Tuner Settings

These are the settings available on the Tuner Settings screen. For an overview of the tuner display and how to read it, see Tuner.

Concert A Calibration

Concert A Calibration sets the reference frequency Tunable uses for the note A4 (the A above middle C). The default is 440 Hz, the international standard. The valid range is 350 to 500 Hz.

You may need to change this when playing with an ensemble that tunes to a different A:

Frequency	Common context
415 Hz	Baroque and early music ensembles
432 Hz	Some alternative tuning traditions
440 Hz	International standard (default)
442 Hz	Many European orchestras and wind ensembles
443 Hz	Some orchestras in Germany and Austria
444 Hz	Some chamber and string ensembles

To change it, select Concert A Calibration on the Tuner Settings screen and type your preferred frequency. Values are entered to one decimal place (for example, 440.0 or 442.5).

Tip

If you are practicing alone or are unsure what to use, leave this at the default 440 Hz. Only change it when you need to match a specific ensemble’s tuning standard.

Instrument Transposition

A transposing instrument is one whose written music notation is not at concert pitch. If you play a transposing instrument (Saxophone, Clarinet, Trumpet, French Horn, etc.), you should select your instrument transposition so Tunable displays the correct note. If your instrument is not a transposing instrument, leave this at the default Concert Instrument - C setting.

To change it, select Instrument Transposition on the Tuner Settings screen. You can select your transposition By Instrument or By Key using the toggle at the top of the screen. The result is the same either way. By Instrument is useful if you are not sure of your transposition interval, and By Key is useful if you know the interval or your instrument is not listed.

The following instruments are available:

Woodwinds: Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, Recorder, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet (E♭, B♭, A), Bass Clarinet, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Bassoon, Contrabassoon, Bagpipes

Brass: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Tuba, Baritone, Euphonium

Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass, Harp, Guitar, Ukelele, Banjo, Mandolin

Keyboard/Percussion: Piano, Bells, Marimba, Vibraphone, Timpani, Glockenspiel, Xylophone

Other: Voice, Concert Instrument (no transposition)

Tip

If your instrument is not in the list, use By Key to select the interval between your instrument’s notated pitch and the sounding pitch. If you are not sure, talk to a music teacher or contact us through the app.

Alternate Temperament

Musical temperaments are systems that determine the exact pitch of each note in the 12-note octave. Most modern Western instruments use Equal Temperament, where each interval is exactly 100.0 cents apart. Other temperaments place notes at slightly different pitches — for example, just intonation makes certain intervals purer by using simple frequency ratios.

To change the temperament, select Alternate Temperament on the Tuner Settings screen.

Group	Temperaments	When to use
Equal	Equal Temperament	Universal default. Use for solo practice, modern music, and any context where standard 12-TET is expected.
Pythagorean / Just / Perfect	Just / Pure, Pythagorean, Perfect 5ths, Pythagorean Just	Just / Pure and Pythagorean are used by string quartets and choral ensembles for purer thirds and fifths in sustained chords. Perfect 5ths is built from the open-string intervals of the violin family — use it if you play violin, viola, cello, or bass.
Meantone	Meantone 1/3 Comma, Meantone 1/4 Comma, 1/6 SC - Attenuated	Renaissance and early Baroque music. Major thirds are pure, making these temperaments ideal for early music performance on period instruments.
Well Tempered	Almost-equal, Barnes’ Bach, Kellner’s Bach, Kirnberger III, Shifted Vallotti/Young’s Well, Vallotti, Werckmeister III, Werckmeister IV, Werckmeister V	18th-century keyboard temperaments designed so all 24 keys are playable. Use for Baroque and Classical keyboard repertoire — each key has a slightly different character, as composers of the period intended.
French	Rousseau II	18th-century French style temperament. Use for French Baroque repertoire.

Caution

Adjusting the temperament significantly changes how your instrument is tuned. Make sure the correct temperament is selected before playing.

If you are unsure which temperament to use, the default Equal Temperament should be sufficient.

Pro Tip

Tap the pink arrow icons to quickly switch between Equal Temperament and the Alternate Temperament.

