10. Tuner v2
TraqFreq features a unique, innovative and feature packed tuner! Some of the highlights include:
- Detection is done on the instrument and displayed via Bluetooth on a phone or TV.
- Tune to an accuracy of 0.1 cents.
- An intonation mode helps you accurately compute an intonation offset for each string.
- See the lifespan of your strings, while you tune, based on actual playing time.
- Display modes for strobe, needle and both strobe and needle.
- Built-in and custom tunings and temperaments.
- Audible reference of the notes being tuned.
- Double-tap your instrument to restart the tuner when it times out.
- Uses over 20 times less power than competing tuners!
1. How to tune your instrument
How you play notes while tuning can affect the pitch. Since TraqFreq can resolve up to 0.1 cents , in order to achieve maximum and consistent accuracy, the following tips are recommended for stringed instruments. These tips are not specific to TraqFreq, they apply to any tuner.
Pitch variability
An instruments' pitch changes slightly from the time you first strike the string (onset), and through the sustain, until it becomes silent. It is not perfectly constant throughout the note. The variability of the pitch over time creates a pitch profile.

A pitch profile from onset to sustain
The flatter the pitch profile, the easier it is to tune an instrument. The variability of the pitch profile depends on the way you play - how and where you strike the note. How you strike the note depends on whether you use a plectrum or your finger, and the volume of the note. Where you strike the note, closer to or further from the bridge also affects the pitch. The type of wood, quality of the tuners, instrument size and other physical factors also affects the pitch profile. Ultimately, you need to tune to the way you play.
In addition to the variability within one note, there is also variability across many notes. Keeping how and where you strike each note consistent helps to reduce note to note variability. Open notes are a little easier, but it becomes even harder to produce a consistent note to note pitch for fretted notes, which is discussed in more detail in the intonation section.
The key to getting an accurate tuning is being consistent with all these factors for each note.
Pitch profile position
Most musicians tune to the sustained part of the note but some might tune to the onset region depending on their playing style and preferences. Decide on what region of the note you want to tune to and use about the same profile position for all notes played to get a more consistent pitch from note to note.
Tune to about the same pitch profile position of the note for each note played.
Harmonics
Near the attack, higher harmonics are more prevalent than later in the note, which is one major source of pitch variability. Using a plectrum or fingernail produces more harmonics near the onset, whereas using the soft part of your finger produces less higher harmonics near the onset, resulting in a smoother pitch profile. However, you may need to tune to the way you play - if your playing style is using plectrums then be aware of this added variability to the pitch profile. When appropriate, tuning to the sustain part of the note and using a finger to strike the string helps to reduce the variability effects of harmonics.
When appropriate, tune with a finger and the sustained part of the note.
Volume
Louder notes tend to produce and hold onto the higher harmonics longer than softer played notes. Keeping the volume consistent results in a consistent pitch profile from note to note. Also, when one string rings very loud, it can ring the other strings which could affect the overall pitch.
Keep a medium yet consistent volume for each string. Don’t play too loudly or too softly.
Grip and playing position
The pitch of the note can vary based on the orientation and how tightly you hold the instrument. These factors can bend the instrument slightly and change its pitch.
Keep the instrument in the usual playing position and don’t over grip while tuning.
Dampening strings
When tuning one string and then proceeding to another string or another octave of the same string, without dampening the strings, its possible that multiple strings are ringing at the same time which can affect the overall pitch.
Quickly dampen all the strings before playing the next string. If you are playing the same note over and again, then dampening is not needed.
Turning the tuners
Its easier to tune a string when its flat and you tighten the string, compared with loosening the string from a sharp position. Loosening can temporarily not release all the slack resulting in the slack taking effect later in time. Thus, its easier to first loosen and then tighten the string as you tune up.
Tune on the way up.
2. Installation considerations
Like most clip-on tuners, TraqFreq uses a vibration sensor to detect and measure the pitch. The placement of the device can make a difference. Typically, on a guitar, placement on the headstock provides a good source of vibration. Its also possible to try other positions and see which one works best for your instrument. Better placements will produce a longer detection duration of the note.
3. Settings
The Tuner settings is located in the overflow menu. Many of the settings can also be changed by tapping on the associated value thats displayed in the tuner screen. There are three tuner functions for Intonation, Tuner and Tones. They are selectable by swiping the tuner screen left and right.

