Tuner
The Tuner is the main tab in Tunable. It listens to your instrument through the device microphone and shows how close your pitch is to the nearest note in real time.
What is a cent?
Section titled “What is a cent?”A cent is one hundredth of a semitone — the smallest unit used to measure pitch accuracy. There are 100 cents between any two adjacent notes on the chromatic scale (for example, C to C♯). When the display shows +10 cents, your pitch is 10 hundredths of a semitone sharper than the target. Smaller numbers mean you are closer to the target pitch. 0 cents is perfectly in tune.
The tuner display
Section titled “The tuner display”Note name
Section titled “Note name”The large note name at the top of the display shows the nearest note to your current pitch. If you have Instrument Transposition set, the note name reflects your instrument’s written pitch, not concert pitch.
Cents value
Section titled “Cents value”The number below the note name shows how many cents your pitch is from the center of that note. Positive values are sharp; negative values are flat.
The needle and in-tune zone
Section titled “The needle and in-tune zone”The needle (or indicator line) moves left and right to show your pitch position:
- Center: in tune
- Left of center: flat (below the target pitch)
- Right of center: sharp (above the target pitch)
The green zone in the center is the in-tune zone — the range of pitch Tunable considers acceptably in tune. When the needle is inside the green zone, your note is close enough to the target. The width of the green zone is set by your Skill Level.
Pitch history line
Section titled “Pitch history line”The white line traces where your pitch has been over the last few seconds:
- A steady, horizontal line means you are holding the note consistently.
- A jagged or drifting line means your pitch is varying.
- A line left of center means the note was flat; right of center means sharp.
The length of the trace is controlled by Tuning History Length.
Tips for accurate readings
Section titled “Tips for accurate readings”- Play in a quiet space. The tuner responds to everything the microphone picks up. Background noise causes the display to jump.
- Play firmly and close to the microphone. Your instrument needs to be louder than the ambient noise.
- Let the note settle. Wind and string players naturally drift slightly when a note starts. Watch the pitch history line to see how your pitch stabilizes after the attack.
- Match your skill level. The Skill Level setting controls how wide the in-tune zone is. Set it to match your current ability — a narrower zone requires more precision and gives more detailed feedback.
- Practice with the metronome running. Start the metronome on the Metronome tab, then switch to the Tuner tab. The click keeps going in the background so you can check intonation at tempo without stopping the beat.