TC Electronic PolyTune
| Posted in Music Technology
The TC Electronic PolyTune - described as the World’s first polyphonic tuner – is the latest product launch from NAMM 2010 to grab headlines, and guitarists are already falling over themselves to test out its groundbreaking ability to tune all of the strings of a guitar or bass at once.
According to TC Electronic, PolyTune owners will only have to strum their open strings once for the tuner to pick up any changes that need to be made across the fretboard and present an instant overview of the pitch of all the strings. Not surprisingly, the tuner is being presented as an ideal solution for gigging guitarists and bassists who need to tune up as quickly as possible between songs.
So how is it done? TC is of course keeping quiet about the algorithm that lies within the PolyTune pedal, but the manufacturer is shouting loudly about the other features that the tuner carries, which are impressive within themselves. Among them is a patent-pending technology called Monopoly which can recognise whether it is detecting a single string or multiple strings. That in turn facilitates the PolyTune’s secondary mode as a chromatic tuner, offering users accuracy to within 0.5 cents. The results are presented in either Needle Mode, emulating a classic tuner view, or Stream-mode, which measures pitch variation and reports back via a rotating motion on the display. A tuner magnet feature has also been included to slow the needle down once the user is close to the desired pitch.
With so much happening on board the PolyTune it makes sense that TC has added a Total Recall feature as well, storing settings such as pitch reference and the owner’s preferred tuning mode. Other features include True Bypass and support for altered tunings that ranges from E-flat to B with an accuracy of one cent.
Crucially, it looks great too – the Polytune boasts a 100 LED matrix, with 17 super-bright LEDs offering greater resolution and visibility for helping to solve mid-gig tuning crises. Nor has it traded in simplicity for size, reportedly sitting comfortably within the average guitarists pedal board.
However, while all the trimmings on the PolyTune sound enticing enough, the main meal is undoubtedly the ability to tune the strings of a guitar or bass so quickly and easily. Here at DV247 we can’t wait to find out whether this little pedal lives up to its promises. As soon as we can plug into one, we’ll bring you a review of the TC Electronic PolyTune straight away.
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: guitar tuner, polyphonic tuner, TC Electronic
This looks quite exciting… I look forward to a good DV review!
Nick Moore