Bartoc 3-in-1 Tuner and Metronome Product Review

This 3-in-1 unit contains a tuner, metronome, and sound mode. It will help you while preparing to play music, and actually playing music. This digital tuner and metronome has some features that prove useful to any musician. Here are some of the features of this Bartoc Chronic Tuner and Metronome.

Compact. The unit itself has a nice, compact size that has it fitting very nicely into a shirt pocket, purse, or any carrying case. The dimensions are about the size of a standard deck of playing cards. It fits nicely into an average handgrip. Therefore, it is not bulky or cumbersome to carry around. If you were to pack it into your briefcase, for instance, it would not take up much room. It would easily fit into a side compartment.

Lightweight. Tied in with the compact size is the fact that the tuner and metronome unit is lightweight. It does not weigh much to carry around.

Name brand. Bartoc is known for producing high quality, reliable, and affordable musical accessories.

Affordable. The Bartoc Chromatic Tuner and Metronome sells in musical shops for around $30. Or, you can buy it on Ebay for $20. That makes for a very affordable 3-in-1 musical accessory.

Versatile. This 3-in-1 unit offers musicians the chance to tune their instruments and keep the beat. You can easily choose different tones and tempos, to suit your need. There are three modes to this unit including tune, sound, and metronome. That is why it is known as the 3-in-1 unit. That is nice.

Instructions. The instructions enclosed with the unit are easy to understand, well written, and contain diagrams. Various steps involved in using the tuner, sound, and metronome modes are explained in detail.

Metronome mode. This mode allows users to choose what speed, tempo, and note duration they want. Speed ranges from 30-230 beats per minute. Plus, the tempo ranges to choose from include ¼, ½, ¾, 4/4, 3/8, 6/8 and -/4. Those are the most common tempos used in musical compositions, anyways.

The metronome is accurate and reliable. However, it does have a rather annoying pitch to it. It reminds me of a metal hammer hitting a small cowbell. Put, that could be said about digital tones in general.

Sound mode. While in this mode, you can choose which key you want to tune your musical instrument to. The unit comes with 12 standard tones to choose from. These include C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, and B. Those are the most common tuning tones used in music. You can also change volume while in this mode.

Tuner mode. You have the option of choosing the auto mode or manual mode. The unit is programmed so that the first time you use it, it is automatically in the tuner mode. The reference tune is 440 Hz, but you can adjust that.

The built-in microphone and sound pickup will automatically determine the pitch and tone once you play our note. When you play your note, the tone name will be displayed in LED. At the same time this is happening, the deviation (pointer) needle will let you know whether your instrument's tone is flat or sharp (low or high). When it is either of these deviations, you will receive a red light. When you are in pitch, in tone, you will receive a green light. It is fun to use this feature. Plus, it is informative.

Components. Other components of the Bartoc Chromatic Tuner and Metronome include: an earphone, both an external contact microphone and a built-in microphone, speaker, battery cover, input, volume control, start/sound buttons, LCD display, LED display, and up/down control buttons.

Use. The Tuner mode on this unit is easy to use and understand. The Metronome mode is more challenging to figure out. At least it was for me.

I highly recommend the Tuner and Sound mode in this unit. They are a delight to use. The metronome, however, is not my cup of tea. Still, the tuner is well worth the price and convenience.