SABINE RT-1600 Manual - page 3
HOW TO USE SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE RT-1601
AUTOMATIC RECALIBRATION
Most tuners on the market allow the user to recalibrate only a few Hertz from standard A=440 Hz. They prove
to be almost useless if the user wishes to tune an instrument that is more than a few Hertz out of tune. The
RT-1601 can be recalibrated to match any instrument by simply touching a button. Example: If you wish to tune
a guitar to match an out-of-tune instrument, simply play Ion your guitar) the note you wish to re-calibrate to.
Wait a moment for the note to register on the tuner’s display, then touch the CALIBRATE (or FUNCTION)
button on the tuner. Instantly, the green IN TUNE LED will light indicating that the tuner now considers that
note to be in perfect tune. Now, if you tune your guitar to the tuner, it will be in tune with the other instrument.
To return the tuner to standard A=440 Hz, simply press RESET or turn the power switch to OFF and then back
ON.
MANUAL RECALIBRATION
Most other tuners on the market allow the user to recalibrate manually to a very limited number of pitches.
However, the RT-1601 can be recalibrated to any of 12 precise pitches. This feature will be especially useful
for tuning instruments which use open tunings or any time you may wish to tune to a “natural scale’ rather than
a “tempered scale.” Example: If you wish to recalibrate the tuner from standard A=440 Hz to A=438 Hz, press
the FUNCTION button and hold until the top row of LEDs (MANUAL/FLAT, TONE OUT/IN TUNE and TRANS-
POSE/SHARP) light in sequence. Release the FUNCTION button when only the (MANUAL) LED is lit. The
bottom row of LEDs will begin to light in sequence (each LED represents I Hertz). Press the FUNCTION button
when the LED corresponding to 438 Hz lights. The tuner’s scale is now shifted flat from A=440 Hz to A=438
Hz. Please note that the manual recalibration scale is referenced in Hertz and in cents. There are 100 cents
between any two adjacent notes in the musical scale, and one Hertz is equal to one vibration per second.) To
return the tuner to standard A=440 Hz, simply press the reset button or turn the power switch to OFF and then
back ON.
TONE GENERATOR
The RT-1601 will generate any reference tone over a two-octave range so that you may tune by ear. Example:
First, plug the tuner into the amplifier. If you wish to hear a “C” note, press the function button for three sec-
onds until the MANUAL/FLAT, TONE OUT/IN TUNE and TRANSPOSE/SHARP LEDs light in sequence.
Release the function button when the TONE OUT LED is lit. Now the “A” LED on the bottom will light and an
“A” will sound through the amplifier. Each time you press the FUNCTION button, the pitch will rise one-half
tone. Press the FUNCTION button three times to generate a “C” note. You may play your electric instrument
while in TONE OUT mode. You will hear your instrument and the reference pitch at the same time so that you
can match the tones precisely. The volume control on your instrument will also act as the volume control of the
tone generator.
TRANSPOSE
The RT-1601 can he transposed to any key. This is especially useful if you are using a fretted instrument with a
capo or if your instrument is not tuned in the key of “C”, such as a “B Flat” trumpet or an “E-Flat” Alto Sax.
Example: If you wish to transpose the tuner for use with a “B-Flat” trumpet, press the FUNCTION button for
three seconds until the MANUAL/PLAY, TONE OUT/IN TUNE and TRANSPOSE/SHARP LEDs begin to light in
sequence. Release the FUNCTION button when the LED that corresponds to TRANSPOSE is lit. Now, the
twelve note indicator LEDs will light in sequence. Press the FUNCTION button when “A#” (which is the same
as “B-Flat”) is lit. The tuner’s internal scale is now shifted down one full step so that a “C” played on the “B-
Flat” trumpet will register “C” on the tuner, not “B-Flat” as before transposing. To return to standard “C” tuning,
simply press the reset button or turn the unit OFF and back ON.