There are three new tuners in OnBoard Research's line and all feature a clip-on sensor that detects pitch from the instrument’s vibrating body—they do not have microphones that can pick up other sounds, noises and cause erroneous operation.
The PT10C Mini sells for $19.95 and is about 1-inch square and clips on electric and acoustic guitars, basses, mandolins or even banjos. It uses a green screen when you’re in tune and goes red when you’re not. It also has a chromatic readout and needle display.
The super-accurate PT10S at $29.95 has all of the PT10C features and adds selectable capo settings, equal or pure temperament tunings and selectable key transposition. Both the PT10C and PT10S use a single included CR2032 lithium oxide battery.
With all the features of the others, the PT40C at $29.95 is rechargeable (with included USB charger cable) and, like the others, includes a built-in digital clock.
BARRY RUDOLPH is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com
