tuning machine/first road test

[David Renaud]

 Performed my first road tunings with tunlab 97.
Had experimented at home , but have not
utilized EDT's on the road these 20 years. 

 Applied on a Steinway D, just tuned aurally Sunday,
took tunelab for Mon., Tues. 7am calls.
 
  First I analyzed my previous days work.

  The "average" preprogram, liked my top end, I had
stretched the low tenor a little more then it says,
and the bass a little more then it says. I did find an
"error" in the top octave, sharp c# and g#.
 Most of the top end made the indicator sit with very
little drift, very please to see.
  
  Secondly I applied the "average" tuning. Debated
the machine for while and abandoned it. Did low tenor
and bass aurally, then analyze what I was doing with
ETD.

  I given a little more then 4:2 programmed for the
middle stretching downwards towards the bass for 
nicer fifths. Thirds become less dissonant down here
anyway, and can bear the extra little bit favoring
fifths. In the bass I gave a bit more then the 6:3 it
requested. It claimed The last 3 bass notes were quite
flat, but if I ask it to listen to higher partials the
indicator slows down and stays still when it reaches
12th.  
 
  The second day I put it on automatic note switching
I tuned aurally and largely ignored it except for
looking up periodicly, curious what it thinks of what
I'm doing. This tuning "monitor" did help avoid a
couple errors, producing a smoother tuning. 

 Question: The preprogrammed "Steinway D sample"
tuning
has less bass stretch then the "average" preprogram.
This surprised me. Why would that be? I found the
"sample D" to slow the thirds way down, but leave
fifths noisier then I prefer. The "average" was 
to my habits, but I give a little more ,
increasingly so towards the bottom.

Conclusion:
  This is forcing analysis what I do in a new way.
I have gone through stages; becoming a zelot about
every crazy test to my own detriment, then simplying 
back to 4ths and 5ths, everything else for refining
checks only. 
  I will tune by ear and refer to it as a monitor.
I will still do most home tuning aurally only.
I see it as a tool to be used on my best pianos
to analyze, think, thus hopefully refine my skills. 

  The used laptop was $100US on e-bay, 75mhz pentium,
built in mic and speaker,loaded with windows 95. The
registration for this version of the program will be
less then $40, I'm using the free download version for
trial, sure a good deal. 
Now a part of my kit.
  
                        Cheers
                        Dave Renaud
                        RPT
                        Canada

 


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