There are a lot of options for tuning ukes now available. This is a virtual ukulele tuner. It tune a ukulele into standard reentrant tuning.
There are two primary options: The first is to click on the string button or number key to generate reference tones. The second option is to turn on the microphone and then pluck your own strings and get realtime feedback. It works great either way, depending on what works best for you.
How to Use the Ukulele Tuner
First, look at the section where you select which string to tune. If it’s a regular soprano uke then you’ll see four buttons marked A4, E4, C4 and G4. Each of those correspond to one of the strings on your uke. When you click on a button it will play a reference tone for that string. Alternatively, you can press numbers 1-4 on your keyboard to sound the same tone. That’s really the quickest method if you’re going to tune by ear.
Hear the reference tone and then pluck the corresponding string on your uke. Keep turning the tuning peg around until they matches in pitch.
If you like to see what’s happening, use microphone mode. To turn it on, tap the Use microphone button or press the M key. When prompted for permission in the browser, give it access. Once turned on, pick a string on your ukulele. If the note is sharp, the gauge needle will move to the right; if it’s flat, the needle move to the left. It will also turn green when the note is within five cents of the targeted note. It can detects the string that was played (Auto string) and highlight it automatically. That means you don’t have to pick the right string each time before picking it.
Press the R key or toggle the Reference button on and you will switch from playing a brief sound to a drone (a continuous tone). If a pitch is slightly out of tune you will notice a ‘beating’ pattern with the drone, which becomes clearer if there’s a steady drone rather than just a short sound. As soon as the beating ceases the string is in tune. In noisy surroundings, this means that you are more likely to miss the short tones.
You can control the volume of these tones through the volume slider. Make sure they are loud enough to accurately compare their pitches. Make sure they are quiet enough for you to clearly hear your instrument too.
A fast way to get an overview is by using the Sweep function. To do this, click on the Sweep button, or press the S key and it play the four strings in order. That way you can hear them sound together. If one sounds flat or sharp then you’ll know straight away which one to adjust.
An Easter egg button reads: My dog has fleas. Pressing the F key will play the G-C-E-A that confirms you’re tuned correctly. (That’s a standard test for reentrant tuning).
To match a different instrument, you can change the pitch that the tuner defaults to. The A4 calibration slider moves the target pitch between 435 and 446 hertz. Some people use 440 hertz as the standard pitch while others may prefer it to be a little higher or lower, perhaps because some pianos or jam sessions is set to a different frequency. Sliding this adjusts the target on all four strings and maintains the ukulele’s tuning relative to other instruments in the room.
Tuning up new nylon strings can be tricky. They will go out of tune fast and also stretch. Tune them, pull them slightly (away from the fretboard), tune back and repeat till it stay in tune. The tuner will tell you when you hit the sweet spot (the green zone).
On phones/tablets you can use the fullscreen button for an even bigger picture of the gauge. If you forget what each control does you can toggle the help panel on/off by pressing the Help button/question mark key.
Work on a single string at a time. I suggest working from top to bottom (A then G) or bottom to top (G then A). Whatever works for you. Just make sure to tune each string. For fine tuning use the visual gauge. For initial setting, the reference tones are better. Together they’re best of all.
When your uke is correctly tuned it sounds so much better. Simply activate your microphone or click on one of the strings and you are ready to go. It is an easy-to-use interface that responds quickly. There is no special knowledge required in audio matters. Simply play; listen, tweak. Follow your ears and the gauge for the ideal pitch. Hear how good your tuned uke sounds.