TonalEnergy: A Look at the Tuning App (and More) for iOS

While there is no shortage of good tuners out there in the App Store, there are few that are quite as informative (and pretty) as TonalEnergy. This app is specifically designed for individuals or large ensembles in an attempt to help musicians improve their intonation and tone.

Most functions of TonalEnergy’s tuner are designed to visually reward the user for improving their tone and intonation. You can set different skill levels as well, which appear to determine how “forgiving” the app is with your intonation.

In addition to the app’s tuner functionality, it features a basic metronome (with subdivisions) and a spectral waveform analyzer so you can actually see how your tone looks.

You can even record yourself playing or singing into the spectral analyzer, and play it back to watch both your intonation and wave form (tone).

The app is also well geared for educators as it supports external audio devices, VGA output of the screen, Bluetooth connectivity, airplay and external midi keyboard support.

I encourage you to check this one out. At the current the current $1.99 sale price (at the time of publication), it’s definitely worth looking into.

TonalEnergy is a universal app available from the App Store. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 4.0 or later. The company does not offer an Android version of the app.

TonalEnergy Features

• Large colorful animated tuner screen. The target tuner is on all three tuner screens.
• Bright flat/sharp indicators that assist when tones are very out of tune
• Display of Note/Octave/Hertz graphics are seen on each page of the tuner
• Instantly changes between equal, just and other custom temperaments
• Highly responsive to wind instruments, as well as acoustic and electric string instruments and tympani
• Recognizes a very large pitch range, extending to lower registers than many competing tuners
• Intermediate, advanced, and professional tuning levels
• Chromatic wheel tone generator
• Major/minor chords and polyphonic chords
• External MIDI keyboard control support
• Generates a pitch reference note using the TonalEnergy instruments or waveforms.
• Spectral Frequency/Overtone Analyzer and multi-function Waveform display with record/playback
• File saving feature to create exercises using the TonalEnergy instruments or your own
• +24 to -32db sensitivity control
• Reverb controls to enhance wind instruments tones in various environments and tuner functions
• Automatic or manual transposing options for all instruments
• Metronome with tap, subdivision and volume control is available to use on all three pages
• Support for all device orientations
• Compatible with external audio devices
• VGA output can send TonalEnergy’s multiple pages to a projection screen for use in class rooms or rehearsal halls
• Bluetooth technology allows istrumentalists and directors to send all of TonalEnergy’s internal sounds to external speakers
• AppleTV/AirPlay enables connectivity to an HDMI projector or TV
• Adjustable A=440 reference tone
• External device calibration can be used to check that TonalEnergy’s tuner is accurate within 1/100 of a cent
• All iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices running iOS4 or above are supported. iPod touch 3rd generation or earlier requires attached microphone or headset.