JLA: January 2008 Archives

If you have tried the new version of Funiculus, please consider leaving feedback on how the auto-detection worked.  Anonymous comments allowed...no need to log in or anything.

Specifically, if you could let me know 1) which strings registered incorrectly (e.g. the low E), and 2) what note the strings incorrectly registered as.

Also include any other suggestions/complaints/etc.  Thanks.

Don't let the new opening screen fool you.  Not too much has changed, except for the new "Nearest Pitch" mode.

The nearest pitch mode allows "hand free" operation of Funiculus.  It doesn't require to know what note you are trying to play...it merely tries to match it to the closest standard note.  Of course, this requires you to be somewhat close to your desired note.

There is also a display which shows the note being tuned against.  In some cases, the note may be WAY off...don't worry...it's trying to tune against an overtone.  This is more likely to happen on the lower strings.


The new version (0.22) can be downloaded via the SourceForge page.  It will probably soon be released on the ModMyIfone Installer repository as well.  (See link in margin.)

Funiculus version 0.02 is available on the ModMyiFone repository.  It is also available on the Funiculus project page on SourceForge. 

Funiculus is a guitar tuner for the iPhone...similar to those you might by in a guitar store.  It listens to you play a note, and it analyzes the pitch of the note and tells you whether you are sharp or flat.  Because it uses the internal microphone, it cannot be used on an iPod Touch.

If you take a look at the screenshot, you'll notice that it is currently set to banjo mode, illustrating one of the new features of this version.  A currently unreleased version also has a standard mandolin tuning.  By the time this version is released, it will probably allow a user to enter any custom tuning he or she chooses.

I'm frequently asked if I'll have Funiculus detect the note automatically.  It's possible, but it's not as simple as it sounds...every pitch has multiple frequencies: a fundamental (i.e. the main one) and various overtones.  Sometimes the overtones are "louder" than the fundamental, which would lead Funiculus to think a much higher pitched note is being played. 



There are ways to correct for this, but I'll need help first...I need volunteers to play their guitar strings (open), one at a time, 3 seconds apart, and record this sound and send me the file via email.  You can send it to JLA at this website.  To record yourself playing, you will need a microphone and a sound program like Audacity (free). 

If you are good with audio, you can help even more by converting the sound to mono, 16 bit signed 8000 samples/sec.  If you don't know what this means, then don't worry...I can convert it.