Tap on a value to change that setting. Swipe left or right to change the tuner function.
4. Display modes
There are 4 different display modes for the phone app - a needle, strobe and two needle and strobe modes. Only one display is available for the TV app. The displays are selectable in the Tuner setting. The stobe is displayed to an accuracy of 0.1 cents.

The 4 display modes.
5. In-tune confirmation
When the note being played is close to being in-tune, an in-tune confirmation is shown by changing the color of the needle or strobe. The needle is shown in green within 5 cents and the strobe within 0.5 cents of being perfectly in tune.

The strobe and needle confirmations are at different accuracy levels.
6. String life status
As you tune, you can see the lifespan of the strings being tuned. This is shown as the teal progress bar and the labelled text value. They show the remaining time for the strings. These values are obtained from the Supply tracking feature of TraqFreq.
The amount of time played today is also shown next to the string life status.

The remaining time for the strings shown as a progress bar and value.
7. Start, Timeout and Restart
- Start the tuner by using the shortcut on the phone or a button on the TV remote. (See the section below to start the TV app with one click.)
- The tuner can also be started by using a two finger tap on any of the Play screens, namely, Live, Timers or the Play dashboard (i.e. any dark themed screen).
- While the Tuner screen is visible, it will keep the phone screen on. (but not for the Timeout and Off screen).
- The tuner will timeout after 3 minutes from the time it started, or the last time you touched the phone's screen.
- After the 3 minutes, a Timeout screen is shown for 30 seconds. While the Timeout screen is visible, stop playing and double tap your instrument to go back to the Tuner screen. Otherwise, after showing the Timeout screen for 30 seconds, the tuner will transition to the Off screen and shutdown the tuner. At this point, double tap is disabled. Thus, there are three screens involved during shutdown : Tuner -> Timeout -> Off.
- You can configure the tuner to automatically transition to the Live screen instead of the Off screen. This is useful when you want to tune and then transition back to the Live screen without having to interact with the phone or TV. This can be set in the tuner settings or by tapping the button at the bottom of the Timeout screen on the phone. (see the Live tutorial for more details about Live)
- Once the tuner displays the Off screen, to start tuning again, tap anywhere on the Off screen or click any button on the TV remote.
- Once the Off screen is shown, the phone will eventually timeout and lock. To retune, unlock the phone then tap anywhere on the Off screen.
- On Android, there is a tuner setting to show the tuner on the lockscreen and thus avoid having to unlock the phone for a retune.
- The tuner can be shutdown manually at any time by swiping up on the tuner screen, or using the phone's hardware button to turn off the phone, or minimizing/closing the app.

Phone screens for Tuner -> Timeout -> Off. Double tap only available on the middle, Timeout screen.

TV screens for Tuner -> Timeout -> Off. Double tap only available on the middle, Timeout screen.
8. Audible tuner
The tuner has three functions - Intonation, Tuner and Tones. Select the Tones screen by swiping the tuner to the right. The target note is audible when you play so that you can hear the target note and see your current tuning offset using the needle and strobe.
Changing the note played changes the audible note. The audible sound will track the target note. You can also fix the audible note to a specific note by pressing the desired button. Then, each note played on the instrument will simply play the selected note, but it will not affect the operation of the needle and strobe. This is useful when you need to tune a string but you are not sure what it should sound like. Pressing the button again releases the fixed note and reverts to the audible note tracking the target note.
The buttons that are displayed are those of the currently selected tuning. The audible notes will also be offset by the tuning offset for that note.
The audible option is also available in the Intonation and Tuner screens. Enable the audible option in the settings menu to hear the note in all the tuner screens.

