by specifying a offset in cents. Some devices do not sample exactly at the specified sampling rate, which can result in pitch readings with a variation of up to +/-15 percent of a semitone. Calibration is specified in cents with a accuracy up to 1/10 of a cent e.g. -2.4 cents (a cent is 1/100 of a semitone). See also Calibrate Sound card .
Instrument key This allows you to adjust Tune!It to the key of your instrument e.g. Bb or Eb instruments. No adjustment is done with key C which is the concert key (e.g. guitar) .
Notation This allows you to display the note symbols in the following formats :
- letter notation C, D, E, F.... in flat (Gb) or sharp (G#)
- Solfege Do, Re, Me, .... in flat or sharp
- Indian notation Sa, re, Re, ga, Ga,... . The root note Sa is determined by the selected Temperament Key e.g. for temperament key = G the root note Sa corresponds to the note G .
Temperament Selects historical temperament
Temperament Key Specifies the Key to be used for the selected temperament
Use A By ticking the 'Use A' checkbox you can force the A note to be based on the A as specified in the 'frequency of A' box. If 'Use A' is not checked, the base note of the selected tuning which is the Temperament Key will be have no offset and be the same as in equal temperament tuning.
Piano keyboard Specifies the size of the keyboard in octaves and the start octave. The size and start octave can also be set by touch gestures on the piano keyboard
Hum Filter When checked, Tune!It will filter out hum which may distort your signal and cause false readings.. The Hum frequency is either 50 or 60 Hz depending on country (USA has 60Hz, Australia 50Hz). Use this feature, when Tune!It shows readings at 50 or 60 Hz when connecting your mike or instrument pickup to the sound card. Do not use this feature when you expect your input signal frequency to be 50 or 60 Hz .
Fine Tuning If Fine Tuning is checked, Tune!Its accuracy will be up to 1/10 of a cent. The deviation will be displayed as fractions of cents (e.g. +10.3 ) .
Strobe When Strobe is selected, Tune!It will function as a Strobe tuner by graphically showing the results in form of a moving ribbon. The ribbon moves to the right when the note is sharp and moves to the left when the note is flat . The speed of the movement indicates the magnitude of the deviation. There is a yellow ribbon and color ribbon available. The color ribbon will vary its color depending on the deviation of the note.

Advanced Settings

Voice recognition mode
This recording mode guarantees automatic noise cancellation.
Use lower sampling rates
Use lower sampling rates than 44100Hz for frequencies less than 11050Hz if available
FFT buffer size
By default the size of the FFT buffer is derived from the current sampling rate which is dependent on the frequency range. The default FFT buffer contains about 0.2 seconds of samples which results in about 5 screen updates per second. However individual FFT buffer sizes of 512, 1024, 2048, 4096 and 8192 can be selected for special tuning needs e.g faster screen updates with lower accuracy or slower screen updates for higher accuracy.

Harmonic Analysis

The harmonic analysis shows information of the s of the current note being tuned. The display can be de/activated by clicking on the 'HA' button . Up to sixteen harmonics with the following information are shown :

harmonic number ('F' for fundamental, 2,3,.. for harmonic )
frequency
offset in cents
volume or amplitude

It also displays the InHarmonicity coefficient which is used in piano tuning.

The following parameters are available :

Offsets from multiples of fundamental
By default the offsets are calculated from multiples of the fundamental frequency. If this is unchecked then the offsets of the harmonics are calculated from the closest note using the current selected temperament.

The display can be paused at any time by using the Pause button.

Waveform display

Displays the waveform of the current signal. The y-axis represents the amplitude, the x-axis represents time. Only a number of cycles of the current frequency will be displayed.
The following touch gestures are available for scaling the waveform display:

two finger vertical pinch to scale the amplitude
two finger horizontal pinch to increase/decrease the number of cycles

Calibrate Sound card

Tune!It can check and adjust the sound cards calibration using an external reference tone. Some devices do not sample exactly at the specified sampling rate, which can result in pitch readings with a variation of up to +/-15 percent of a semitone. Calibration is specified in cents with a accuracy up to 1/10 of a cent e.g. -2.4 cents (a cent is 1/100 of a semitone).
The external reference tone should be a known reliable sound source (e.g. tuning fork or the 'NIST Time and Frequency Division' broadcasts 600Hz , 500 Hz and 440Hz signals over the telephone) . Tune!It will ask you to enter the frequency of the external signal and will then measure the signal and update the calibration if necessary (e.g if Tune!It's reading showed -12 percent, it will set the calibration to +12.0 ).

