I always browse this thread but never contribute. Seeing as though I'm on the toilet, I'll post some I don't see too often.
Athumb Cut is a silly app that allows you to cut and paste pictures onto each other. super fun.
Easy Voice Recorder is the only audio recorder I've ever used and see no reason to get something else.
gStrings simple tool I use to tune my guitar, although I'm sure you can tune just about any instrument with it.
Happy Saturday, android fam.
If you have an android device, definitely get this, it's just as if not more accurate than the tuner on my pedalboard, and it's completely free.
I use gStrings, but there are several. Got a uke myself a few days ago. I like the app, but i think i will be buying this cool little gizmo, because all sounds surrounding you will interfere with the microphone tuning.
I had the same problem of not having any feedback and I solved it with a tuning app. I'm using gStrings and it shows me what note I'm playing. I don't know if there are any better apps or pc programs (but I bet you'll find some), this was just the first thing I've installed and it was ok.
One tip I could give from my few uses: control the position of your head. I tend to look down when my phone isn't positioned properly and sometimes it's difficult for me to bend because of this.
You can get tuner apps for your smartphone. That's how I tune my guitar because I'm far too tone-deaf to tune by ear. I use gStrings for Android, but I'm sure there are similar free apps for whatever phone platform you have. Just tune each string up or down until your tuner app shows it playing the note that the string is labelled with.
I like this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symbolic.pitchlab
And this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cohortor.gstrings
I play French Horn so the top one isn't just for guitar :)
If the bridge broke before the string did, it probably wasn't your fault. Strings of all types are rated for a specific tension at pitch, exceeding it by too much will cause them to break but if the bridge went first, it was probably a flaw in the construction. However, to be sure nothing bad happens again, there are a few things you should check. What kind of strings are you using? Nylon? Gut? Nylgut? They each have their own tension limits so you want to be sure you're using the right gauges for your lute. You'll want to be sure you're tuning them to the right octave as well, if it's way out of tune you might want a reference pitch to help you out so you don't try to tune them too high or too low. A piano/keyboard, tone generator or guitar will provide good references. There are plenty of examples out there (the pitches given on the wikipedia page are written an octave higher than they sound a la guitar notation), you should be able to find something useful with some googling. The app you're using looks a bit confusing to me, I use gStrings, it has a pretty foolproof display and allows you to adjust for different tuning systems in the free version. Either way, check the chart here to make sure you're using the right notes for your lute and that you're tuning to the correct octaves. In case the chart seems confusing to you (I don't know how much of a beginner you are), you probably have a Renaissance Alto lute (which is tuned (high to low) g, d, a, f, c, G) or a Baroque lute (tuned (high to low) f, d, a, F, D, A). If you have a Renaissance lute, you can use a guitar as a reference, tune the 3rd (G string) on the guitar down one half step (to F#), put a capo on the 3rd fret and there you have "standard" Renaissance lute tuning.
You can't really go without a standard tuner, you can pick them up for anything between $10 and $30.
Example: http://www.guitarcenter.com/DeltaLab-CT-40-Chromatic-Tuner-106089204-i1551601.gc
Try and find one with an input jack, not just a microphone.
Alternatively, you can use your smartphone. If you have one, gStrings is a decent one:
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cohortor.gstrings&hl=en
I believe it exists on iOS as well.
The built-in tuner of Rocksmith 2014 is not good enough, so I wouldn't rely on it much. And because a tuner is relatively cheap I think it's worth having one at hand.
But as another user pointed out, if you have a smartphone or tablet, there are plenty of tuner apps for free. I personally like:
Do you have a smartphone? I use gStrings on my Android, there are plenty out there for iPhone, too.
I've also been using Mobile Metronome. It's great and I especially like the feature of being able to tap out a tempo to find what metronome marking that is.
For a tuner, I've been using gStrings. I like the needle-and-meter look better. Cleartune Chromatic Tuner looks interesting too, but isn't free (although still pretty cheap at $3.99).
Any other guitar or music apps we should know about?
I really like Gstrings
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cohortor.gstrings
Another highly rated one is DaTuner
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bork.dsp.datuna
I've gone through a couple of them. Tune your guitar Was pretty good because it had lots of different tunnings. This one you don't tune by hearing Tuner - gStrings. And Ultimate Guitar Tools although it does cost $3.99, its a mix of both of the previous apps. It also has a metronome and a chords library.
Watchdog Task Manager, it's helped me corral so many resource-sucking apps I'd be lost/constantly out of battery without it. Followed then by gstrings, since I can never find an actual instrument tuner.