Customer Reviews

Peterson V-SAM Virtual Strobe Audio Metronome

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am called on to tune harpsichords, and this is often done using unusual temperaments and pitch standards far from A=440Hz. I formerly used the excellent Korg MT-1200, because it could be programmed to any temperament, and because it allowed a very wide range of pitch standards (I often need to tune to A=411, for example). Korg has discontinued the MT-1200, replacing it with the model OT-12, which has most of the same features but is not programmable. When the MT-1200 that I used went bad (its memory chip failed, so it needed to be re-programmed every time I used it, quite a hassle), I went on a search for something else that would do the job.

After consulting with harpsichord players, builders, and other experts, I learned about the Peterson V-SAM. None of my experts had actually used this tuner, but had heard that it was an amazing new device that was great for harpsichords. I called Peterson (for a very long time known as a venerable manufacturer of stroboscopic tuners) and their sales people confirmed that the V-SAM was excellent for this kind of instrument. I let my experts know what Peterson had told me, and so they independently bought V-SAMs at the same time I bought mine.

About a week after I got my V-SAM, I started getting calls from the others. Nobody could make the V-SAM work with harpsichords. It was unstable, and would frequently not even recognize that a note was being played on the instruments. Suspecting a faulty unit or perhaps a faulty manufacturing run, I checked my V-SAM with some wind instruments. It worked fine. Several calls to Peterson tech support revealed that if I simply added an external microphone, the V-SAM would work great on the harpsichord. I tried hand held mics, clip on mics, and suction-cup mics, and nothing helped. The others had similar experiences.

Finally, I was able to talk to engineering at Peterson, and was advised that the V-SAM was never designed to work with instruments like pianos or harpsichords. They said the tuner was intended to be used with instruments that can sustain their tones, like violins and wind instruments.

I have since returned my V-SAM, as have all my associates. I want to stress that this is not really a fault of the unit...Peterson is a good company with a high quality product. The problem is that this design is not suitable with certain instruments that produce transient tones. Unfortunately, Peterson sales and tech support did not know this and led me astray. Likewise, most retailers simply parrot what Peterson says or implies in their sales capacity, and hence the bad information is kept circulating.

In my opinion the V-SAM is a fine product for most applications, but if you want to use it with instruments that produce tones that decay quickly, look elsewhere.

For those of you who are looking for an extremely accurate tuner with tons of functionality, this is it. As a string player, I can't stress what a huge difference it makes using a strobe tuner for tuning and checking intonation. My VSAM has become an absolute necessity in the practice room. Beyond tuning, the ability to generate accurate reference tones, meter in various temperaments and provide a (wonderfully loud) metronome have made it essential. I'm so glad I've had it.

That said, it's not perfect.

For starters, it's huge. As you've probably noticed, the tuner is housed in a large (removable) blue boot; a feature that adds considerable mass. The boot is so cumbersome that I've generally opted to leave it behind, to the detriment of the tuner. Without it, the unit is extremely fragile. I've had to send my unit in for repairs (which were very costly) on more than one occasion, having had the tuner fall off a chair or bang around too harshly in a music bag.

Durability for this unit is NOT very good. The large adjustment knob in the middle of the faceplate is not well designed. Unless you are very delicate, it WILL eventually be broken off or damaged in some way, as it sticks out significantly and awkwardly from the front of the unit. The rubber selection buttons have a tendency to stick, and can become lodged inside/behind the faceplate (very aggravating, I assure you!).

There is a lot of wasted space inside. Having dismantled the tuner, I found that the interior is largely void, which leads me to conclude that the body is unnecessarily large. Were the device to be denser and more compact, I am quite sure it would also prove to be more durable and less susceptible to damage.

What this tuner sorely needs is a redesign from the ground up. I suspect that Peterson, however, has little compulsion to make improvements because they have no real competition in the strobe tuning sector; this device has no rival.

Even so, Peterson could easily design a device that is more compact (there is no reason it needs to be larger than an iPod), more durable and more visually appealing with the same essential features. I believe the response in sales would be tremendous. I know I'd swap mine immediately!

Until then, hesitantly recommended and hoping for improvement.

I bought the Peterson V-SAM virtual Strobe Tuner. I was, apparently, not careful enough to recognize that no keyboard related review was available. I need it for harpsichord tuning. However, the response for the lowest octve, (roughly F1 thru F2 at least) and the highest (at least G5 thru G6) is not at all usable.It works ok in the middle range between these low and high ranges, deteriorating on the way to them from the middle.

I have one of the old Peterson mechanical wheel strobe tuners -- it is absolutely great. But I am very disappointed with the Peterson V-SAM tuner. The microphone is insensitive. The display is very often ambiguous -- you can't tell whether the marks are drifting up or down. Just plain bad. After putting it away for two years, today I gave it another try -- same thing as two years ago. I'd sell it for a dollar.

First of all, I play euphonium and trombone. I'm very pleased with this device. I very much like the tuning display, as it seems to very clearly show small pitch discrepencies. Other small, electronic tuners (with digital or real needles) usually have markings for 10 or 20 cents away from in-tune, but don't easily show small pitch variations of just a few cents. This is where I really like the V-SAM; it makes small pitch variations very clear to see.

