Korg Announces PitchBlack Poly Polyphonic Pedal Tuner

Korg has just announced the PitchBlack Poly, a new product in their line of tuners. The Poly, which is designed for both bass and guitar, offers many upgrades to typical tuners.

The PitchBlack Poly’s display offers a large, high visibility meter with a row of bright white and blue LEDs to determine each string’s tuning, even from a distance. The display switches from bright red and green LEDs, according to mode. In polyphonic mode, you see the tuning status of every string. For mono tuning, the device’s large display of the note name is visible whether on a dark stage, or outside in bright daylight conditions.

The tuner offers four tuning display modes: Regular Meter, Full Strobe, Half Strobe and Split Mode.

Regular Meter mode works similarly to a needle-type meter tuner. Tune the string so that the white LED in the center of the meter is lit.

In Full Strobe mode, you tune the string until the LED meter illumination stops flowing. The illumination will flow from left to right if the string is sharp, or from right to left if the string is flat.

The Half Strobe mode is similar to the Full Strobe mode. The right side of the LED meter will strobe if the string is sharp and on the left if the string is flat. When the pitch is correct, the center LED will be lit.

The Split Mode is a first for the PitchBlack series, offering a hybrid of the Meter and Half Strobe modes. If the string is sharp, the right side of the meter shows the amount of the discrepancy and the left shows a half-strobe display. The opposite is true if the string is flat. When the string is in tune, the lit LEDs at the left and right converge in the center.

The PitchBlack Poly offers true bypass circuitry, which completely mutes the audio input while tuning. When not tuning, the incoming signal is sent directly to the output without being affected by the tuner circuit. The device automatically detects bass or guitar, so there’s no need for manual switching.

The device is sized to match pedal effect units, which means it will fit in most effect pedalboard systems. The device provides a DC-out jack that can be used to feed power to your other effects pedals when using an AC adaptor.

The expected price for the device is around $100.00, with availability in June, 2012.

Korg PitchBlack Poly Polyphonic Pedal Tuner Specs:

• 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

Korg PitchBlack Poly Polyphonic Pedal Tuner Demo: