Accu-Tuner Tapes

[John Musselwhite]

>I am interested in purchasing an Accu-Tuner.  First I would like
>to hear some comments about purchasing a used unit.  It seems

I bought mine used (from Rick Baldassin) and couldn't be happier with it. It
was an older one (#423) and after it got dropped (!) I sent it back to be
upgraded. The service was fast and relatively inexpensive, and although
tuning aurally was fun  for a while I really missed it while it was gone!
BTW, my aural tunings are much better now than when I first got the
machine... I was afraid I'd become too dependent on it and perhaps lose my
ear, but that wasn't the case.

>to be a good alternative but I would like to use the MIDI that
>comes on the SAT II.  Can an older unit be updated with the MIDI
>interface?  Or is it better to just bite the bullet and purchase
>a new SAT?

The advantage of upgrading later is it spreads out the expense. I know if I
had to purchase a new one I wouln't be able to do it.

>Secondly,  in order to help me make up my mind whether to take the
>plunge or not,  I though it would be usefull to get one of the
>video tapes offered by Inventronics.  Which is the better tape to

I've never seen the tapes so couldn't say.  I bought mine on the strength of
the recomendations I got from those who use it and the articles in the
PTJournal. The manual was written well enough that I was able to use the
machine right away with minimal reading, unlike some computer programs I've
purchased.

I took the "plunge" because I was doing enough floor tunings that it gave me
the potential to do almost twice the work in the same amount of time. Almost
every piano on the sales floor needed pitch adjustments as well as tunings
and the SAT's pitch adjust program works quite well, especially for that
sort of thing. It also makes some regular tunings much easier for me. I may
do a piano for recording sessions every day and with the SAT I can keep the
tuning consistant from take to take.

>(Sorry about the typing!)  Hope this stirs up some good discussion
>about SAT's in general!!

While some of my older customers were quite hesitant about it the first time
I pulled it out they all like it now. If anyone questions it, I say it
allows me to split my concentration from totally aural to a combination of
aural and visual, leaving me less tired and more focussed, which I feel is
an accurate assessment of how it helps me. I can also show empirically that
the piano is at exactly the pitch required and when tuning in unison to an
organ or another piano it can be a real time saver!

In short, I feel the SAT is a valuable addition to my tool kit.  I don't
have MIDI facilities so I'm not interested in those functions at the moment,
but can always go in that direction in the future.

                John
John Musselwhite, RPT               Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com       john.musselwhite@67.cambo.cuug.ab.ca