PianoMeter – Piano Tuner

Willey Piano

In-app purchases

About this app

PianoMeter is a piano tuning app that will transform your Android device into a professional quality electronic tuning aid.

NOTE
The "free" version of this app is primarily for evaluation, and it only allows you to tune notes on the piano between C3 and C5. To tune the entire piano you will need to buy an upgrade through an in-app purchase.

What makes PianoMeter unique
Unlike regular chromatic tuning apps that simply tune to a pre-calculated equal temperament, this app actively measures the tonal characteristics of each note and automatically calculates the ideal “stretch” or offset from equal temperament. In other words, it creates a custom tuning for your piano with the best compromise between intervals like fifths, fourths, octaves, and twelfths, the way aural piano tuners do when fine-tuning.

Functionality and pricing
There are three levels of functionality: a free (evaluation) version, a paid "plus" version with basic tuning functionality, and a "professional" version with features geared towards professional piano tuners. The extra functionality is unlocked through one-time in-app purchases.

The Free version includes the following functionality:
• Tuning functionality for the mid-range of the piano only
• Automatic note detection
• Ability to measure each note on the piano to see how its current tuning compares to the ideal tuning curve (see if a piano is roughly in tune)
• Swipe in the graphing area to show a live frequency spectrum or the inharmonicity of measured notes.

Upgrading to "Plus" adds the following functionality:
• Tuning functionality for the entire piano
• Tune to frequency standards other than A=440
• Tune to historical or custom temperaments
• Calibrate device to an external frequency source

Upgrading to Professional unlocks all features of the "Plus" version, plus the following:
• Save and load tuning files, so a piano doesn't need to be re-measured each time it is tuned
• Pitch raise mode that calculates overpull for an initial first pass "rough" tuning (for pianos that are extremely flat)
• Custom tuning styles: create a custom tuning curve by adjusting interval weighting and stretch
• Access to all future features and enhancements

Upgrade costs:
Free to Plus (approximately US$25)
Free to Pro (approximately US$300)
Plus to Pro (approximately US$275)

Note about permissions
This app requires permission to access the microphone on your device and permission to read and write files.

Ratings and reviews

This is a fantastic tuner! I have reconditioned and tuned pianos for decades. The only tuning aid I had ever used was a StroboConn (which will give you an idea of how many decades :-). This tool did a nice job. I wanted to stretch more, but I actually like this result. One question that I have is the pattern of the partials on the strobe. From my StroboConn I expect the upper partials to rotate clockwise relative to the fundamental because they are sharp. On piano meter they go ccw. Why?

I had zero piano tuning experience. But after reading the Help session carefully and some patience, I tuned my upright Schimmel today. The piano was out of tune badly since it hasn't been tuned for 10 years. Now it sounds great. I use the upgraded plus version. The app is amazing. It can figure out the equal temperament curve for your piano and next just tune each key to the curve. I believe that in the high and low range, the app is a lot easier and more accurate than an amatuer ear.

I'm a piano technician and have used a variety of different tuning software. This was my most recent purchase and it has become my new default ETD. Overall the app reminds me most of Verituner, in ease of use and quality of tunings, though Verituner's needle is snappier and more stable. (EDIT: The latest update to this app seems to have sped up the needle to the point where I couldn't say which is better.) I prefer this to TuneLab, which I have to futz with to get a decent tuning in the tenor. This seems to tune decently pure 12ths, and I trust it more than the black box of Tunic OnlyPure. No comparison with Entropy, which is clunky and requires you to laboriously measure all 88 notes before you begin. Compared to Accutuner the response is probably slightly slower, which is true for all tuning software. Cybertuner I haven't experimented with as much, as I haven't been able to bring myself to shell out $1000 plus $80/year for a few extra bells and whistles. Overall for the money I'd say this is the best value, so long as you don't need to grade RPT tuning exams.

What's new

Added control over which audio inputs to prefer (Menu > Other > Audio Input)
Known bugs: On some devices you must "restart" the audio by exiting and re-opening the app after plugging in a new microphone. Not all Bluetooth headsets are supported. (We recommend not using Bluetooth microphones anyway.)