SuperTune User Guide

Everything you need to master chromatic precision, polyphonic strum tuning, virtual capo transpositions, and custom instrument presets.

Audio Setup & Microphone Access

SuperTune relies on high-resolution web audio input to feed its native C++ WebAssembly DSP pitch detection engine. The tuner requires microphone permissions to detect sound frequencies in real-time.

Granting Microphone Permissions

iOS Safari

  1. Tap the aA icon in the Safari address bar.
  2. Select Website Settings.
  3. Set Microphone to Allow.
  4. Refresh the browser tab.

Android Chrome

  1. Tap the lock icon next to the URL bar.
  2. Select Permissions.
  3. Toggle Microphone to Allow.
  4. Reload the page.

Desktop Browsers

  1. Look for the camera/microphone icon in the top URL bar.
  2. Click Allow Access for supertune.app.
  3. Ensure your input interface (USB audio interface or built-in mic) is selected in OS sound settings.

Chromatic Tuning

Chromatic mode is designed for tuning one string or note at a time with (±0.1 cent accuracy).

Chromatic Interface Elements
  • Center Note Display: Shows the detected pitch (e.g. A₂, E₄) and musical octave number.
  • Strobe Display: Shows rotating dashes that lengthen as the detected pitch approaches the target note. It rotates counter-clockwise for flat and clockwise for sharp.
  • Cent Deviation Needle: Indicates how flat or sharp the note is relative to the target pitch.
  • Frequency Readout (Hz): Displays exact fundamental frequency in Hertz (e.g. 110.0 Hz for A₂).
  • In-Tune Indication: When pitch is in tune, the strobe ring is unbroken and the needle is centered.
For electric guitar and bass, use your bridge pickup and roll back tone control slightly to isolate the fundamental frequency for ultra-smooth needle tracking.

Polyphonic Tuning

SuperTune's flagship feature is multi-string polyphonic detection. Instead of plucking strings individually, strum all strings simultaneously to see the tuning status of your entire instrument at once.

How to Use Polyphonic Mode

  1. Tap the Polyphonic (Auto) Mode Button in the bottom toolbar to engage polyphonic tracking.
  2. Momentary center-screen flash will confirm: Polyphonic Detection: On with subtitle "Strum 3 or more strings".
  3. Strum all open strings across your instrument in a single firm stroke.
  4. The visualizer will render individual string indicators showing pitch offsets above or below the center line.
Retained ±50 Cent Boundary Lines: The upper (+50C) and lower (−50C) cent scale lines remain fully visible across both monophonic and polyphonic activity to ensure clear visual reference boundaries.

Virtual Capo & Tuning Transpositions

The Virtual Capo is primarily designed to be used when you are playing with a capo attached to your guitar, so that you don't need to re-tune your guitar every time you put the capo on. It also simplifies basic up/down tuning adjustments, such as tuning down a half step for "E♭" tuning.

Presets & Custom Instrument Tunings

SuperTune includes a comprehensive library of built-in tuning profiles across instruments and alternate tunings, plus the ability to save custom tuning profiles.

Creating a Custom Preset

  1. Open the Preset Selector Catalog.
  2. Tap Add Custom Preset.
  3. Name your profile and specify note/octave values for each string.
  4. Save to store the custom profile locally in your user library.

Calibration & Settings

Customize pitch reference frequencies, needle responsiveness, and UI behaviors to suit your workflow.

Setting Options Default Description
Reference Pitch (A₄) 415 Hz – 460 Hz 440 Hz Calibrates standard A₄ concert pitch (e.g. 432 Hz Scientific / Verdi, 442 Hz European Symphony).
Needle Response Instrument / Vocal Instrument Adjusts ballistics damping. Instrument provides rapid tracking; Vocal smooths pitch flutter.
Input Channel Left / Right / Stereo Left Selects input channel when using multi-channel audio interfaces.
Fullscreen Behavior Hands-free / On tap / Never On tap Controls how immersive mode activates. Hands-free auto-hides controls after 5 seconds of inactivity.

PWA Offline Installation & Website Embedding

SuperTune is built as a Progressive Web App (PWA) and offers an embeddable widget engine for third-party web pages.

Installing as a Home Screen App

Tap Install Now in the top navigation bar to view step-by-step instructions for adding SuperTune directly to your iOS Home Screen, Android Apps, or macOS/Windows Dock for offline launch.

Embedding SuperTune Widget (`/embed/`)

Want to include SuperTune on your chord site, lesson blog, or music portal? Visit our interactive Embed Generator to customize layout parameters and copy a lightweight <iframe> code snippet.