machines or not? what?

[Tony Caught]

Hi André

Message in text.


Hi Tony,

It certainly was not my intention to blame anybody, it is/was just a
discussion. In my enthusiasm for my 'box' I may have used 'strong
words', but I was absolutely sincere. Indeed, these days there are
ETD's that will give you a tuning that is so perfect that it is very
difficult, not to say almost impossible, for a normal human being to
produce that very same result. So nobody is kidding nobody and an
experienced tuner will immediately acknowledge when a perfect tuning is
a perfect tuning.
Whys should I say this if it is not true?
To get this 'easy' and perfect tuning one needs obviously to go to the
top of the range ETD's but one stern condition remains :
If a tuner does not have a solid tuning technique, even the very best
ETD will prove worthless.

-----This I agree with and it is why I started the discussion about "what is
wide and what is narrow". Because I tune by ear I keep arguing with the
machine and in trying to set it up for a better tuning always seem to make
some other part worse.

"SNIP"

Believe me Tony, those machines are there right now and especially
middle aged and older tuners can profit immensely from this development
and can maybe even prolong their lives because of the happy
professional change that these ETD's can bring.

------What do you mean "middle aged and older tuners" I am not 65 till
August.
But with this I agree. I have to accept that my hearing in the upper treble
and the lower bass is not as good as it used to be and I guess that this is
why I started looking at machines. Can still hear it but it takes a lot of
consentration and the stress level is higher. Still if you really know what
you are doing the machines are a help, with a bit of fiddling. I just hate
to think that all the newbies are paying good dollars for stuff that they
think is great. But...


I know from experience that , especially in some European countries,
conservatism is still high. In Holland too, many older tuners were more
than skeptical and sometimes right out negative.

In this country (Australia) you are allowed to use a machine to assist you
in the tuning test as they are saying "its what the customer gets thats
important" Now I want to do the test again on a today basis, that is how I
tune a piano today, not ten years ago. Thus my search is on for a machine
that will in fact pass a tuning test.
Impossible ?

The truth came out during our tuning tests here. Many tuners failed the
test and we were more or less shocked by the low professional level.
Many of those tuners now have done their tuning test with a positive
result and also many of them have bought a good ETD because they saw
that after having tuned aurally all those years, their new ETD gave
them a huge mental and professional break.

I hope you understand what I am saying. I have never written anything
against aural tuning as I am one myself. I am just one of the tuners
who ventured out and found that indeed there are new and very good
options.

------I understand what you are saying. Veritune will allow me to tune
longer and better. Life after life and all that Jazz.

friendly greetings,

Antares,
The Netherlands

Regards

Tony Caught
Adelaide Australia
caute@bigpond.com.au