Calibrate reference pitch

This function is accessible via the Action bar. It allows you to calibrate the reference pitch for any note by using another instrument as a reference. To update the reference pitch

let Tune!It measure the frequency of the reference instrument
tap the 'Calib Ref Pitch' button
confirm the note/octave and frequency or change note/octave if required

Temperaments

By default Tune!It uses the equal temperament tuning which is most commonly used in modern western music. In equal temperament tuning the distance between adjacent semi tones is the same and therefore allows for tunes to be transposed into any key. However Tune!It supports also a number of historical temperaments which can be selected via the temperament combo box. As these tunings have non equal distances between semi tones and therefore cannot be transposed, you have to specify the key for the tuning via the Temperament Key combo box. By ticking the 'Use A' checkbox you can force the A note to be based on the A as specified in the 'frequency of A' box. If 'Use A' is not checked, the base note of the selected tuning which is the Temperament Key will be have no offset and be the same as in equal temperament tuning.

Edit Temperaments

This option allows you to change, add or delete temperaments using a Notepad type editor . Alternatively you can use MS EXCEL by opening the file tmprmnts.csv directly , which resides in Tune!Its installation folder. A temperament is defined by it's name and a specification for each of the notes C, C#, D,,,,Bb, B . The specification can be in two ways :

offset in cents from the note in equal temperament
frequency ratio relative to C e.g. 3/2 for G (perfect fifth)

The temperament CSV file has the following structure :
The first column always indicates the row type which can either be '*' for comments or 'T' for temperament definition . Comment rows are optional and can appear anywhere. A temperament ('T') row contains the following information :

'T'
temperament name
offset in cents with up to 2 decimals (e.g. 3.85 ) or frequency ratio (e.g. 3/2) for each of the notes C, C#, D, ...,Bb, B

Note : When editing the file with a Notepad type editor, all fields in a temperament row have to be separated by a comma (e.g. T, My Temperament , 0,6,4,2,0,6,4,2,0,6,4,-4 )
When editing the file with MS EXCEL frequence ratios (e.g. 3/2) may be displayed in date format . In this case you have to substitute the '/' by '@' (e.g. 3@2) .

Note: The temperament file 'tmprmnt.csv' is stored in the 'tuneit' folder of the SD card or mass storage .

Spectrum

This mode can be used to explore the harmonics of the input signal. The spectrum can be activated by clicking on the Spectrum button. The spectrum is a graph showing the amplitude of the frequencies contained in the input signal. The peaks in the graph represent the harmonics of the signal. The spectrum can be displayed in 2 or 3 dimensions with time as the third dimension (3D Spectrum). The frequency scale also shows the corresponding note scale so that the harmonics can be easily identified. The spectrum display can be paused at any time by using the Pause button.
The following parameters are available :

3D Spectrum This feature shows a three dimensional view of the Spectrum (with time as a third dimension) which resembles a 'musical landscape' building up over time. The most recent signal is shown at the bottom of the screen and moves towards the top of screen as time proceeds. The frequency scaling of the spectrum can be either logarithmic or linear. In logarithmic mode all notes or octaves are equally distanced. The view angle of the 3D spectrum can be changed by the 2 parameters which change the angle of the frequency or time axis respectively. There is also a sustain time parameter which controls for how long a signal will remain on the 3D display.
Frequency scaling The frequency scaling of the spectrum can be either logarithmic or linear. In logarithmic mode all notes or octaves are equally distanced.
Note Grid Displays a grid for each note which helps identifying notes in the spectrum.

dB Range The dB range parameters allows you to scale the size of the spectrum (Y axis) by setting the minimum and maximum dB values to be shown in the spectrum.
The following touch gestures are available for temporarily scaling of the the spectrum and display peak info :

two finger vertical pinch to scale the dB range
two finger horizontal pinch to scale the frequency range
one finger horizontal drag to shift the frequency range
one finger tap to display peak frequency and note

Pause button

Click on the Pause button to temporarily stop Tune!It display of the spectrum, the harmonic analyzer or the wave form display . To continue with the real time display update hit the Pause button again.