The Tones screen provides fixed and tracking tones.
Note that a clip-on or app-only tuner cannot function as an audible tuner as playing the sound would affect their ability to detect the pitch. They can do only one at a time, not both. TraqFreq can achievable this because the detection (TraqFreq) and audible tone (Phone) are separate hardware devices.
9. Tunings
TraqFreq supports built-in and custom tunings/temperaments. The tunings that are displayed are filtered for the current instrument type. New custom tunings will be saved for that instrument type. Built in tunings can also be customized. Note offsets affect the target for the needle and strobe, as well as the audible tones.
Click on the tuning name in the Tuner screen to change the tuning.
A fixed tuning will only tune to the notes configured in the tuning and lock onto the nearest note in the tuning.

The list of tunings and editing a tuning.
10. Intonation
To calibrate and intonate an instrument, typically, an open or harmonic note is first tuned using a tuner, then a fretted note is played. If both notes are equally in-tune, then the difference between their tuning is zero and the instrument is perfectly intonated. Thus, a tuner is used in its typical operation but its not able to assist in this difference computation. And there can be significant variation when repeating this operation.
For instance, one would tune the open E2 string then play the 12th fret for an E3 note, one octave higher. If E2 is -1.0 cents off and E3 is 1.0 cents off, the difference of 2.0 cents indicates a measure of intonation error.
Pitch variability
In 'How to Tune your instrument' above, a few tips are discussed to obtain a flatter pitch profile and less note to note variability. When tuning, open notes are typically used. When intonating, a fretted note is also used. However, in general, the higher the fretted position, the greater the note to note variability of the pitch. At fret 12, the variability could be 5 cents or more, from one instance of the note to the next. This is related to variability in gripping the neck, the exact finger position within the fret and the force pressing down on the fret. Open and harmonic notes have much less note to note variability.
Some ways to reduce the variability is to tune to the sustain part of the note and using the soft part of your finger to strike the string. Another way is to play the harmonic version of the note where possible. This helps to remove higher harmonics within the note, which helps to create a smoother and flatter pitch profile. Averaging multiple of the same notes would also smoothen out the fretted note's larger variations but this is not possible with most tuners.
Intonation methods
TraqFreq supports automatic note averaging and difference calculations, using a unique hands free operation, based on recognising a sequence of notes.
On the phone, swipe the tuner screen to the left to display the Intonation screen, or use the settings screen on the TV app to enable Intonation.
TraqFreq supports three intonation methods and can average a specified number of the same notes, and automatically calculate the difference between notes.

The 3 intonation methods.
The Open Method
Play an open note followed by 3 fretted notes at one octave higher. (The 3 note average can be configured between 2 and 8 notes). The 3 fretted notes are averaged and the difference with the open note is computed. The notes are detected based on the change in octave and note onsets, so there is no need to interact with the phone or TV. Let the notes sustain out atleast 1 or more seconds.
The sequence of notes that are needed are output as prompts in the app to help guide you what to do next.
During normal tuning operation, the Intonation method wont engage, only when the one octave higher note is detected.
The three stages for the Open method are :
- Play the open note. Let the note sustain out atleast 1 or more seconds.
- Play the three fretted notes. Let each note sustain out atleast 1 or more seconds.
- The results are displayed after the three notes are detected, and the process can then be repeated or you can simply resume regular tuning.

The three stages and on-screen prompts for the Open method. The segmented progress bar at the top indicates the current stage.

The three stages of the Open method.
The Harmonic Method
Play an open note, followed by 3 fretted notes at one octave higher, followed by 3 equivalent but harmonic notes. (The 3 note average can be configured between 2 and 8 notes). The 3 fretted notes and 3 harmonic notes are each averaged and the difference between the harmonic and fretted averages is computed. The notes are detected based on the change in octave and note onsets, so there is no need to interact with the phone or TV.
The sequence of notes that are needed are output as prompts in the app to help guide you what to do next.
During normal tuning operation, the Intonation method wont engage, only when the one octave higher note is detected.
The four stages for the Harmonic method are :
- Play the open note. Let the note sustain out atleast 1 or more seconds.
- Play the three fretted notes. Let each note sustain out atleast 1 or more seconds.
- Play the three harmonic notes. Let each note sustain out atleast 1 or more seconds.
- The results are displayed after the notes are detected, and the process can then be repeated or simply resume regular tuning.

The four stages of the Harmonic method, showing the on-screen prompts and segmented progress bar.

