Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Metronomes


Price: ≈ $45

Tempo Range: 30 - 250 BPM

8 beat settings and  7 rhythm settings

This is my personal favorite. It is a nice size and shape, has a big, easy to read display, a large tempo range, plenty of beat patterns and rhythms, as well as simple and quick adjustment of tempo and volume. The volume is impressive on this small machine! It is the loudest metronome I have ever encountered, but it can be turned to any level you choose. The sounds is also pleasant, making a mellow beep. It can be used with sound and light or with just the small indicator light. It has a headphone jack and an AC plug, if you want to use an adaptor. It takes 9v batteries. Another plus of this metronome is that it has a built in pitch generator with a huge range, tunable by cents in either direction. It also allows you to save two tempos. This is really useful for rehearsing at a slower temp, then you just have to switch it to play it at real tempo.

Price: ≈ $25

Tempo Range: 40 - 208 BPM

13 rhythm variations 

This is another very good metronome. A huge plus is that is doubles as a tuner. These features can be used on their own or at the same time. The metronome displays an LCD needle as well as using two lights on the left and right side of the face to show time. These lights are also used for the tuner feature. The metronome saves all settings even when turned off. It also features the “tap” feature. This allows a user to press the tap button in any tempo and it will set the metronome to it. The sound is a pleasant beep, but it isn’t very loud. That might be the only real drawback to this tool. It also a built in pitch generator that plays one octave of chromatic pitches. A great buy!


Price: ≈ $180

Tempo Range: 35 - 250 BPM

Has 4 rhythm types and 3 different beat sounds.

Dr. Beat definitely has the most features out of the metronomes on this list, but I personally find this machine to be a waste of money. First it is huge when compared to other metronomes out there. Plus, it costs more than 7x as much money as the Korg and 4x as much as the Intelli. It has a lot of beat patterns and the stresses and accents can be controlled for every beat. It also has three sounds, one of them being the infamous counting voice. It also supports saving 8 different metronome settings. It has a pitch generator, but no tune. For this price, I would expect more. Unless you absolutely need 8 different settings in one machine, you should look at something else. 




Price: ≈ $18

Tempo Range: 40 - 208 BPM

This is a wonderful basic metronome. It has a good beat range, a nice sound, and a easy to use dial. It is not very loud, but it will work fine. It has a light for sound-free use as well as a built-in stand. It is also able to produce an A (440Hz) for tuning. A great metronome for a great price, though if you are willing to spend $7 more, I would go for the Korg.  

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