Save spectrum This command allows you to save spectrum values. Only frequency and dB values of peaks displayed in the spectrum will be recorded. This function is only available when the spectrum is paused. You can pause the spectrum by using the 'Pause' button. A dialog will be displayed where a filename for the readings can be entered. The values are stored in CSV (comma delimited) format, which can be opened and displayed in Microsoft Excel . You can also chart the values using a XY (scatter) graph with frequency (Hz) representing the X axis and dB representing the Y axis .

Note: The spectrum readings will be saved in the 'tuneit' folder of the SD card or mass storage .

Reference Tone

To play a reference tone tap and hold any of the piano keyboard keys. The reference tone sounds as long as the key is hold.

Piano Keyboard

The piano keyboards highlights the currently measured note. It can also generate reference tones by tapping and holding any of the piano keyboard keys. The reference tone sounds as long as the key is hold.

By default the piano keyboard show 2 octaves starting with the 3rd octave. This can by changed via the Settings or via the following touch gestures above or inside the keyboard :

one finger horizontal drag to change start octave
two finger horizontal pinch to change number of octaves to be displayed

Custom Tuning

Custom tuning is a feature where one can define different tunings or tuning sequences for special instrument tunings e.g. open G tuning for guitar. A tuning consists of a set of notes which can be defined by note/octave, an offset in cents or frequency and an optional . Up to 128 tunings can be created. Each tuning can have up to 256 notes. Tune!It comes with predefined tunings for guitar, cello, violin, bagpipe and piano .

Custom tuning can be activated/deactivated by clicking on the custom tuning icon in the toolbar. When activated, a tuning and note selection list will be appear in the toolbar and the currently selected note will be displayed together with details such as harmonic number and offset.

Customized tuning can be either done in 'single note' or 'automatic' mode. In 'single note' mode only one note is selected at a time and pitch detection will be focusing on that note only. Select a note from the note list or advance to the next note by using the Next button . You can also go back to the previous note by using the Previous button . In 'automatic' mode Tune!It will automatically detect the played note but only from the list of notes of the currently selected tuning. Automatic mode can be activated by selecting 'Automatic' from the note selection list (last entry ). Optionally a reference tone can be played during custom tuning.

You can create or change custom tunings by using the Custom Tuning editor

Edit Custom Tuning

This option will allow you to edit the custom tunings using a Notepad type editor . This way you can easily change, add or delete tunings as an alternative method to the Custom tuning settings panel. Alternatively you can use MS EXCEL by opening the file tunings.csv directly .
The custom tuning file is stored as a CSV file (comma seperated values) which has the following structure :
The first column always indicates the row type which can either be '*' for comments, 'T' for tuning information and 'S' for tuning step information. Comment rows are optional.
A tuning must begin with a 'T' row followed by 'S' rows for each tuning step.
A tuning ('T') row contains the following information :

tuning name
Instrument Midi number (not used in Android)
Auto Reference tone (not used in Android)
Auto record - when set to 1 the readings will be recorded and can then be saved to a file
Use tuning offsets in cents instead of specifying frequencies (1 for offset, otherwise 0)
Display style (0 = single note, 1 = grid showing all tuning notes for tunings up to 10 notes only )

A tuning step ('S') row contains the following information :

note description (e.g. A 5th string, C chanter)
frequency or Offset in cents
Notename and octave (e.g. Ab3, C#2) or midi number (60 = C4) of the corresponding note
number of harmonic or 0

The 'Save' button will store the edited 'tunings.csv' in the 'tuneit' folder of the SD card or mass storage . The 'Restore button will restore the original factory custom tunings. In both cases a backup of the current custom tunings will created in the 'tuneit' folder named tunings.Backup.csv .

