Clip on tuner vs mobile app tuner

[Em Tee]

I am going to revive the dead here but which method is more accurate; the phone apps (like G String) which use a mic or headstock tuners (like snark) that use vibration?

[devildog]

I use the iStroboSoft iPhone app and the Stoboclip HD. Both same company and algorithms. Both extremely accurate.
The difference is (as previously noted) that the phone mic listens to all the sound so not as good in a noisy environment but very handy as the phone is always with me (traveling and without the mandolin). But, I almost always use the Stroboclip if it is around as it only uses vibration. If I tune with one, the other shows the mandolin in tune. Has a 'sweetened' mandolin tuning that I like a lot (an in app purchase with iStroboSoft from the 'Bluegrass' package.

[JeffD]

I am not sure accuracy is the main criteria. Neither one would be inaccurate enough to ever notice; i.e. they both are as accurate as you will likely need. The clip on vibration ones don't seem to pick up ambient noise in the room as much, and so are a little better in a crowded jam.

I find taking out my cell phone a little less convenient, but that might just be my own habits and experience.

[Roger Moss]

I have both a strobe tuner app on my phone an a clip on strobe tuner but didn't find that the strobe function gave much advantage over a regular clip on. Now I use a simple D'Addario Nano clip on.

You can get the best of both worlds using one of these...

https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-TP-3.../dp/B000NKKHVE

[Eric Platt]

I prefer the clip on type. But the nyckelharpa player I play with at present uses a phone app. I believe she uses Pitchlab Lite in strobe mode.

[Folkmusician.com]

In my experiance, no clip-on comes close to the best tuning apps. but as mentioned, clip-ons are the best choice in live situations. I still believe the answer here is to have both. They are relitively inexpensive.

[dhergert]

In my experiance, no clip-on comes close to the best tuning apps. but as mentioned, clip-ons are the best choice in live situations. I still believe the answer here is to have both. They are relitively inexpensive.

I'd have to agree with this. Especially on a newer cell phone. Many of these newer devices have advanced microphones and recording circuitry which makes tuning applications work even better.

I have a DA/PW NS Micro peghead clip on tuner on each of my main playing instruments (mandolin X2, banjo X3, Dobro, double bass) and they all work well for a quick tuning brush-up, but when I want to get really accurate, I use G-Strings on my Android phone or Android pad.

[Em Tee]

What do y'all think are some of the best tuning apps?

[Willem]

What do y'all think are some of the best tuning apps?

I use one called Universal Tuner. It has settings for darn near anything with strings. I believe it to be more accurate than my Snark. Best part is that it is free.

[CES]

I have the Peterson iStrobosoft on my iPhone 8, and I really like it. It’s so accurate that it’s difficult to get it to read dead on. That said, it’s not as useful as a vibration tuner (I like Snarks) in a crowd or anywhere there’s a ton of noise. I usually have to tweak string courses a little by ear when I use the Snark, but not when I use the strobosoft. I used to really love Snarks, but this app tuner reveals just how much “play” the clip on tuners have. I think it’s 9.99 for the basic version, more for add ons. I’ve had a couple of decent free tuner apps, but like this one immensely better.

[Folkmusician.com]

iStrobosoft is insanely good and powerful!


I have used it since it came out.

[Em Tee]

iStrobosoft is insanely good and powerful!


I have used it since it came out.

Do you use it on an iphone or android? I have seen some android reviews saying the android version is a dud, just trying to suss out its quality before i make the purchase for android.

[Folkmusician.com]

ahh good question.. iPhone and iPad here. Not sure about the Android version.

[foldedpath]

Do you use it on an iphone or android? I have seen some android reviews saying the android version is a dud, just trying to suss out its quality before i make the purchase for android.

I have the Android version of iStrobosoft and it works fine. That's on a Google Pixel phone, if it matters, but should work on any decent Android phone with a good mic. I use it mainly for setting the tuning slide on a flute, where a clip on tuner isn't practical.

