Bass tuner

How to tune a bass with this tuner

1. Choose Standard (4-string) or Standard (5-string) in the tuning menu, or one of the drop and lowered tunings.
2. Choose your input. Connect the bass through a USB audio interface and select it in the input menu, or play the bass unplugged with the microphone close to the strings.
3. Press Start and pluck the lowest string with your thumb or fingers over the neck pickup. Let it ring for a second or two, because the tuner listens longer on low notes before it shows a reading.
4. Turn the peg until the reading is centered. If the string is sharp, go a little below the note and tighten back up to it.
5. If the reading on an open string keeps moving, play the harmonic at the 12th fret instead. It sounds one octave higher and gives the tuner a clearer note.
6. Tune the remaining strings, then play every string again in the final recheck.

Bass string notes and frequencies

These are the target notes for the selected bass tuning, from the lowest string to string 1. Standard 4-string tuning is E1 A1 D2 G2, and a 5-string adds B0 below the E string.

Why low notes take longer to read

A low string vibrates slowly, and the tuner has to hear several complete vibrations before it can measure the pitch with confidence. For low notes it therefore waits for a longer listening window, so a reading on the low E string, and even more on the low B string, takes a little longer than on a guitar. Pluck once and let the string ring instead of plucking again.

Pluck firmly but not hard. A hard attack makes a bass string sound sharp at first and the pitch then falls as the note settles. Plucking with the thumb or the side of a finger over the neck pickup gives a round, steady note that is easy to read.

Tips for tuning a 5-string bass

The low B string is long, heavy and slower to settle than the other strings. Tune it first, then tune the rest, and check it again at the end, because the neck bends slightly as the other strings come up to pitch.

If the B string is far from pitch, the tuner can mistake it for another string. Turn Detect String off and tap the B peg. The reading then stays on that string and tells you how far to go, for example "Tune up 2 semitones".

Harmonics help most on the low B. The harmonic at the 12th fret sounds one octave above the open string, and the harmonic at the 5th fret sounds two octaves above it. Touch the string lightly directly above the fret wire, pluck, and lift your finger.

Plugging a bass into an audio interface

Small microphones in phones and laptops pick up very little of a bass's lowest notes, so much of what they hear is overtones. A direct signal through a USB audio interface gives the tuner the whole note. Plug into the instrument input, often labeled Hi-Z or INST, and select the interface in the input menu.

Set the gain so the level meter shows a clear signal on a firm pluck without reaching the top. Active basses have a hotter output than passive basses, so start with the gain low. Bypass octave, chorus and drive effects while you tune.