If I want to offset the pitch, I'll do that first. Suppose the piano is 50 cents low, it's an ancient upright with rusty strings, and many have been replaced already. I decide to keep it basically where it's at. I'll measure a few notes in the different sections, and decide on a particular note to tune to. I'll just stop the lights and reset the machine to show zero (input the negative cents). It will show a negative sign in the left window. I'll then set the FAC, tuning each one to zero the lights as usual. Let the machine calculate the tuning. Then (don't forget this), turn off the machine, back on again to the page you were on. If you forget to turn it off and back on, you'll be way off when you tune it. Just to be sure, go to the F and see if it's close or dead on. Or to whatever note you used to set the offset in the first place. Works for me.. On another question of A-440, Jim Coleman, Sr., has explained that A-440 actually IS a tiny bit off on a calculated SAT tuning.. The following is a description from Mr. Coleman that addresses how to correct for this so that you're assured that you're DEAD ON at A-440 using the SAT. It is taken from a six-part series which he posted some time back. From the archives: "The main purpose of this series of articles will be to show how to vary the octave stretch, but before we do, there is one more thing that needs to be addressed. This is a method to insure that the fundamental of A4 will be exactly on A-440. With the advent of the FAC stretch tuning in the SAT, all notes from C3 thru B4 are tuned by their 4ths partials. Due to the necessity of smooth curve fitting of the 3 measured notes (F3, A4 and C6), the fundamental of A4 may not always be exactly at A440. In most cases, this can be ignored; however, for tuning testing purposes and some critical recording purposes, you may need to know that the A4 is right on. After the 3 measured notes have programmed a tuning on a page of memory, you can advance to A4 and carefully tune it to stop the LED rotation. Then press the Tune button once and the down octave button twice to get to the fundamental of A4. Play A4 and if the LED's are rotating in the sharp direction, touch the up cents button a few times until the rotation stops. Write this cents number down. This number represents how sharp the piano will be tuned if you do nothing about it. To correct this, use the down cents button till the same number is on the minus side of 0.0. Then use the combination buttons like this to reset the pitch: hold down the SHIFT button, hold down the MSR button, release the MSR button, release the shift button. Now after pressing the MEM button, you can begin tuning from anywhere and be assured that the A4 will be right on. Everything above it will be progressively sharp, and everything below it will be digressively flat, but it will fit together well. Next article will deal with altering the A4 stretch number in order to stretch the tuning higher in the Treble and flatter in the Bass because there is a tendency of some technicians to prefer a wider spread in order to provide better homogeneity through out the piano. Jim Coleman, Sr." Hope this helps. Paul McCloud San Diego > [Original Message] > From: David Ilvedson <ilvey at sbcglobal.net> > To: <pianotech at ptg.org> > Date: 08/04/2009 7:43:42 AM > Subject: Re: [pianotech] offset of SAT to non-440 > > Yes, you missed something...I'm offsetting the pitch, i.e A4 will not be A440. The FAC numbers are entered and stored on a page of memory. At that point I offset the pitch, then pull up the page for that piano... > > David Ilvedson, RPT > Pacifica, CA 94044 >
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