I have followed this thread with a great deal of interest since I returned to this business about 4 1/2 years ago using RCT. About 2 years ago I became curious about TuneLab when Alan Bernard spoke so highly of it. I downloaded it from Bob Scotts website and installed it alongside RCT on the same PDA.
It was a little difficult to learn to calibrate but once that was done it was smooth sailing from there. There were some things that I noticed where TL was superior to RCT. The first and to me the greatest was the spectrum display. In the high treble you can clearly see each string speak. This helped me greatly since I had been having trouble clearly hearing when the unisons became pure. In the course of the past 1 1/2 years that I have been using TL my ear has become trained to hear these unisons better and I seldom need this help, but when I do it really helps.
The second thing that I really like is the spectrum display during pitch-raises. With RCT it is sometimes difficult or impossible to get the spinner to respond to the note especialy if the note is very low. After I had been using TL for about a year I went back to RCT for a pitch-raise and I abandoned it about 1/3 of the way through because of the inability of RCT to display the note. When using TL you can see the string speak even if it is 100 cents low and all you have to do is bring it up while watching the display. It couldn't be simpler!
The strength of the SAT is it's battery life but the very real weaknesses are it's difficulty reading the display in the high treble, the fact that you have to resample each piano if you don't carry around a log book to keep track of what tuning is on what memory number, it's size makes it difficult to keep in a toolbox, it's limited memory, and having to use the foot switch to move from note to note. When it came out it was the cats meow but with the advent of PDAs it has become obsolete. I do have my flame suit on and a pretty thick skin so flame away!
Sure, PDA based ETDs have very real weaknesses but I find that they are the best alternative. In my opinion the best ETD is TuneLab. If I were starting back into this business or just trying an ETD for the first time I hope some kind soul would suggest trying the TL. With the option of downloading a free trial it is the best way to get one's foot wet.
My two centavos,
Flame Suit On!
Robert (Pat) Mihlfeld
Farmington Pianos
Wayne Walker <wayne.w at musicstop.com> wrote: Message st1\:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#ieooui) } @font-face { font-family: Bradley Hand ITC; } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A:visited { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } P.MsoAutoSig { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } LI.MsoAutoSig { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman";
mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } DIV.MsoAutoSig { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } SPAN.EmailStyle17 { COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-type: personal-compose } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } Hey Dean,
Would the damaged screen be another repair job for CA glue, sorry couldn't resist. Try SAT 111 I have one ordered to replace my SAT 1.
Wayne Walker
Piano Tuner / Technician
Musicstop Acoustic Piano Service
264 Herring Cove Road
Halifax, NS, Canada
B3P 1M1
902-221-1540
902-496-0041 Fax
www.musicstop.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Dean May [mailto:deanmay at pianorebuilders.com]
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 12:08 AM
To: 'Pianotech List'
Subject: RCT vs Tune Lab
Well, it has happened to me again. I dropped a tool on my Pocket PC Tuesday and destroyed the screen. This is like the third or fourth one I’ve destroyed since I started using RCT. Of course panic sets in as I realize that I still have 15 appointments left this week. Anyone who has been through this knows there is no quick way to get up and running with a new Pocket PC because of RCT’s inane copy protection schemes. Of course they’ll get you a new code as soon as you remove the program on your old unit. But then there is no way to do that with a destroyed screen. That means you have to send the old unit back in before they’ll give you a new activation code. To their credit, they’ll do that if you supply them a tracking number as proof that you’ve returned it. Of course that would mean buying a new unit, boxing up the old one, take it to UPS, get the tracking number, get back home, then find someone on the end of a phone at RCT that
can get you the new activation code- all before the first morning’s appointment. Not a chance.
Of course there is another small detail I left out. Buying a new Pocket PC means a newer operating system, which means a $230 upgrade charge to RCT to get the new activation code. *Sigh*
What I decided to do was use a spare Pocket PC that my son had and download the Tune Lab software with fully functional demo while I decided what to do about the RCT. Before the day of tunings was over I was on the phone to Tune Lab and made my $340 purchase. I love it. Plus I can port it to any other Pocket PC I want (that has my name as the owner) without having to get a new activation code! No more worries!!
It isn’t as idiot proof as RCT but seems to be more functional. The learning curve was little steep, I thought, but I like the tuning interface better than RCT. And the tunings sound great (I’m using Coleman 11). Add in the much better price and the peace of mind of being able to have a backup system- I’m so happy and just wanted to tell you all about it!
I’ve ordered a new screen ($50) from Ebay for my old unit. I think I’ll keep RCT as a back up. ;-)
Dean
Dean May cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN 47802
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