so after considering different stompbox tuners (especially the boss tu-2 and the korg DT-10) i ended up ordering korg newest stompbox tuner. At 69€ it's more affordable than it's older brother the DT-10 (85€
and the BOSS TU-2 (91€, so i decided to give it a shot and see if it can hold up with these...
First impressions:
the chassis is made of metal and the front panel looks really solid and reliable. The unit's fairly heavy for it's size and makes a very solid impression. I also like the fact that KORG included a 9V battery
True Bypass:
i hate when manufactures use this term in regard to their pedals since a lot of pedals advertised as 'true bypass' aren't... anyway, the pitchblack IS true bypass for those who might care (.: yes, another tuner page :.). I also tried running it without a battery and it bypassed the signal. Since i don't need an additional buffer in my pedalboard, i guess it's a good thing. It looks like KORG did their homework on this one
Tuning modes:
This pedal offers 4 different tuning modes:
1. Meter (like on most tuners)
2. Full-strobe
3. Half-Strobe
4. Mirror meter
let's have a look at these modes:
1. meter mode:
this is the standard display for most tuners around. Despite of the relatively few LEDs on the pitchblack, they glow at different intensities which makes it more precise.
Here some pics of a pitch slightly out of tune and then in tune:
out of tune:
in tune:
2. Full-strobe mode
this mode may appear a bit odd on a first glance. All LED bars move along the display indicating if you're tuned too low (movement to the left) or too high (to the right). The speed of the moving LEDs decreases as you get reach the correct pitch, then they stop.
this is how it looks like:
slightly out of tune:
in tune:
3. Half-strobe mode:
this mode is similar to the previous, but the LED bars only 'flow' at either the right or left side of the display depending if you're below or above pitch. I find it better to read than full-strobe and it makes the impression of beeing more precise than the meter modes. I've never used a tuner like this and absolutely love it!
pics:
out of tune:
in tune:
4. Mirrored meter mode:
basically the usual meter mode like on all tuners, but the bars approach from both sides of the middle green LED as you approach the correct pitch. In short: this mode blows and i don't see anybody using it...
if it wasn't for the lower yellow arrows, you wouldn't know if you're above or below pitch.
out of tune:
in tune:
if you're confused with all the glowing bars, the two simple yellow arrows below indicate in which direction you should tune... idiot proof
ok, that was it. I think the pichblack is a great unit and definitely more than just the usual stompbox tuner. For the price, it think it's unbeatable.
and the BOSS TU-2 (91€, so i decided to give it a shot and see if it can hold up with these... First impressions:
the chassis is made of metal and the front panel looks really solid and reliable. The unit's fairly heavy for it's size and makes a very solid impression. I also like the fact that KORG included a 9V battery
True Bypass:
i hate when manufactures use this term in regard to their pedals since a lot of pedals advertised as 'true bypass' aren't... anyway, the pitchblack IS true bypass for those who might care (.: yes, another tuner page :.). I also tried running it without a battery and it bypassed the signal. Since i don't need an additional buffer in my pedalboard, i guess it's a good thing. It looks like KORG did their homework on this one
Tuning modes:
This pedal offers 4 different tuning modes:
1. Meter (like on most tuners)
2. Full-strobe
3. Half-Strobe
4. Mirror meter
let's have a look at these modes:
1. meter mode:
this is the standard display for most tuners around. Despite of the relatively few LEDs on the pitchblack, they glow at different intensities which makes it more precise.
Here some pics of a pitch slightly out of tune and then in tune:
out of tune:
in tune:
2. Full-strobe mode
this mode may appear a bit odd on a first glance. All LED bars move along the display indicating if you're tuned too low (movement to the left) or too high (to the right). The speed of the moving LEDs decreases as you get reach the correct pitch, then they stop.
this is how it looks like:
slightly out of tune:
in tune:
3. Half-strobe mode:
this mode is similar to the previous, but the LED bars only 'flow' at either the right or left side of the display depending if you're below or above pitch. I find it better to read than full-strobe and it makes the impression of beeing more precise than the meter modes. I've never used a tuner like this and absolutely love it!
pics:
out of tune:
in tune:
4. Mirrored meter mode:
basically the usual meter mode like on all tuners, but the bars approach from both sides of the middle green LED as you approach the correct pitch. In short: this mode blows and i don't see anybody using it...
if it wasn't for the lower yellow arrows, you wouldn't know if you're above or below pitch.
out of tune:
in tune:
if you're confused with all the glowing bars, the two simple yellow arrows below indicate in which direction you should tune... idiot proof
ok, that was it. I think the pichblack is a great unit and definitely more than just the usual stompbox tuner. For the price, it think it's unbeatable.
