[loktide]

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.

[7 Dying Trees]

That's pretty cool to be honest! Strobe function is also something that looks ace

[HighGain510]

Neat! I've wanted to check one of those out myself as well.

[darren]

Great review!

That looks like a really solid tuner. Korg makes great tuners, and for stage use, this one looks like a winner (especially if you can't afford a Strobostomp at nearly 3x the price, or don't do your own setup work). The tuning accuracy (±1 cent) is perfectly acceptable for a stage tuner, and way better than the BOSS TU-2. (Honestly, i don't know how people can use the TU-2. ±3 cents is just not accurate enough for my ear.)

It looks like it's really solidly built, and being true bypass and having a DC out jack makes it pretty much perfect.

How fast and accurate is the tuning? How well does it track on the low strings?

[ohio_eric]

Korg builds very nice tuners. I have a $20 chromatic one, a GA-30, that works very well.

[loktide]

Originally Posted by darren

How fast and accurate is the tuning? How well does it track on the low strings?

i can't comment on how accurate it is at the moment. It sounds perfectly good to my ears, but i haven't compared it to other units since i don't another quality tuner.

tracking is great! it's fast and doesn't mess around a lot. It also tracks the low B perfectly well and is the first tuner where i can tune it accurately. I always used to tune it by ear. I can only compare it to my podXT's ang g-major's tuner, which had shitty tracking and accuracy for my low B.

[playstopause]

That's it. Korg tuner GAS.

[kristallin]

I'll have to pick one of those up, the tuner display on the XTLive is way too small, and I'm not wearing glasses on stage.

[Metal Ken]

Originally Posted by loktide

i can't comment on how accurate it is at the moment. It sounds perfectly good to my ears, but i haven't compared it to other units since i don't another quality tuner.

Doesn't it say in the booklet?

[loktide]

Originally Posted by Metal Ken

Doesn't it say in the booklet?

Originally Posted by darren

The tuning accuracy (±1 cent) is perfectly acceptable for a stage tuner, and way better than the BOSS TU-2.