Fig. 5. Display with non-standard pitch warning.
It is also possible to tune off-pitch by accident. To help prevent this from happening, a plus sign appears in the
NOTE/OCTAVE display window as shown in Fig. 5. Whenever the instrument is offset to the sharp side, a plus sign will
appear. When the SAT is offset to the flat side, a minus sign will appear.
2. Perfecting the A-440 of Stretch Tuning:
A second use for the reset feature is to get the stretch tuning (see previous section on FAC) exactly on pitch at A-440.
Pianos are rarely perfect, and the FAC stretch tuning uses the fourth partial of A4 (A6) to tune. This is where a slight error
can occur. Sometimes the fundamental of A4 ends up as much as one-half of a cent off. If you need to correct this
problem use the following procedure.
A. Measure the stretch numbers of the piano.
B. Store the FAC numbers to a page in memory, go straight to A4 and tune all three strings.
C. Switch to the TUNE mode by pressing the TUNE button.
D. Press OCTAVE down twice, set the cents deviation to zero, and the display should read A4 0.0
E. Play A4 on the piano.
F. If the note is right on pitch, simply switch back to the page in memory where the tuning is located. (Press MEM button,
then NOTE up button). Tune the piano.
G. If the note is unacceptable, measure the pitch error with respect to A-440, and follow the instructions below.
For example: Let's assume it is 0.2 cents sharp. Store an offset that will counteract the error, namely 0.2 cents flat. Do
this by putting -0.2 in the cents window, holding the SHIFT button down and pressing the RST button. Now you can
return to the page in memory, and tune the piano knowing that A4 will wind up exactly on A-440.
If you want to save this tuning permanently at 440 Hz, store the FAC tuning again (STRETCH roll over to MEM). The
offset will be included in the stored tuning and the temporary offset will be cancelled.
3. Displaying the Cents Offset:
The offset cents number used during a pitch raise can be displayed at any time.
Set the cents window to zero. Press SHIFT, hold it down, and press RESET. As long as the SHIFT button is depressed,
the right display window will show the cents offset currently in use. Since the SAT has the ability to add or subtract
increments from the stored offset, you must return the cents display to zero before looking at the cents offset.
On the other hand, if you know what the cents offset is and wish to change it, just enter the desired difference in cents.
Press SHIFT-RESET and the new offset will be displayed in the cents window.
To set the cents offset back to zero, either recalibrate the instrument by holding the SHIFT and pressing the CAL button,
or enter an opposite offset and store that in order to cancel the original offset.
4. Measuring the Width of Musical Intervals:
The fourth major use for the RST button is to measure the width in cents of musical intervals. To measure the width of an
interval such as a third or fourth, take the following four steps.
A. Go to the note and octave of the coincident overtones of the two notes (i.e., A5 for the F3-A3 major third).
B. Stop the lights using the MSR and/or CENTS buttons on the lower of the two notes.
C. Reset the CENTS display to zero with the SHIFT and RST button.
D. Stop the lights again on the higher of the two notes.
The width of the unknown interval now appears in the CENTS display. No addition or subtraction is necessary to make
this measurement with the SAT.