I like the metronome, as it is very versatile and has many settings, a great improvement on my inexpensive dial-in, single-tock metronome. I also utilize the tone generator when playing arpeggios and mouthpiece buzzing, as it makes a great reference pitch for improving intonation with these exercises. The tone is loud enough and can sound through several octaves, a real benefit.

All that being said, this device is not perfect. It has a lot of functionaly and features that I will never use, but paid for anyway. The tuning display is similar to a true Peterson strobe-tuner with 12 wheels, but not as good. It does not display one's pitch in quite the same way. The device sometimes has trouble locking onto the correct pitch, instead locking onto overtones, especially in small practice rooms, and when playing low notes. The bass shift feature helps with the low notes, and a suction cup or clip-on pickup helps with all notes, but it is still problematic and somewhat annoying. However, at roughly 1/4 the cost of a wheeled strobe tuner, I am quite satisfied.

I haven't had any functionality problems with it yet. Unlike another reviewer, the buttons don't get stuck behind the faceplate unless I mash them down intentionally. The middle knob does protrude and I can see how it might be damaged, but I just try not to be rough with it. I keep the plastic boot on, too.

The device is rather large, but I bought it for use in the practice room, not toting it around in my case to every performance or rehearsal. For that purpose, I use a small, inexpensive tuner and metronome. They work great, but in my practice sessions I like the precise display of the V-SAM, the variable metronome, and loud tone generator. I haven't found it's larger size to be detrimental; I simply set it on a stand, chair, or bench next to me.

If you're looking for a tuner to tote around in your case, this unit may be too big and not durable enough. If you're looking for a tuner to get your guitar in tune, this is probably overkill. If you're looking for a precision tuner, variable metronome, and loud tone generator all-in-one for use in practice sessions for brass, woodwinds, or strings, this device may be exactly what you want.

Overall I am very satisfied with the V-SAM. While it would be nice if some of it's flaws were corrected and it's physical design streamlined, I still feel the benefits of this device far outweigh the flaws.

If you need a guitar tuner, this is not it. It's simply way too big to tote along. Also, at this price, you have to be really careful that it doesn't get dropped, lost, or stolen, and that further reduces its usefulness. On top of all that, why would you even consider paying this kind of money when you can get a perfectly good pocket tuner for $15?

This tuner features various advanced functions like temperaments, a tone generator, and alternate tuning schemes. If you really need those, and will use them, then this device might make sense. I've used it successfully to tune pianos, with some difficulty, but notice that even Peterson does not recommend it for pianos.

Just like other tuners, this tuner often has trouble locking on to the tone. Overtones can confuse it. During my piano sessions, I had a lot of trouble with it not locking on. Also when using it on my guitar, even in a quiet room, the tuner wanders all over the place, locking on to various random overtones and the tuning indicator going sharp, then flat, then sharp again, obviously impossible. I expected a lot better.

My main objection is its size, and after that its cost.

Besides that, don't buy into all of Peterson's hype, much of which is just hyperbole.

STROBE DISPLAY: This is simply a gimmick that 1: tries to leverage the strobe tuner reputation and 2: tries to push the strobe display into popular use as a way of increasing awareness of Peterson's expensive strobe machines. A conventional scale type of readout is far superior to this strobe gimmick.

SPEED OF DISPLAY: They make a big deal that the display is instantaneous and doesn't give an average reading. That's just hype. Other tuners work fine.

INCREASED ACCURACY: Just accepting their numbers as true, it's still just hype. I didn't notice any "dramatic difference" or "sounds like a whole new guitar" or anything else like that from any increased accuracy. You have to wonder how precise the guitar tuners can be in the first place. A $15 tuner works fine, it gets it perfect, this expensive device doesn't get it any better.

BUZZ FEITON: Same comments as above. It may make some subtle improvement, but get real. Pros have been playing for 100s of years without this system and have always sounded great. It's just more hype.

Later addition: To my astonishment, Peterson has now made a tuner software application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The cost is only $10. The iPod Touch has no microphone so Peterson will sell you a microphone for an additional $13.00. The app features the same strobe display as on this unit and also features the same .1 cent precision. That Peterson would sell a $10 app that would replace their $200 tuner seems incredible. It also shows how trivial the size of hardware must be, since look at all the iPhone does as well as tune. Strip out all of those extra functions and you must have left a quartz crystal the size of a few atoms and a slice of silicon about the size of a pinhead. Plus look at the giant gorgeous color display on the iPhone and they still sell it to you for <$300 and you see that this Peterson machine is a joke. Far better to buy an iPod Touch and the software app. That *will* fit in your guitar case!

Seller sent me a VS-II by mistake, so I had to return item and got V-Sam from Musician's Friend. I am pleased with the product and use it often. I liked it so much, I opted to get a 490-ST for studio. Peterson products are excellent...the standard for tuning.

It just works!

The fact that you can put it in manual mode is very cool.