NAMM 2012: Korg PitchBlack Poly Polyphonic Pedal Tuner

NAMM 2012 PRESS RELEASE: Korg's PitchBlack Poly is the new standard in guitar and bass pedal tuners, featuring the exclusive 'String Seeker'.

The PitchBlack series of high-performance pedal tuners bring together Korg's legendary tuner accuracy, versatility, and reliability - along with easy-to-see displays and stylish diecast aluminum bodies. Now, the remarkable PitchBlack Poly adds the convenience of polyphonic tuning to the acclaimed PitchBlack pedal tuner line-up, meaning you can check the tuning of all strings at once!

Simply strum your guitar; the PitchBlack Poly will show which strings are in tune and which strings are out of tune, all in a single glance, saving time and letting you get back to playing quickly! Guitar or bass (up to 6-strings) use is detected automatically, so there's no need to change settings.

Ideal for 'floating tremolo' systems

Guitarists who use a 'floating tremolo' will have noticed that one out-of-tune string can affect the tuning of the other strings; so a single flat string may cause the other strings to sound sharp.

With a traditional tuner, this may require tuning and retuning each string multiple times. The PitchBlack Poly makes it easy to identify and correct the one flat string, causing the other strings to sound their correct pitch.

String Seeker automatic meter switching

Strumming the guitar displays the tuning status of every string, making it easy to see which string is out of tune. Simply turn the tuning peg for that string, and the String Seeker feature will automatically detect the string you are adjusting, and instantly display its tuning status in the large meter located in the upper part of the PitchBlack Poly.

In addition to ensuring that you've tuned each of the out-of-tune strings, this convenient design also enables stress-free tuning even for those using a polyphonic tuner for the first time.

Improved double meter design

The upper display provides a large, high-visibility meter with a row of bright white and blue LEDs that clearly indicate any pitch discrepancy. The lower display contains the meters for the individual strings.

These will switch between bright red and green LEDs according to the mode. In the polyphonic mode, they show the tuning status of all strings.

For mono tuning, they provide a large display of the note name. Large, bright, and colorful, this double-meter LED display ensures superb visibility, even when the unit is on the floor of a dark stage or in bright daylight conditions.

Four tuning display modes

When tuning individual strings using the PitchBlack Poly, you can choose from four LED meter display modes to suit your needs: Regular Meter, Full Strobe, Half Strobe, or Split.

Regular Meter mode

As when using a needle-type meter tuner, tune the string so that the white LED in the centre of the meter is lit. The illuminated LED will move to the right if the string is sharp, or toward the left if the string is flat.

Full Strobe mode

Tune the string so that the LED meter illumination stops flowing. The illumination will flow from left to right ifthe string is sharp, or from right to left if the string is flat.

Half Strobe mode

Tune the string so that the LED meter illumination stops flowing and only the centre white LED is lit. The right side of the LED meter will strobe if the string is sharp; the left side if the string is flat. When the pitch is correct, only the centre LED will be lit.

Split mode

This mode is a first for the PitchBlack series. It's a hybrid of Meter mode and Half Strobe mode. Tune the string so that the lit LEDs at left and right converge in the centre. If the string is sharp, the right side of the meter shows the amount of the discrepancy, and the left side shows a half-strobe display. If the string is flat, the left side of the meter shows the amount of the discrepancy, and the right side shows a half-strobe display.

True Bypass circuitry preserves your tone

While tuning, the PitchBlack Poly completely mutes the audio input. When not tuning, the incoming audio signal is sent directly to the output without being affected in any way by the tuner circuit (true bypass).

Even when the PitchBlack Poly is connected between several of your favorite pedal effect units, the input will simply be directly output without passing through any buffer amp, ensuring that the sound you've created with your effect units will be uncoloured. The PitchBlack Poly is designed to play nicely with your other effect pedals.

A welcome addition to your pedalboard

The PitchBlack Poly is sized like a pedal effect unit, and will conveniently fit into most effect pedalboard systems. In addition, PitchBlack Poly also provides a DC out jack that can be used to feed power to other effect pedals (when using the optional AC adaptor).

With a dedicated power supply circuit for the DC out, this jack is able to provide a stable and noiseless power supply (9V 200mA) that's equivalent to a dedicated effect pedal power supply. By connecting a commercially available DC cable, you can supply power to multiple effect pedals, allowing you to simplify the power connections in your pedalboard.

Key Features

• Offers quick and easy high-precision polyphonic tuning
• Displays the tuning status of all strings at once
• Check the tuning of every string with a single glance
• Ideal for "floating tremolo systems"
• Flat (5 Semitones), Capo (7 Semitones), and Drop-D tunings are also supported
• "String Seeker" automatically switches the display to the string being tuned
• Double meter design enhances the acclaimed visibility of the PitchBlack Series
• Four meter modes for precise tuning
• Automatically detects guitars and basses (up to 6-string)
• Calibration is adjustable from 436 - 445 Hz
• Accurate tuning to to ± 1 Cent
• Tone-preserving True Bypass design
• Two-way power; operates on 9V battery or 9V DC input
• 9V DC cascade power jack is also provided
• Durable and reliable diecast aluminum body

RRP: £82.80 RRPAvailability: June 2012

Information taken from official press release, for more visit Korg.

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