Talking Tuner

Submitted by Scottsdale on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.

Last modified

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Description of App

Copied from the App Store:

HotPaw Talking Tuner is a hands-off, sound-activated, talking musical instrument tuner. It talks to tell you if you are in tune or not, so you don't even have to look at it. Talking Tuner uses built-in speech synthesis, and thus does not require that VoiceOver be enabled.

I received a request to develop an iPhone app which could help a vision-challenged individual tune their musical instrument. This is the result. Talking Tuner can assist someone to tune a musical instrument without having to look at or touch their iPhone's display.

With the Auto-Speak switch turned on, Talking Tuner will listen for a note to be played, and then, after waiting for the end of the sound (so as not to talk over it), will speak the note name, and how many cents sharp or flat the end of the note is estimated to be.

Using headphones may help make it easier to hear what this app is saying while tuning. Make sure to turn the volume up high enough to hear it.

The pitch estimation algorithm works best for notes between 2 octaves below Middle-C to 2 octaves above Middle-C. It may not work as well for very low notes, very high notes, or with any background noise, harmony, or accompaniment present. The accuracy is about +- 3 cents (3/100ths of the pitch difference between semitones).

Version

1.2.1

Free or Paid

Paid

Apple Watch Support

Not Known

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

Accessibility Comments

Designed specifically for a visually impaired muso, so everything works a treat.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads all page elements.

Button Labeling

Most buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver and is easy to navigate and use.

Other Comments

The app is self-voicing if VoiceOver isn't running when you launch it, but the most recent couple of updates have tightened up the VoiceOver integration and made it more productive to use. If the voice used in the original version turned you off, you should definitely revisit it now.

App Store Link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-tuner/id421065079?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Developer's Website

http://www.hotpaw.com

Recommendations

4 people have recommended this app

Most recently recommended by Scottsdale 1 year 3 months ago

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Comments

A Must-Have for All Musicians Who Are Blind

The app works flawlessly with VoiceOver, and it couldn't be easier to use. Just open the app and play a note on your instrument of choice (singing works too); that's all there is to it. It appears to be very accurate, as several tests on an electronic keyboard indicated "in tune"--as one would hope from a keyboard. It did have some trouble with really high notes, but that is to be expected. I also tried it on a piano that I know for a fact is a bit out of tune, and the app told me as much. As I stated in the subject, this is a must-have app for any musicians who are visually impaired.

update is terrific

the most recent update is a nice improvement on an already good app: not only is the VoiceOver integration working better, but the whole thing seems a little more responsive. I agree, a must-have!

Has anyone had success using

Has anyone had success using this App with something like I-rig? I'd like to be able to plug an electric guitar into my phone to tune in loud places.

I'll have to relook the app

I'll have to take another look at the app.
I had it a few years back, but always had a hard time with the voice not even speaking. I'd usually have to turn on VO, and swipe to check what it said.
I've not used it in quite some time. So whether or not any updates has been made I'm not sure.
I'm also not too sure if me usually tuning my guitar in a dropped tuning like dropped C had any problem with the app. I do remember the app did say that certain octaves lo or high will not do too well.
chuck