I w3as Offered a Behringer BTR2000 Tuner for $45 USD, Good or Bad?

[beau_mckee]

I was offered a Behringer BTR2000 Rack tuner for about $45usd, money is a little tight right now, so can anyone offer me their thoughts on the accuracy of this tuner? Im not sure i want to take the chance on recording bands with this thing without some educated opinions. Is this also the same tuner that acts as a rack light with the led's at the bottom?
Thanks guys!

[SRideout]

Don't do it. Not accurate, maybe OK for a stage tuner, and just OK. But for recording, not a chance.

Look into Peterson, or a Turbo Tuner.

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by SRideout

Don't do it. Not accurate, maybe OK for a stage tuner, and just OK. But for recording, not a chance.

Look into Peterson, or a Turbo Tuner.

yup, it is pretty slow on note tracking and the display is tiny. plus it needs a ton of signal into the unit to catch a note. i use one on my bass rig after i regretfully sold a korg dtr-2 thinking it would be a suitable replacement...not so! the amp i have: GK backline 600 has a tuner out, but at instrument level. fed into the behringer, it barely sees it. i had to split the effects send to my compressor and the tuner to get the tuner to be reliable. great for cheap, but $20 cheap. otherwise, spend your money on something trustworthy.
the led lights are kinda cool on this. i have a furman power strip without the lights and just put the behringer on top and the power strip above the amp. if you don't need it to be rackmounted, there are better tuners out there. i recommend anything by korg. i also own a nice rackmount sabine that is older, but is fast and accurate. i use the tuners on my line6 products, and have a couple of little korg pocket tuners that are awesome and fast. i own a boss tu-12 and a couple of tu-2 pedals that i love. peterson are nice, but i can't justify that kinda money on a tuner...yet!

[roman manlord]

Oh come on, the Peterson Strobe Center 5000-II is a steal at only $3,499.00!

Everything else will leave your instruments completely out of tune and unplayable.

Is it the right tuner for you? Well, that's a dumb question without having more information. What types of instruments are you using? What style are you playing in? How close to the equator are you? All tuners have their own 'color' if you know what I mean. You should really go book a few hours at a reputable studio and try out the array of tuners they have on hand; this way you can find the one that matches your personality.

But as far as I'm concerned, the Peterson strobe center 5000-II is just right for my particular style, it just has that certain...I don't know, mojo. I'm actually running three of them in tandem; I'll compare the three results and from that I'll pull an average, then I'll just have the other guys tune off of me.

Also, make sure you pick up a few Wattgate 381 audio grade duplex sockets; you can't plug a high end tuner into just any old wall socket.

[beau_mckee]

Okay guys thanks for the heads up!
Roman im definitely not ready to spend $3,500 on a tuner! But i would love to, so dont get me wrong.

Ive been using software plug in tuners for the most part. A lot of these bands i record have intenation problems, and usually bring in their own tuners, but i would rather have one tuner that is the center piece for all to tune from.

As for styles, a lot of the bands i work with use drop tunings, anywhere from drop D to Drop A. Styles range from Paramore style bands to Guttural screaming Drop A brutal metal. Ive always accepted tuners to not be able to tune the lowest strings anyway, so i have always tuned those by ear. Never touched the BTR2000, so maybe i will look into a korg instead. What are these korgs like with lower tunings on bass and guitars? any particular model between 50-100? Doesnt need to be rackmounted.
Thanks guys

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by beau_mckee

As for styles, a lot of the bands i work with use drop tunings, anywhere from drop D to Drop A. Styles range from Paramore style bands to Guttural screaming Drop A brutal metal. Ive always accepted tuners to not be able to tune the lowest strings anyway, so i have always tuned those by ear. Never touched the BTR2000, so maybe i will look into a korg instead. What are these korgs like with lower tunings on bass and guitars? any particular model between 50-100? Doesnt need to be rackmounted.
Thanks guys

you definitely want to stay away form the behringer if you're downtuning. it has a hard time tracking the low b on a 5 string and is iffy on a 7 string b on a guitar.
the boss tu-12 series is reliable and has become a staple in the industry along with the tu-2, and peterson. the old ones from the 80's have a hard time tracking the low b on guitars and bass, but i would hope the new ones address this. the tu-2 pedal is awesome, though. i own a pair of them as they double as power supplies on pedal boards.
to be totally honest, with the $50-100 budget, whatever tuner you get will more than likely be a great tuner. sticking with the bigger names like korg, sabine, boss, and planet waves will yield for a solid result.

