Why Guitarists NEED Tuning Pedals
Before I start, I’ll just say that this is going to sound like a rant, but it’s really just the best advice I can give based on my experiences.
Recent Conversation* about setting up a home recording:
Sound-Guy: When you setup, do you use your tuning pedal?
Guitar-Guy: Oh, I don’t have one those. Should I get one?
Sound-Guy: Sell your amp if you have to, and get a tuning pedal. Seriously.
*I may have embellished the actual dialogue.
Guitars hate being in tune. Yes, tuning is an issue for every band member (even you drummer) but in my experiences, tuning can create Epic-sized ordeals in sessions.
So after the jump is my list of reasons Guitarist’s need Tuning Pedals. But first – the most intense discussion of Guitar Tuning EVER.
1) Guitars that aren’t tuned vs. Guitarists that suck. A lot of audiences can’t tell the difference, so don’t sabotage your own gig by not tuning.
2) NO ONE likes to hear that nasty plug/unplug crackle. It makes Sound Guys cringe as it rips through their speakers, and it tends to put a damper on things when your band just got their ears blown when your crackles tore through the headphones. Tuning pedals provide a much needed “mute” to your guitar – just turn it on.
3) Tuning Pedals are like freebie splitters. Forgot your A/B-Y pedal at home? Move the tuner from the beginning to the end of your chain and patch from your “Direct Out” to your primary amp. (Note: The Direct Out is NEVER muted, so keep this in mind).
4) Tuning Pedals provide daisy chain power “thru” plugs. Stop hoping your batteries are good. Get some a daisy chain power supply and know that you’re good-to-go.
5) When you record in the studio – I’d suggest at least checking your turning after every major take. (If you’ve got a good rhthym going, then f*** it, just keep rolling). When you record multi-track songs with overdubs, etc, if you’re not tuning, then each progressive overdub becomes more and more “detuned.” Oh and tune before your FIRST take too! If you don’t you’ll get to keyboard overdubs 40 hours in just to discover everythings a couple of cents flat.
6) This last one is more personal than anything: A tuning pedal says something about you as a Guitarist. Nobody “wants” one othese things. It’s $100 bucks, and all it does is tune. Sure, there’s some extra things you can do with them, but it’s not as exciting or glamorous as a Fuzz pedal, or octave multiplexerator, or mind meltatron, or whatever. I get that, but if youre serious about recording your guitar, a tuning pedal is an investment.
Say you’re paying $200/hr for studio time. A five minute take literally costs you 16 bucks. Now imagine you do five great takes, then listen back and realize your G string is sharp, and every fourth note of your solo is off. 16 times 5 is… good bye $80.
Well, that’s the end of my tuning mini-rant. I just wanted to express that there are reasons for me being such a propoent of them, and most of the reasons are for the sake of the artist.
Just one last thing, I promise. Try to tune EVERYTHING to the same tuner if you can. Guitars, Basses, and Keyboards (yes many can be tuned) should all reference the same device. I don’t mean model, I mean the same physical tuner. That’ll help safeguard against the funky variations you can find in hardware tuners. (It also safeguards against just one guiarist having is tuner set a cent flat the whole day. At least if you’re all flat, you’ll be in harmony with each other.)
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