From the land of sushi and Godzilla comes Tuner Metronome, an app which as the name suggests offers various tuning and tempo tools for everyday musicians. It’s developer MIZO claims it to be “the most high quality digital tuner metronome.” I wouldn’t go so far, but this is certainly a solid application.
Tuner Metronome has three main functions that are easily identifiable to even novice musicians, the first of which is the “tone generator.” You choose a note and it will emit a precise synth note, to be used as a reference pitch. Couldn’t be any simpler. The second mode is the chromatic tuner, which any level of guitarist has surely used in their time. Tuner Metronome’s virtual rendition of the hardware feels just like the real thing and provides good but not perfect tuning accuracy. By placing the iPhone’s microphone near the instrument, you can accurately tune the pitch as it is being displayed on the screen. I found Tuner Metronome somewhat lacking in this department, as the note was not being detected properly at times.
In order to battle inaccuracies that could be caused by ambient noise, Tuner Metronome has a calibration option, which changes the neutral point of both the tone generator and the chromatic tuner.
The third function, as you may have guessed, is the metronome. It’s a very simple system of ticks, with a wide range of options, including an all-important BPM tap button. With support for multiple time signatures and rhythm variations, the metronome portion does its job well.
Tuner Metronome’s weakest point is definitely the GUI: It isn’t aesthetically pleasing and overall makes you feel like it was rushed into release. Hopefully, that’ll be addressed in the next update. Looks aside, if you need a 3-in-1 tool for music on the go, then you can download Tuner Metronome from the App Store today for $2.99.