[Roger Moss]

I have the Android version of iStrobosoft and it works fine. That's on a Google Pixel phone, if it matters, but should work on any decent Android phone with a good mic. I use it mainly for setting the tuning slide on a flute, where a clip on tuner isn't practical.

If ambient sound or mic quality is an issue for you, you might want to try one of these...

https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Pitc.../dp/B014L9CCHO

[Charlie Bernstein]

Using an app seems cumbersome, for the same reason those old hand-held electronic tuners were: you need three hands to use them.

With headstock and pedal tuners I can hit a string with one hand and turn its tuning machine with another.

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . I used tuning forks for years in the '60's and '70's, still have an A and an E fork somewhere in my guitar cases . . . .

Yup, I still have my old A-440 fork in my gear box. Makes me feel safe, but glad I never have to use it. (My knee is really glad!)

I had a pitch pipe for a long time but haven't seen it in years. Must be around the house somewhere.

[foldedpath]

Using an app seems cumbersome, for the same reason those old hand-held electronic tuners were: you need three hands to use them.

Nah, they don't need a third hand. When I use the app tuner with flute I just rest the phone on my knee where I can see it. Once you activate the tuner, it's always listening and you don't need to touch anything. It's like using any desktop tuner.

Only good for fairly quiet areas though, unless you use an accessory piezo clip, as mentioned above. In those situations I use the StroboClip tuner.

P.S. Speaking of that accessory clip, it seems we're all being forced into the brave new world of not having any miniplug speaker/mic accessories like that for the latest smartphones.Thanks to Apple and now Google and others following their lead, it's all going BlueTooth (with a dozen partially compatible formats) from now on. So you'll have to charge the battery in your accessory wireless contact pickup for your smartphone tuner app when it's too noisy. Or just use a trusty clip-on tuner to begin with!

[MontanaMatt]

Yup, I still have my old A-440 fork in my gear box. Makes me feel safe, but glad I never have to use it. (My knee is really glad!)

I had a pitch pipe for a long time but haven't seen it in years. Must be around the house somewhere.

You're supposed to thunk your tuning fork on your head, saves your knee.

[Bertram Henze]

Yup, I still have my old A-440 fork in my gear box. Makes me feel safe, but glad I never have to use it. (My knee is really glad!)

The knee is not where it is supposed to go.



I started with a fork centuries ago, but in a noisy pub session situation it is just not usable. Clip-on tuners, OTOH, can read erroneously if the session or jam is in full cry, because your instrument works backwards like a microphone and feeds the music into your tuner.

[Pepe]

Yup, I still have my old A-440 fork in my gear box. Makes me feel safe, but glad I never have to use it. (My knee is really glad!)...

Don't throw yer tuning forks away. They're still a pain to tune with, but they're no end of fun to to tickle little kids noses with - they just keep getting back in line for another go! You still have to whack it on something first, of course . . .

[Roger Moss]

You're supposed to thunk your tuning fork on your head, saves your knee.

I tried it that way, but I bent the fork out of shape.

[DHopkins]

FWIW, I attached a Peterson Strobo Clip HD, an Intellitouch PT40, D'Addario/Planet Waves Mini, and a D'Addario Eclipse to my Breedlove Legacy, all at the same time. They were all very, very close in accuracy with each other. Any differences were minute and not enough rule out any one of them.

This "test" was certainly anecdotal and not scientific but I think it's indicative of the quality of different tuners. They're either all good or all bad. I tend toward the former.

[Bret Roberts]

I used a clip on when I was taking lessons, as a lot of people would all be tuning up before going in for their class.
At home (where I play 99% of the time) I use a thing on the phone called "Tuner T1". Checked it with my tuning fork (got it a long time ago for a coin trick) and works great, and is free.

[LastMohican]

I've used a Snark for years and it works great. This is just another one of those mandolin issues that I have happily checked off as "settled". I can now devote that additional energy to the never-ending process of obsessing over my "next" mandolin. I mean, come on...you know how we are!