Import Custom Tunings

This function allows you to import a custom tunings file which may have been created and saved under a different name than tunings.csv . You can select the CSV file from any folder and it will override the current custom tunings. However a backup of the current custom tunings will created in the 'tuneit' folder named tunings.Backup.csv .

Save Custom readings

When Auto record is specified for tuning the readings can be saved to a CSV file. For each tuning step it will record the measured frequency and deviation. On exit of Custom tuning or Tune!It a dialog will be displayed where a filename for the readings can be entered.

Note: The custom readings will be saved in the 'tuneit' folder of the SD card or mass storage .

Previous button

Goes back to the previous note during Custom tuning . Next button

Avances to the next note during Custom tuning or skips the current ear training test .

Ear Training

You can use Tune!It’s ear training to improve your musical listening skills. Tune!It’s ear training is melodic, which means it will play random sequences of single notes such as intervals or melodies which you have to recognize and repeat using your instrument. To begin with the ear training, click on the ‘Ear’ button or check ‘Ear training’ in the options menu. Once in ear training mode, Tune!It will play a random melody and then wait some time (twice the duration of the melody) for you to repeat the notes with your instrument. It will then check whether the notes you played match. If yes, Tune!It will commence with a new test , otherwise it will repeat the current test. You can also use the Next button to abandon the current test and continue with a new test. To exit ear training, tap the ‘Ear’ button again or uncheck ‘Ear training’ in the options menu. There are many options to customize ear training which can be set in Ear training settings . You can customize Ear training with the following parameters :

Number of notes
Determines the number of notes in the melody. Up to 12 notes can be specified including 1 for single notes and 2 for intervals.
Maximum interval Defines the maximum distance between consecutive notes in the random melody. The interval is expressed as number of semi-tones .
Range Defines the lowest and highest note which can occur in the random melody. The range is expressed as note/octave for the lowest and highest note.
Scale The interval or melody can be constructed out of notes from a specified scale. The chromatic scale covers all 12 notes of an octave whereas the other scales consist only of 8 or less notes as follows in the key of C :
- major scale (c,d,e,f,g,a,b)
- harmonic minor (c,d,eb,f,g,ab,b)
- melodic minor (c,d,eb,f,g,a,b)
- diminished (c,d,eb,f,gb,ab,a,b)
- augmented (c,d,e,gb,ab,bb)
- blues (c,eb,f,gb,g,bb)
- pentatonic major (c,d,e,g,a)
- pentatonic minor (c,eb,f,g,bb)
Key The interval or melody can be constructed out of notes from a specified key or the key itself can be randomly selected. In combination with the Scale parameter one could e.g. practice only intervals from the C major scale.
Note : A non-random key can only be specified if the selected scale is not chromatic.
Tempo Specifies how fast the melody is being played. Tempo is specified in beats per minute. This also effects the time for you to repeat the notes, as Tune!It waits for twice the duration of the melody before it repeats or plays the next melody.
Show first note Check this if you want Tune!It to highlight the first note of the melody.

Open WAV file

This command allows you to open a WAV file and use it as input to Tune!It instead of the signal coming through the sound card . The WAV file may contain some prerecorded sounds you would like to explore in more detail. After a WAV file has been selected, Tune!It will read the file and display the results in either the chromatic tuner or spectrum mode.

How to use Tune!It

Start up Tune!It via Tune!It's icon . Tune!It's Chromatic Tuner panel will be displayed. Tune!It is now ready for tuning.
Play a note on your instrument or sing a note and you should see the note highlighted and it's accuracy displayed in cents (1/00 of a semitone) in form of a floating red rectangle.
Play a Reference tone by tapping any of the screen piano keys
To show the Spectrum of the signal, simply touch the 'Spectrum' button
To show the wave form of the signal, simply touch the "Wave' form button
To show the harmonics of the signal, simply touch the 'Harmonics' button

Trouble shooting

If Tune!It does not respond to your input signals the input signal maybe too weak and you need to increase Tune!It's sensitivity until you get a response.
If Tune!It shows readings from background noise, decrease Tune!It's sensitivity until the background noise is eliminated.