Electronic tuning device

Claim 1

A tuning device for tuning musical instruments comprising: (a) pitch generator means for providing a series of audio frequencies that approximate the notes of a plurality of tuning systems over a range of at least one octave; (b) a utilization circuit coupled to said pitch generator means; (c) first memory means having addressable storage locations for storing a plurality of data signals representative of the audio frequencies produced by said pitch generator means; (d) data selection means for addressing the storage locations of said first memory means to retrieve and apply data signals to said pitch generator means representative of only one of said tuning systems and only one of said audio frequencies in the selected tuning system, said data selection means being capable of applying data signals representative of the audio frequencies in the selected tuning system in any desired sequence; (e) an accoustical pick-up microphone; (f) an input conditioning circuit connected to said microphone for recovering the fundamental frequency of a note produced by a musical instrument and producing a data output signal representative thereof; and (g) signal tracking means including (a) sweep means for simultaneously addressing the storage locations of said first, second and third memory means, (2) comparator means for comparing the addressed data signals from said second and third memory means with the data output signal from said output conditioning circuit, and (3) gate means coupled to said comparator means for turning off said sweep means when the data output signal from said input conditioning circuit falls within the frequency range established by said second and third memory means, for applying the data signal from the last addressed storage location of said first memory means to said pitch generator means and for enabling said utilization circuit.