The Rocktron Unity Tuner is a tuner pedal, the kind of pedal every player needs as a base for where their tuning should be. It is housed in a brushed aluminum enclosure and carries a very large display, with the option of switching between a standard tuner and a strobe1.
Display, outputs and calibration
The Unity Tuner's display is what Jonathan Moody's review for Bass Musician Magazine leads with: it has a very large display, and underneath it sit photocells that let the display adjust for the ideal brightness setting for the lighting at the gig. Moody, who plays theater pits, found that the adjustment it makes from low light to no light is noticeable and very appreciated1.
"this tuner has photocells lying underneath the display, allowing the display to adjust for the ideal brightness setting"
The pedal has two outputs; one that will be muted when you're tuning and one that won't. That arrangement lets you kill the signal to your amp while you tune without unplugging anything, and it is a common reason players choose a dedicated tuner pedal over a clip-on1.
For calibration, the Unity Tuner takes its reference from another instrument rather than a fixed button-press pitch. Simply tune any string to the pitch of the piano, and press the calibration button on the tuner. Moody describes this as a way to calibrate the tuner to the pitch of a reference instrument such as a piano1.
What reviewers said
Moody's August 2013 review calls the Unity Tuner a phenomenal tuner, packed with useful features at a price point well worth the investment, and names it his favorite tuner1.
Jonathan Moody, writing in Bass Musician Magazine, called the Unity Tuner a phenomenal tuner, packed with useful features at a price point well worth the investment1. He also found the display brightness adjustment useful on stage, noting that the adjustment it makes from low light to no light is noticeable and very appreciated in dark theater pits1.
If you are comparing pedal tuners, the Unity Tuner sits alongside others in the tuner pedal field, from the Boss TU3 Tuner to the Peterson StroboStomp HD, the latter being another pedal that leans on a strobe display1.
Videos
Rene Martinez
Questions
Does the Rocktron Unity Tuner have a strobe mode?
Yes. Jonathan Moody's review for Bass Musician Magazine notes that the Unity Tuner gives you the option of switching between a standard tuner and a strobe, so you can choose between an easy-at-a-glance readout and the finer resolution a strobe display offers when you want it.
Does the Rocktron Unity Tuner mute the signal when tuning?
Partly, by design. The pedal has two outputs: one that will be muted when you're tuning and one that won't. That lets you send a silent feed to your amp while tuning and keep a live signal running elsewhere, or the reverse, depending on how you wire your rig.
How do you calibrate the Rocktron Unity Tuner?
Tune any string to the pitch of a reference instrument, such as a piano, and press the calibration button on the tuner. The Unity Tuner then calibrates itself to that pitch, which is useful when you are playing with an instrument that cannot easily be retuned.
Can you read the Rocktron Unity Tuner display on a dark stage?
The Unity Tuner has photocells lying underneath the display, allowing the display to adjust for the ideal brightness setting for the lighting where you are playing. Jonathan Moody found the adjustment it makes from low light to no light noticeable and very appreciated in dark theatre pits.
Sources (1)
- A Simple Tuner for "Unity", Bass Musician Magazine, 2013-08-01
