Korg Pitchblack X mini

The Korg Pitchblack X mini is a chromatic pedal tuner, and the smallest tuner in the Pitchblack X series, which also includes the Pitchblack X, the Pitchblack XS and the rack-mounted Pitchblack X Pro. Korg positions it as a tuner that slots onto a pedalboard without eating space: it weighs 124 grams and measures 45 x 93 x 43 mm including protrusions, in a powdered finish on what the maker calls a strong and durable housing¹².

Like every tuner pedal, it sits in your signal chain and mutes to the meter when you stomp it, so you can tune silently between songs. Where it stands out among mini tuners is precision: Korg rates it at ±0.1 cents in Strobe mode, the same figure as its full-sized siblings³.

Four display modes

The Pitchblack X mini gives you four meter display modes to choose from, the same set Korg offers across most of the series²¹:

Korg's pitch is simple: pick the display that matches how you like to read a tuner. The Strobe and Half Strobe modes are the ones to reach for when you want the finest resolution; Regular is the quick-glance option. The Pitchblack X Pro, the rack model in the series, swaps Mirror for a Focus mode instead⁵.

MusicRadar's editors, reviewing the mini in a mini-pedal buying guide, noted that the display actually carries more color segments than the full-sized version, which helps readability on such a small box⁶⁷.

Accuracy and range

The headline number is ±0.1 cents in Strobe mode, which Korg states for the mini, the Pitchblack X and the Pitchblack XS alike³⁸⁹. For context, a cent is one hundredth of a semitone, so ±0.1 cent is far finer than most players can hear, in the territory of strobe tuners like Peterson's pedal offerings.

The detection range runs from E0 at 20.60 Hz up to C8 at 4,186 Hz². That bottom limit sits well below even a five-string bass's low B, so guitar and bass are both comfortably covered. Calibration is adjustable from A4 = 436 to 445 Hz in 1 Hz steps, for playing to fixed-pitch instruments or recordings².

Power and connections

The mini runs from a 9V AC adaptor and draws a maximum of 30 mA². Connections are minimal: a mono 1/4" input jack and a mono 1/4" bypass output jack².

The full-sized Pitchblack X goes further on power: it has a DC 9V output socket rated at 200 mA that Guitar World noted could run a few low-draw pedals, effectively a mini power supply⁸¹⁰. The mini has no such output.

The Ultra Buffer in bypass

The Pitchblack X mini carries the series' Ultra Buffer. Korg's description of what it does¹:

In practice, a buffer counteracts the high-frequency loss that long cable runs and large pedalboards cause. Because the buffer works while the tuner is bypassed, the mini is doing a second job on your board even when you are not tuning. Players who prefer a fully passive signal path when the pedal is off should note that Korg does not list a switchable true bypass option for the mini; the full-sized Pitchblack X is the model Korg specs as switchable between true bypass and the Ultra Buffer¹¹.

The mini against the rest of the series

The practical differences come down to size and power features. The mini is the board-space answer with the same core tuning accuracy; the Pitchblack X adds battery operation and a 200 mA power output for other pedals; the XS is the compact sibling with the same four modes and accuracy figure¹⁰.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's editors called it "a great mini tuner pedal that has a place on any 'board," crediting its "incredible tuning accuracy" and ultra-bright display, while noting the contrast is not as good as the original Pitchblack's⁶⁷. They also observed that controls are essentially just the footswitch to engage it, which is what you want from a tuner this size⁷.

Guitar World's review of the Pitchblack X found the series' tuning accurate and reliable, and reported that it "worked very well on bass, even in slightly lower tunings"¹⁰, a useful data point for bass players considering the mini, whose detection range reaches down to E0².

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