Tuning using mobile phone

djspecialist

Can anyone recommend a way to use an Android app for tuning an electric guitar, in a noisy environment?

I have a couple of apps installed (Boss Tuner; DaTuner Lite) which are OK - but since they are listening via the onboard mic, they only work well in quiet situations.

Would plugging the guitar directly into the phone (via an adaptor which connected the signal to the appropriate pole on the 3.5mm jack) work?  If so where could I get such an adaptor?

Or do I need an interface? 

BintyTwanger77

I think you can download a TC Electronics tuner onto your phone as an app.

ICBM

BintyTwanger77 said:

I think you can download a TC Electronics tuner onto your phone as an app.

You can, and it's excellent, but it still struggles in a noisy environment for the above reason.

UnclePsychosis

Tuners are so cheap these days that faffing around with a phone isn't worth it. Reverb were selling a clip on tuner for £2, similar deals available on eBay.

EricTheWeary

If I need to tune up using my mobile I call up Tom Jones and ask him to sing a perfect A down the line. 

fretmeister

Needs an interface.

Even clip ons are a bit crap at noisy gigs as the guitar body vibrates from other noises. Get a pedal.

ICBM

fretmeister said:

Even clip ons are a bit crap at noisy gigs as the guitar body vibrates from other noises. Get a pedal.

That's my approach too. I have the TC Polytune app, and it's absolutely brilliant for tuning at home where it's far less hassle than having to plug in a tuner or even to clip one onto the headstock - and for setting up guitars, where it's possibly the most time-saving thing I've ever spent £2.99 on… especially when tuning up guitars with floating trems or classicals, where everything constantly goes out until it all settles down. You just strum away and keep tuning until it all settles down. It saved me more than £3 of labour time the very first time I ever used it.

But it's crap at gigs or band practices, even when you put it right in front of the amp's speaker - and that means you have to tune aloud anyway. That's why I still own a couple of Boss TU-2s and have no plans to replace them - other than possibly with TU-3s eventually, the display is better.

Sassafras

EricTheWeary said:

If I need to tune up using my mobile I call up Tom Jones and ask him to sing a perfect A down the line. 

That's the only advantage I can think of for using a mobile instead of a dedicated tuner.

viz

N-track tuner is good because it shows you a graph of the whole frequency range with your note showing as a spike

JD50

Irig?

pintspiller

Or you could just get a guitar that tunes itself. Like a Gibson 

KKJale

The Peterson app for Android plus the Peterson adaptor cable will do it.

https://www.petersontuners.com/products/istrobosoft/

https://www.petersontuners.com/shop/item/Adaptor-Cable-for-Mobile-Devices

downbytheriver

Strobe tuners work best in a noisy environment (within reason!) because they effectively ignore the noise. This is even more pronounced with a mechanical strobe tuner. 

TheMarlin

I use Cleartune.  It's by far the best I've tried. 

DLM

EricTheWeary said:

If I need to tune up using my mobile I call up Tom Jones and ask him to sing a perfect A down the line. 

Tom Jones sees @EricTheWeary's number in his display again:

http://i.makeagif.com/media/10-04-2016/58TLnk.gif