Metronome / Tuner - stand alone unit or apps?

[knobby]

I was looking for a metronome today to help me with something I'm trying (and failing) to learn. I came upon this one on Amazon which also includes a tuner (which may be useful in the near future) and a tone generator for the princely sum of £7.99

I was also reading something else which suggested an iPad app for tuning, so had a look on the App Store and there are tuners there quite cheap. They also have metronomes there too.

The total price for a tuner and a metronome app for an Ipad would work out around the same as the stand alone Donner unit shown here.

Which do you reckon would be best to go for - the stand alone unit or the apps?
( I have a spare old iPad that I could use so no cost for hardware)

 

[Zevy]

I use both. If I have to be 100% accurate, as in syncing in a recording project, I will use a digital metronome that I have as an app. If not, I use my old stand-alone metronome that "sits" right near my music stand. It has these "notches" that help me increase the tempo one step at a time, and it also doesn't move anywhere when I turn it off. Good luck!

 

[debra]

I use Mobile Metronome Pro (on Android) which isn't free, but it's cheap, good and easy to use.
For measuring tuning I use DaTuner Lite, version 3.81 which is great, but you can never update it as it then becomes a subscription-fee-based app. The old version 3.81 is free, but I don't know if you can still download it somewhere.

 

[Glug]

For free tuners there's also:
Bill Farmer Tuner (Windows, Apple, Android) https://billthefarmer.github.io/ctuner/
PitchLab Pro

DaTuner Lite 3.81 is downloadable from many places as an APK file, google will find it.
The previous discussion about it is here https://www.accordionists.info/threads/da-tuner-ruined-alternatives.5435/.

 

[jozz]

I use Natural Metronome (Android, LINK), but I also have the usual mechanical swinging arm.

With 2 or 3 people, I prefer to sit around the mechanical one.

 

[Pipemajor]

I use Vital Tuner, free app on my ipad for tuning and Tempo, also free app for metronome. I have at least 3 stand alone metronomes but never use them.

 

[Corinto]

My metronome is a standalone ...

 

[JeffJetton]

I have metronome apps as well as both electronic and "acoustic" (wind-up) metronomes.

In most cases, I'll grab the standalone electronic one. It's just easier to use. You pick it up, turn it on, spin the (actual, real-world) dial to the tempo you want, and that's it. And the tempo stays where it was when you used it last, which not all metronome apps are smart enough to do for some reason.

I'm also the sort of guy who keeps a calculator by the computer, and used a standalone GPS unit for an embarrassingly long time, so maybe that tells you something about my preference for specialized/dedicated devices.

Unfortunately, my metronome of choice is, I think, no longer made. But it's a good one! https://www.sharmusic.com/Accessories/Metronomes-Tuners/SHAR-Perfekt-Time-Quartz-Metronome.axd

 

[Dingo40]

Mine is a vintage windup stand-alone with a weighted rod that waggles to and fro, such as Beethoven might have used.

Like this one:

Wittner Metronome Wood Walnut with Bell

Buy Wittner Metronome Wood Walnut with Bell by Wittner from Simply for Strings. Enjoy free shipping on orders over $99 and speedy dispatch. Australia’s largest range of Accessories for Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass.

www.simplyforstrings.com.au

It's plenty for me, seeing I don't use it much!?

 

[Eddy Yates]

I use a Seiko stand-alone and on my iPhone I use Tempo Advance. It’s very simple to just dial in a tempo, but also as complicated as you might ever want. I have a chamber music piano trio and it can save tempi of all the pieces we play. It also gives you the choice of a lot of different sounds.

 

[Eddy Yates]

I also have one of those wooden pyramid ones which makes a great decoration. However, it's been in my family for 90 years, so right now it sounds like a lame cart horse.

 

[Anyanka]

Definitely stand-alone for me. Literally, and pyramidal For some reason, I find the traditional wind-up metronome easier to play along to than any of the digital ones I've tried.

 

[Corinto]

Stand-alone for me.