My tuner for my Steinway M recently passed away and as I looked for someone else, I thought why not go down the rabbit hole and see what it would take to tune it myself. After a lot of research, I decided to give it a try, if nothing else I would learn more about my instrument. I purchased a high end tuning hammer and some mutes, and decided to go with PianoMeter for the app. It was recommended to me by another pianist/tuner, and I believe it was what my previous tuner used. For the basic paid version it did everything I needed and was far less than the other professional tuners. While it took me about 6 hours to do my first tuning, it was a lot of fun and ended up sounding great! There are definitely things one needs to learn with experience, such as setting the pin and tuning unisons, but this app and all of the great documentation and video walks you through the whole process. Anthony the developer was very responsive and helpful with a few questions I had. I can’t say enough good things about the app and support, I highly recommend it!!!!
Nice looking UI, frequent updates & automatically calculated tuning curve on the fly: Awesome. I bought the 1 year pro subscription to do a pitch raise on my in-laws very out of tune piano, and it worked very well. I’ve also recently purchased a used Yamaha U1 which I’ve timed twice in 3 weeks, first a rough pass after it was moved to my house and it acclimated, then again to fine tune it. I was first discouraged that it took like 5-6 hours to do the first rough pass, but the second pass a week later went way faster (like half the time) as I starting to get the hang of the order of the tuning pins and the much smaller adjustments for fine tuning. What also helped speed up is to not focus so much on the number of cents too high/low, and setting a threshold in your mind, but rather getting the rotating “discs” to stop spinning. Interesting is that after the first rough pass, the bass strings sounded very shallow and I was really bummed, then I pulled up PianoMeter again to check and the mid range was all about 2-3 cents too high (either from the accumulated change of tension across the piano or me just tuning it slightly sharp while focusing too much on the numbers). So after tuning it that second time, the bass strings resonated beautifully again. I very much recommend this app. I’ll probably tune my piano myself from now on, and more frequently than once or twice a year. I totally recommend this app.
Tuning a piano is NOT like tuning a guitar, violin or any other instrument. This is a tool specially made for tuning uprights and grands and does a great job at being a tuning aid. Before you attempt to tune your piano PLEASE be familiar with the subject of tuning as there are many subtleties to it. When using the app, tune octaves starting from A4 with the tuning curve unlocked. Every piano is different and you must establish the tuning curve by ear rather than assuming the default works with you. Even as you are tuning - be sure to always check the extremes of the piano with your ear. You get out of this app what you put into it. Have fun!
Years ago I learned to tune a piano by ear and still had all the tools. When I was finally able to buy a fine full grand piano I left the tuning to pros who were way more practiced at setting the temperament than I, paying well over $100 three or four times per year and being dissatisfied as the piano lost its tuning edge between tunings. Today I purchased the piano meter app and was able to regain the fine sound that I love within an hour - using only the built-in microphone on my iPhone. I’m sold - and if I were inclined to tune for others I’m sure the app would be a fine tool to use there too.
I am a professional piano tuner and have used TuneLab since 2002. I tried PianoMeter for the first time today and loved the result! The pitch raise feature worked very well — I look forward to using it again on a bigger pitch raise. The final result was spectacular. I especially like the very quick response when I change notes. Much faster than with TuneLab, and you can switch to ANY note. Very cool.
I’m accustomed to tuning the unisons on my Yamaha CG1 baby grand. So it wasn’t a huge stretch for me to get into this app. It took me a whopping 3-1/2 to 4 hours to do my first full tuning, though. And I’m not particularly good at setting a string. So I expect to do a lot touching up this week. Nevertheless, I really love this app. My new found skill is mystifying my musician friends. And tuning is a lot of fun. Thanks for bringing piano tuning to the little people.
This app is exactly what I needed. The first time I used the app I was a little confused by the interface to begin using the tuner but it wasn’t so hard to figure out. Once I made a new project, the visuals were stunning and it did exactly what I needed it to! 5/5 stars
I have been using this app for the 4 months and truly appreciate its functionality. I had a license issue after an iOS update the was quickly resolved by the developers. I highly recommend this app.