The four stages of the Harmonic method.
The Note to Note Method
Use the Note to Note method to simply compute the difference between the current and previous note played. No averaging is used in this method.
11. Add a new TraqFreq (TV app)
In the TraqFreq TV app, go to Settings | Instruments to add your TraqFreq to the TV app. When the TV app is launched and running, it connects to the currently selected TraqFreq. If you have multiple TraqFreqs configured in the TV app, switch to another TraqFreq by selecting a new default TraqFreq.

Configuring the TV app.
12. One click start (TV app)
To start tuning, start the TV using the TV remote and then launch the TraqFreq TV app. This may require two or more button presses, one to start the TV and another to start the TraqFreq app. Its possible to setup Google TV to do all this with one button press - start the TV and launch the TraqFreq app with one button press.
- Install and run the ButtonMapper TV app on Google TV.
- Select 'Add Buttons' in ButtonMapper.
- Choose a button to assign launching the TraqFeq app.
- Select 'Customize' and choose the 'Single Tap' option. (or Double tap or Long press)
- In the drop down, select 'Applications'.
- Choose the TraqFreq app.
Now, even if the TV is off, press the shortcut key and the TV will start and launch the TraqFreq app.
13. Comparison
TraqFreq vs the Best Clip-On Tuners
TraqFreq | Others | |
---|---|---|
Accuracy | 0.1c | 0.1c |
Screen size | Phone-Tv | Small |
Intonation mode | Yes | No |
String life status | Yes | No |
TV app | Yes | No |
Phone app | Yes | No |
Graphical displays | 4 modes | 1 mode |
Strobe and Needle | Both | One |
TraqFreq can display both a needle and strobe at the same time | ||
Audible tuner | Yes | No |
Play an audible tone without affecting the strobe or needle. Impossible for clip-on and App-only tuners. | ||
Visible to audience | No | Yes |
Tuning range | A0-G5 | A0-C8 |
Reference pitch | 390-490Hz | 390-490Hz |
Reference pitch resolution | 0.1Hz | 1Hz |
Cent display | 0.1c | No |
Octave display | Yes | No |
In-tune confirmation | Both | Needle only |
The needle changes color at 5c, strobe at 0.5c | ||
Installation | Tac/Tape | Clip each time |
Clamp concerns | No | Yes |
Size | Small | Medium |
Accessibility | Easy | Awkward |
Clipons: Awkward to mount, position, press small buttons. TraqFreq: Easy access on phone. |
||
Fits inside instrument | Yes | No |
Touch screen | Phone | No |
Switching tunings | Easy | Difficult |
Unlimited tunings | Yes | No |
Tunings filter | Per instrument | No |
TraqFreq only shows tunings for the instrument type and not for all instruments | ||
Firmware upgrades | Yes | No |
Double tap gesture | Yes | No |
When the tuner times out, double tap to start it again | ||
External noise resilience | Good | Good |
Supply tracking | Yes | No |
Playing time tracking | Yes | No |
Climate tracking | Yes | No |
Live stats | Yes | No |
Health tracker | Yes | No |
Goals | Yes | No |
Reports | Yes | No |
Records | Yes | No |
Timers | Yes | Some |
TraqFreq timers are based on actual playing activity | ||
Playing summary | Yes | No |
Voice activation | TV app | No |
Global offset | Yes | No |
Screen scratches | Difficult | Easy |
Daylight visibility | Best | Good |
Dynamic brightness | Yes | Some |
Battery | 1200 hrs | 20 hrs |
1200 hrs if only using the tuner, but TraqFreq also performs other tracking functions | ||
Weight | 15 g | 40 g |
Ready to Tune | 3 sec | 9+ secs |
TraqFreq: Position phone, unlock, start app. Clipon: Unpack, clip-on, re-position, power-on. |
||
Ready to Retune | 1-3 secs | 1-3 secs |
TraqFreq: Unlock/tap phone screen. Clipon: Hold and pressed down small button at arms length. |
||
Breakdown | 0 sec | 5+ secs |
Clipon: Unclip, pack and store. TraqFreq: Do nothing. |
||
Timeout functions | Yes | No |
Show playing summary and optionally transition to Live screen. | ||
Value for money | Yes | Limited |