[beau_mckee]

Thanks rich! Will do :-p

[Robotsounds]

Originally Posted by roman manlord

Oh come on, the Peterson Strobe Center 5000-II is a steal at only $3,499.00!

Everything else will leave your instruments completely out of tune and unplayable.

Is it the right tuner for you? Well, that's a dumb question without having more information. What types of instruments are you using? What style are you playing in? How close to the equator are you? All tuners have their own 'color' if you know what I mean. You should really go book a few hours at a reputable studio and try out the array of tuners they have on hand; this way you can find the one that matches your personality.

But as far as I'm concerned, the Peterson strobe center 5000-II is just right for my particular style, it just has that certain...I don't know, mojo. I'm actually running three of them in tandem; I'll compare the three results and from that I'll pull an average, then I'll just have the other guys tune off of me.

Also, make sure you pick up a few Wattgate 381 audio grade duplex sockets; you can't plug a high end tuner into just any old wall socket.

I actually I prefer to pay a little more for my strobe centers. Some hack retailers will offer it at the 'discounted' price of $3,499 but any reputable dealer won't offer one for less than 4K. I made the error of buying my first three at this lower rate and will never make that mistake again.

[Hotstuff]

Hi,

Just get one of the Korg rack tuners, there are 2, they are great and reliable, the cheaper one costs around €140.

Hotstuff

[beau_mckee]

Originally Posted by Hotstuff

Hi,

Just get one of the Korg rack tuners, there are 2, they are great and reliable, the cheaper one costs around €140.

Hotstuff

Looking into Korg rack now, thanks!!

[narcoman]

have a look at the Sonic Research turbo Tuner - the ST200. It is the ONLY true bypass strobe tuner under £100 - so around $130 it SHOULD be.

If you're having the tuner inline for guitars then stay well away from ANYTHING boss. Fine for playing live - but in tone critical situation you need a true bypass tuner. If you're going rack mount - try and get it switched on something like a Lehle. No point in having £2k worth of amp and a similar priced guitar if you're goin to shove it through a 10penny opamp . Get it true bypass....the only choice in your price range is the Turbo Tuner ST-200.

They are pretty much as good as a Petersen - certainly as accurate and fast - yet dont cost $400 {the stomp pedals tuners}. EDIT - i stand corrected .... the strobo stomp comes in at $188. Good buy that. I'd still get the ST200. Cheaper and the same !!

[SRideout]

Why would you keep the tuner in the signal chain when you record?

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by SRideout

Why would you keep the tuner in the signal chain when you record?

because if it's true bypass you can. Check tuning between takes etc etc.

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by SRideout

Why would you keep the tuner in the signal chain when you record?

same here. i have a sabine rack tuner in my CR, but i don't have it patched to anything, i just have it there for tuning before tracking. recheck after takes is fine, just move a cable. even true bypass isn't true bypass. more cable affects the signal.

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by rty5150

same here. i have a sabine rack tuner in my CR, but i don't have it patched to anything, i just have it there for tuning before tracking. recheck after takes is fine, just move a cable. even true bypass isn't true bypass. more cable affects the signal.

well - rest assured - true bypass means a physical switch to a bypass cable . About two inches of cable isn't going to affect tone!! It doesn't go through ICs or anything else.

[rty5150]

Originally Posted by narcoman

well - rest assured - true bypass means a physical switch to a bypass cable . About two inches of cable isn't going to affect tone!! It doesn't go through ICs or anything else.

well, you gotta patch to it, right? it's in the rack right? differences in grounding potential and shielding will affect your signal as well. not trying to get into a pissing contest about anything, but just because it's hardwired to a switch in a metal enclosure doesn't make it the same as one piece cable plugged via guitar to amp/preamp. just something else in the signal chain.

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by rty5150

well, you gotta patch to it, right? it's in the rack right? differences in grounding potential and shielding will affect your signal as well. not trying to get into a pissing contest about anything, but just because it's hardwired to a switch in a metal enclosure doesn't make it the same as one piece cable plugged via guitar to amp/preamp. just something else in the signal chain.

aye - all true. But we're not that daft here!! I mean - I was working with a well known rocker the other day who had his guitar in a Boss tuner all day..... so make of that what you will!

Also - it's not in a rack. It's on the floor - and battery use only...so no power supplies all over the place. No pissing contest inferred at all.... but I pretty much put true bypass tuners in the chain for all guitarists....... and I'm not exactly working on demos !!