Customer Reviews

Sabine MT9000 MetroTune Chromatic Tuner and Metronome (LCD)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The metronome function is decent, but could be louder.

The tuner cannot register any notes in the bottom third of my tenor trombone range. Whenever I play a low note, the tuner gets utterly confused and becomes unable to register higher notes as well. Definitely don't buy this tuner if you're a low brass player. Perhaps this tuner was meant for string instruments?

If you're looking for an excellent tuner, I highly recommend the Boss TU-12H.

I'm a professional guitarist. I mostly teach guitar lessons, but also play solo gigs for weddings, parties, bars, coffee shops. I haven't had to do any other work since 2001 (it's late 2009 as of this writing). As a guitarist, I play acoustic, electric, and classical. I need to play Metallica, I play Metallica. Elliot Smith, I play Elliot Smith. Bach, I play Bach. Versatility has always been my thing. I wouldn't have even mentioned that, but this tuner has been taken down more notches by other reviewers than I think it should have been. It is the best tuner/metronome that you can find under $[...]. Period. I don't even know of other tuner/metronomes over that price range, b/c these days, they're all under [...] I have used the $[...] strobe tuner (not also a metronome) that's out there, and it's way better than that. A lot of the poorer ratings are from trombone players. I don't have anything to say to them or the other horn players that are looking for something to help them improve their intonation. Maybe this product isn't for them. I don't know. If you are a guitarist, however, acoustic, electric, or classical, I recommend it as highly as I can. It's a sensitive and convincing tuner, and it's a loud metronome. It is, in fact, the loudest metronome I've ever experienced that is also a tuner. There are stand-alone metronomes out there that are louder than this one, but they aren't also tuners. It's really great, because it will subdivide beats for you if that's what you need. By "subdividing beats", I mean, if you want the metronome to kick out dotted eighths followed by a sixteenth, it'll do it, and it's not hard to figure out how. If you have trouble with that, take a lesson with a music teacher of any instrument, and s/he'll be able to sort you out. To give you a short list of similar products that I believe it's better than, it's better than the Boss TU80, and the Korg TM 40 (though for that one, the volume of the metronome is the deciding factor). In short, if you're a guitarist or a bassist looking for a pocket-sized tuner or metronome that you won't feel like upgrading from in the next 5 years or so, pick this one. It'll set you back about [...]

I had the same problem with the note indicator that Mr. Bateman had until I realized a trumpet is a B-flat instrument but Sabine MT9000 tuner is made for C instruments. Transposing is easy, but it even easier to simply ignore the note indicator and rely only on the pitch indicator. I already know what note I'm playing. Wind instrument players should be careful not to add vibrato when using tuners. I ended up buying a Sabine MT8000 that has a much louder metronome and it transposes. It's great.

Like the previous reviewer, I too find the metronome to be too quiet, at least for a trumpet player. The volume is turned up full but I still cannot hear it.

I question the accuracy of the tuner. My current trumpet is of the low-end, and I suspected it of playing a little flat, but the tuner tells me it's at least one full step below. Based on my neighbor's piano, it's not THAT flat.

Don't make the same mistake I did.

I've used a number of combination tuner/metronomes and this one is the simplest and most convenient I've come across. The tuner works great, even with some background noise. The metronome has all the basic features you need in a clear and quick to use package. I've also used Boss TU-80 (too many buttons to press to do simple things) and a Korg TM40 (the Start/Stop button thing is a neat idea at first, but really that's what the power button should be on=start off=stop). The Boss & Korg both work fine, but the Sabine MT9000 does the best job at doing what I need with a minimum of buttons and fuss.

I am a percussionist and music teacher.I've had this metronome for 5 years and I used it quite often. As a tuner, it did not work very well for me. As a timpanist, most of the notes I tuned were low. The metronome usually picked up the 5th of whichever note I was actually playing. So, like the others say, for low pitched instruments the tuner function isn't great.

The metronome features are OK. The metronome doesn't produce just any tempo - only tempos divisible by 4. (ie. 120, 124, 128, 132 etc.) Its true that most pieces use those tempos, but when I try to practice bringing the tempo up in a piece, I like to move the metronome up one click at a time. It produces 16th note rhythms, which is a function I've never felt a need to use. The metronome is FAR to quiet for me. It not even loud enough to turn on so that 3 flute players could hear it.

The biggest problem is logistical. The power button is big and easy to push. Make sure that you leave it set to "Tone" when you're finished. Because if you don't, when you carry the thing around, you will turn it on by accident, not be able to hear it, and then run the batteries down. (The flimsy case does nothing to prevent this). At least if you leave it on the "tone" setting, you'll hopefully be able to hear it turn on. It helped a little bit to put a thin piece of cardboard over the front of the metronome before I put it in the case.


Finally, and most importantly, it completely died on me the night before I conducted my elementary school concert. It makes an interesting clicking sound if you shake it. This product should last more than 5 years, IMHO.

I'm replacing it with a metronome/tuner that received good reviews...Korg TM-40 Large Display Digital Tuner and Metronome

Hope this helps!

Bought this recently because the music store guy said it was the best selling unit in his store with repeat customers. He looked online and was suprised to see the amazon rating. I looked at other sites and with about 50 reviews this unit came out higher than most competitors.
It is plastice but looking at it and a korg I felt construction wise that the unit was much more solid. At first I could not get the metronome to work. Go a couple beats and shut off. I was going to return it and get another but decided to replace the batteries. Worked fine with new batteries.
While my daughter was playing the tuner seemed to work well.
I've read many reviews over time and I have to wonder how durable people believe a $30 piece of plastice should be. If you break this unit carrying it around then most likely you just don't take care of your stuff.
I bought this unit because several it was rated a 4+ with many users having multiple units. Seems to be right in line with what I've found to be the case.

I got this because I really wanted a tuner with a tone generator, and this one was the only cheap one that I could find with that feature. The tone generator could be louder, but I don't have a big problem with it. The real issue I have is with the tuner function--it just doesn't seem to respond to ANYTHING I play on trombone. The needle moves very slowly and takes a long time to react after I make any adjustments, so I end up over-correcting and doing more harm to my pitch than good. I've noticed that the needle reacts more normally to my voice, so other instruments might be safe, but trombonists should avoid this tuner.

The features on this metronome are very useful, especially the digital tuner. The only problem is the volume. Even when I turn up the volume to the maximum, it's still not loud enough to be heard over my piano-banging!

If it were able to produce a louder beat, then I would give it 5 stars...

I love this tuner. It it great at sensing notes, and the metronome is very accurate. This is a high quality electronic at a really outstanding price. Shipping was fast and safe. Overall would recommend this product to musicians of any skill level.