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Topic: StroboFlip Tuner: a few basic questions |
Cliff Kane
From:
the late great golden state
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Posted 25 Aug 2008 10:12 pm |
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I've just gotten a Peterson StroboFlip tuner. It is great, a great tuner and a lot of fun to use. I have a couple of questions that I hope people with some experience with these tuners can answer.
1) Concerning batteries: when the AC adaptor is plugged in and the tuner is switched on are the batteries being drained?
Also, when the tuner is switched off but a cable is left plugged into the input jack, are the batteries being drained?
2) Concerning transposing the key of a sweetened tuning: I tune an acoustic lap guitar to an open C major CEGCEG tuning. I figure that the Dobro GBDGBD sweetened tuning would be good to use, but I would like to transpose the tuning from G to C so that the 1st, 3rd, and 5th intervals are sweetened the same. I see that I can use the drop/capo funtion at +5 to tell the tuner that I have capoed the Dobro G sweetened tuning up five frets to the key of C, but the fact is that the notes are open at the nut, not at the 5th fret. I don't know if this makes a differenence, but is there another way to take a pre-sweetened tuning and transpose it to a different key without telling the tuner that it is being capoed? I see that there is a root change function--which is what I think I am trying to do--but that only works with the tempered tunings, not the sweetened tunings. Perhaps I'm trying to do something that is not necessary, and the capo function is okay to use for this application?
Thank you for your help,
Cliff |
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Don Sulesky
From:
Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH
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Posted 26 Aug 2008 12:07 pm
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Great questions.
I'd give the Peterson folks a call.
Then you can get back to us with their answers.
Don |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jack Ritter
From:
Enid, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2008 1:12 pm
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I may be wrong, but I think with using the AC adaptor the batteries are not being drained.
I have a cable from the stroboflip plugged into my Rev pre-amp rack assy all the time and if tuner is turned off, it doesn't drain my batteries.
Also, if i use my N-112, after tuning and shut off the tuner, and unplug from the butt of the steel,I leave the short cable from the tuner still plugged in and just lay it over the tuner leg clamp bracket for easy use if ever a need.--- This does not use any battery drain if tuner is shut off.
_________________
Zum D10 8x5,rev pre-amp, TC M300, Split 12, n-112, IZZY, Hilton vp, Geo L, BJS Hughey, Live Steel |
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Don Sulesky
From:
Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH
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Posted 26 Aug 2008 2:02 pm
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After seeing Jack's answers I agree with him.
If the A/C is plugged in then there is no drain from the batteries.
I leave my cord plugged into the unit all the time when I have my steel set up at home and with the switch off and as yet have not been aware of any battery drain.
Don |
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Cliff Kane
From:
the late great golden state
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Posted 26 Aug 2008 4:54 pm
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Thanks guys! Good to hear. I've emailed Peterson about changing the root of the sweetened tunings; I'll let you know what they say.
Thanks,
Cliff |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 26 Aug 2008 9:57 pm
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I don't use a strobe tuner. I use a Boss TU12 needle meter. But I can address your questions from the standpoint of basic theory. Taking the whole tuning up 5 half-steps (5 frets) should preserve the same intervals whether open at the nut, actually capoed, or tuned higher as if capoed. So if it is "sweetened" open at the nut in G, it will be sweetened the same way up 5 half-steps in C.
I would have to see the Peterson manual to understand the rest of your question. One would think that "changing the root" of a chord is what was discussed in the above paragraph. So whatever temper or sweetening is present with one root, would be preserved if the whole chord is changed and has a different root. I can't see why that would be different for different tempers or sweetening intervals.
As with so many things, this depends on the definition of terms like "temper" and "sweetened." In formal music theory there is Just Intonation (JI), which by definition is untempered. Anything else is tempered. The standard "straight up" temper of meters and pianos is Equal Temper (ET). But there are other tempers, such as Well Temper and Mean Temper. The term "sweetened" is a slang term that is used in two ways. One means pure JI. But the same term is also used to mean something between ET and pure JI, which would simply be a custom temper.
You state, "I see that there is a root change function--which is what I think I am trying to do--but that only works with the tempered tunings, not the sweetened tunings." Who says this? I suspect it works for pure JI (untempered) as well as various tempered tunings. If by "tempered tunings" you mean ET, then the whole question is irrelevant. ET intervals by definition are the same everywhere, regardless of the root. But if changing the root preserves the intervals for other tempers (Well or Mean or whatever), then it should also preserve the intervals for "sweetened" tunings, whether that means pure JI, or some compromise between JI and ET (which would in fact be a tempered tuning).
This may seem confusing, but it shouldn't be if you use your ears. If the sweetened or tempered tuning sounds good in one key, then if the sweetened or tempered tuning sounds equally good with the capo function or root change function, then those functions work as needed. If one or the other doesn't sound as good, then it doesn't work. The whole point of all of these tunings (JI, sweetened, tempered) is to sound good. That is the final test. What theory says should sound good is irrelevant unless it does sound good.
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra
Last edited by David Doggett on 27 Aug 2008 7:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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