Tronical Components TronicalTune
Owen Bailey
Tronical’s auto-tuning system is easy to use, but is it ultimately worth it?
In my last report, I fitted the TronicalTune system to my ES-335, restrung it and started using its robot-tuning system in the time it takes to go round IKEA and eat a hot dog.
Whether it’s worth the outlay and the (minimal) hassle will depend on how much tuning gets you down. Before I fitted the unit, I timed myself retuning as precisely as I could, using various methods, each time from a distressingly out-of-tune starting point. The fifth-fret method took around 45 seconds; the harmonic method was only slightly quicker; a TC Electronic PolyTune was around 30 seconds; and Logic X’s inbuilt tuner, once activated, was around the same.
Clearly, I won’t be Team GB’s entry for the next Tuning Olympics, but at its quickest (making minor adjustments), you push the ‘on’ button and strum, wait, then strum again, and the TronicalTune is ready in around 10 to 20 seconds. Its slowest performance (changing between tunings) required a re-strum and individual string re-checks, and was around 40 seconds. Still quicker than changing guitars, and for recording, clearly a godsend. Changing between tunings during songs would be pushing it – but who needs to do that?
Programming and storing your own tunings is surprisingly easy – a matter of following a simple tutorial online. The only thing I found disconcerting (pun intended) was that on more demanding changes, the unit did occasionally find itself getting hung up, leading to protracted whirring while it got its machine heads together. It’s easy to learn its foibles, though: this only happened when I was deliberately trying to break it.
In short, it’s not cheap, but if you gig or record using mostly the same guitar, or use alternate tunings often, the TronicalTune is absolutely worth considering. Live, it’s more conveniently placed and quicker than a pedal tuner (the only downside is, you’ll need to manually mute your guitar’s output if you don’t want its machinations to be heard). Plus, for recording, time saved on tuning is time you can spend getting your ideas down – making this a creative as well as a practical tool.