Creating a custom temperament

Tap Add in the temperament list to open the custom temperament editor. You will see:

• Name — a text field for your temperament’s name.
• 12 interval fields — one for each chromatic interval in the octave, labeled by abbreviation:

Label	Interval
P1	Perfect Unison
m2	Minor Second
M2	Major Second
m3	Minor Third
M3	Major Third
P4	Perfect Fourth
T	Tritone (Augmented Fourth)
P5	Perfect Fifth
m6	Minor Sixth
M6	Major Sixth
m7	Minor Seventh
M7	Major Seventh

Enter the offset in cents for each interval — how many cents sharper (+) or flatter (−) the note should be compared to equal temperament. The unison (P1) is always 0.

Tip

Use the +/− button in the keyboard toolbar to toggle a value between positive and negative without retyping.

Tap Save when done. Your temperament appears under your built-in options and is selected immediately.

Editing a custom temperament

iOS

Swipe left on a custom temperament in the list and tap Edit. The editor opens pre-filled with the existing name and offsets. Make your changes and tap Save.

Android

Swipe right on a custom temperament in the list to reveal the Edit option, or tap the edit icon. The editor opens pre-filled with the existing name and offsets. Make your changes and tap Save.

Deleting a custom temperament

iOS

Swipe left on a custom temperament in the list and tap Delete. Confirm in the alert that appears. The temperament is permanently removed.

Android

Swipe left on a custom temperament in the list to reveal the Delete option, or tap the delete icon. Confirm in the dialog that appears. The temperament is permanently removed.

Sharing a custom temperament

iOS

Swipe left on a custom temperament and tap Share. Tunable opens a Mail composer with your temperament file (.temperament) attached. Add a recipient and send — the recipient can import it directly into their copy of Tunable.

Note

Sharing uses the iOS Mail app. Make sure a mail account is configured on your device.

Android

Tap the share icon on a custom temperament row. The system share sheet opens — choose any app to send the .temperament file (email, messaging, cloud storage, etc.). The recipient can open the file directly in Tunable on their device.

Importing a temperament

iOS

When you receive a .temperament file by email:

1. Open the email and hold down the attachment.
2. Tap Copy to Tunable from the app list that appears.
3. Tunable opens and imports the file automatically.
4. A confirmation alert tells you where to find it: Settings > Tuner Settings > Alternate Temperament.

You can also import a .temperament file from the Files app or any other app — tap the file and choose Tunable from the share sheet.

Android

When you receive a .temperament file (via email, a link, or any file-sharing app):

1. Tap to open the .temperament file.
2. If prompted, choose Tunable from the app chooser.
3. Tunable imports the file automatically.
4. A confirmation dialog tells you where to find it: Settings > Tuner Settings > Alternate Temperament.

Note

Android can import both .temperament files created on Android (JSON format) and those created on iOS (plist format), so cross-platform sharing works in both directions.

Temperament Key

The Temperament Key works together with the Alternate Temperament. Set it to the key signature you are playing in.

To change it, select Temperament Key on the Tuner Settings screen.

Note: The Temperament Key option is not displayed and has no effect when Alternate Temperament is set to Equal Temperament or Perfect 5ths.

Microphone Sensitivity

Microphone Sensitivity controls how responsive the tuner is to the device microphone. A lower setting requires your instrument to be louder before Tunable responds. A higher setting lets softer playing register.

Tip

If Tunable is not responding to your playing, try increasing the Microphone Sensitivity. If it is responding to background sounds or other instruments, try decreasing it.