I tried every highly rated piano tuning app I could find and this one is by far the best. I recommend watching the video on their website to see all the features.
This should be the default tuning app for any pianist that wants to tune their own piano. Great for full tunings or touch ups. Tried tuning by ear first and although I did a good bit of research and took my time this program was much quicker and far more accurate.
PianoMeter has taken piano tuning apps to another level of excellence, simplicity and affordability. As a professional piano tuner for over 26 years, I highly recommend this app!
Setting the temperament so cleanly wasn't even possible with my concert-grade stroboscopic tuner. This is a phenomenal professional-grade tuner, just like it says on the tin.
Best tuning app for pianos that I’ve found. I purchased the plus version for $25. But the $300 price for the Pro version is a bit ridiculous. I wish the Plus version had the tuning styles and pitch raise features. Those features are still useful to non-pros and disappointing it’s excluded.
I've been interested in tuning my piano for some time. I had been doing a lot of reading and YouTube videos and came across this app. I downloaded it to my iPhone and updated it to the paid version. I ordered a tuning hammer and mutes. The day they arrived in the mail I told my wife, "Well, here goes!" I couldn't be happier with the results! As others have said, my first tuning took about 5 hours. The high notes were particularly challenging. But when I played it for the first time I knew I had made the right choice. The evaluation of the harmonics and calculating the tuning curve that this app does was significant to the quality of the tune. Great work, developers!
installed this app on my computer worked the first day then it stopped working after i did the updates to my computer i have this app on another device and it works flawlessly just wanted to have it on a larger device when it says it will work for my laptop
Exceptional value! Great for those who have no tuner nearby!
Like the reviewer with the Steinway M, I looked to find an electronic tuner that could keep my 1908 Mason & Hamlin A in shape. I, too, bought a high-quality tuning lever and have been studying how to tune unisons and octaves before I used this to set the temperament. And then, today I took the plunge. It's a beautiful, informative and easy to use app! Update, 5/29/21: I've tuned my piano several more times (full and touching up specific notes) and I believe that most of the problems I had initially were mechanical, with setting the pins. One should also try to listen carefully for beats, even with this app!
PianoMeter is a piano tuning app that will transform your device into a professional quality electronic tuning aid. NOTE The "free" version of this app is primarily for evaluation, and it only allows you to tune notes on the piano between C3 and C5. To tune the entire piano you will need to buy an upgrade through an in-app purchase. What makes PianoMeter unique Unlike regular chromatic tuning apps that simply tune to a pre-calculated equal temperament, this app actively measures the tonal characteristics of each note and automatically calculates the ideal “stretch” or offset from equal temperament. In other words, it creates a custom tuning for your piano with the best compromise between intervals like fifths, fourths, octaves, and twelfths, the way aural piano tuners do when fine-tuning. Functionality and pricing There are three levels of functionality: a free (evaluation) version, a paid "plus" version with basic tuning functionality, and a "professional" version with features geared towards professional piano tuners. The extra functionality is unlocked through one-time in-app purchases. The Free version includes the following functionality: • Tuning functionality for the mid-range of the piano only • Automatic note detection • Ability to measure each note on the piano to see how its current tuning compares to the ideal tuning curve (see if a piano is roughly in tune) • Swipe in the graphing area to show a live frequency spectrum or the inharmonicity of measured notes. Upgrading to "Plus" adds the following functionality: • Tuning functionality for the entire piano • Tune to frequency standards other than A=440 • Tune to historical or custom temperaments • Calibrate device to an external frequency source Upgrading to Professional unlocks all features of the "Plus" version, plus the following: • Save and load tuning files, so a piano doesn't need to be re-measured each time it is tuned • Pitch raise mode that calculates overpull for an initial first pass "rough" tuning (for pianos that are extremely flat) • Custom tuning styles: create a custom tuning curve by adjusting interval weighting and stretch • Access to all future features and enhancements Upgrade costs: Free to Plus (approximately US$25) Free to Pro (approximately US$300) Note about permissions This app requires permission to access the microphone on your device and permission to read and write files.