Display

Notation

The Notation setting controls how note names appear in the tuner. There are 15 options grouped into 5 categories:

English:

• English (default): Standard letter names with flats for accidentals — C, C♯/D♭, D, E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, A♭, A, B♭, B
• English (♯): Uses sharps for all accidentals — C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯
• English (♭): Uses flats for all accidentals — D♭, E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭

Numbers:

• Numbers: Scale degrees — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Solfège:

• French (♯): French solfège names with sharps — Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si
• French (♭): French solfège names with flats
• Fixed Do Solfège (♯): Fixed Do system with sharps — Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si
• Fixed Do Solfège (♭): Fixed Do system with flats
• Moveable Do Solfège Ascending: Moveable Do with ascending chromatic syllables — Do, Di, Re, Ri, Mi, Fa, Fi, Sol, Si, La, Li, Ti
• Moveable Do Solfège Descending: Moveable Do with descending chromatic syllables — Do, Ra, Re, Me, Mi, Fa, Se, Sol, Le, La, Te, Ti

Northern European:

• Northern European (-es): German/Scandinavian system with -es suffix for flats — C, Cis, D, Es, E, F, Fis, G, Gis, A, B, H
• Northern European (-is): German/Scandinavian system with -is suffix for sharps — C, Des, D, Es, E, F, Ges, G, As, A, B, H
• Northern European: English-style letters but uses B for B♭ and H for B natural

Indian:

• Carnatic: South Indian classical notation — S, r, R, g, G, m, M, P, d, D, n, N
• Hindustani: North Indian classical notation — S, r, R, g, G, m, M, P, d, D, n, N

To change it, select Notation on the Tuner Settings screen.

Tip

Use Solfège if you are trained in a Fixed Do system. Use Northern European if you learned music in Germany, Scandinavia, or a country that uses H for the note B natural.

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TODO: Screenshot of the Notation picker screen showing the grouped list of options.

Orientation

The Orientation setting controls the direction of the tuning indicator.

• Horizontal (default): The needle moves left and right. Left is flat, right is sharp.
• Vertical: The needle moves up and down. Down is flat, up is sharp.

Tip

Use Vertical orientation if you prefer a display that resembles a traditional VU meter.

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TODO: Two screenshots side-by-side showing horizontal vs vertical orientation on the tuner screen.

Cents Range

The Cents Range setting controls the display range of the tuning indicator.

• Full (default): Shows the full range from -50 cents (flat) to +50 cents (sharp). The needle has room to travel across the full display.
• Fixed: Keeps the in-tune zone centered and locks the display range to the size set by your Skill Level. This makes small deviations appear larger and is useful for advanced intonation work.

Pro Tip

Use Fixed range together with the Advanced skill level for the most precise visual feedback on small pitch deviations.

Line

The Line setting controls the pitch-history trace drawn on the tuner display.

• Connected (default): A single continuous line traces all recent pitch history.
• Per Note: A new line starts each time you play a new note, making it easy to see each note’s pitch trajectory separately.
• None: No history line is drawn. Only the current pitch position is shown.

Tip

Use Per Note when practicing individual notes to see clearly where each attack lands and how pitch settles during the sustain.

Tuning History Length

The Tuning History Length setting controls how much pitch history the trace line shows. It is a slider with a range of 40 to 500, with a default of 200.

A higher value shows a longer trail of recent pitch movement, which is useful for spotting gradual drift on sustained notes. A lower value focuses on the most recent pitch, which is helpful during faster passages.

Tip

Use a longer history to check whether your pitch drifts over long, sustained notes. Use a shorter history for fast passages to keep the display readable.

Skill Level

The Skill Level section sets the size of the in-tune zone — how many cents from the target pitch counts as “in tune.” It also controls access to Vibrato Width settings.

• Beginner: A note is considered in tune when it is within 10 cents of the target pitch.
• Intermediate (default): A note is considered in tune when it is within 6 cents of the target pitch.
• Advanced: A note is considered in tune when it is within 2 cents of the target pitch.

Tip

If the tuner feels too easy or too demanding, adjust Skill Level to better match your current playing ability.

📸 Screenshot Needed

TODO: Screenshot of the Skill Level selection screen.

Vibrato Width

The Vibrato Width setting is only available when Skill Level is set to Advanced. It controls how wide a pitch oscillation needs to be before Tunable treats it as intentional vibrato rather than a pitch deviation.

A wider vibrato width tells Tunable to ignore larger pitch oscillations, which is useful for players with wide or expressive vibrato. A narrower width makes the tuner more sensitive to smaller oscillations.

Pro Tip

If your tuner needle oscillates wildly on sustained notes when you use vibrato, try increasing the Vibrato Width to better match your natural playing style.