Korg Pitchblack X User manual

CHROMATIC PEDAL TUNER
PB-X
E 1
Owner's Manual

2
Table of contents
Parts of the Pitchblack X .....................................................3
Installing the battery............................................................3
Connections..........................................................................4
Tuning procedure.................................................................5
Reference pitch settings.......................................................6
Display mode settings..........................................................7
Bright mode (brightness) settings......................................8
Specications ........................................................................9

3
Parts of the Pitchblack X
Installing the battery
1. Open the battery cover located on the back side of the
Pitchblack X.
2. Attach the battery snap to the battery, making sure that the
polarities are correct.
3. Place the battery in the case, and then close the battery cover.
When the battery power is low, the note name display blinks.
Replace the battery with a new one as soon as possible.
BUFFERED/TRUE BYPASS switch
TUNER ON/OFF switch
INPUT jack
CALIB button
AC adapter
(9 V, ,
sold separately)
DC 9V IN jack
BYPASS jack
Guitar or
other
instrument
Eect unit,
guitar amp, etc.
Tuning guide
LEDs
Note name
display
Tuning LED meter
DISPLAY/BRIGHT button
DC 9V OUT jack
To eect pedal
(max. 200 mA)
DC cable
(commercially available)
Battery cover
Battery snap

4
Connections
Turn o the power of all devices before you make any connections to avoid
damaging your equipment.
e INPUT and BYPASS jacks are mono. Stereo (TRS) cables will not work.
INPUT jack
Connect a cable from your instrument to the INPUT jack of the tuner. e power
turns on when you connect a cable to the INPUT jack, and the reference pitch
setting blinks in the note name display for several seconds. Connecting a cable to
the INPUT jack will turn the power on, but the tuner will not be in tuner mode.
Press the TUNER ON/OFF switch to engage tuner mode.
When the unit is on battery power but you’re not using the tuner, unplug the
cable from the INPUT jack. e unit uses battery power whenever a cable is
plugged into the INPUT jack.
BYPASS jack
Connect a cable from the BYPASS jack to your other eect pedals or amp. When
the tuner is switched on, the signal from the INPUT jack will be muted for silent
tuning.
Signal is output from this jack while the tuner is o.
BUFFERED/TRUE BYPASS switch
Access this switch by opening the battery cover.
is switches between ultra-buer bypass and true bypass.
e ultra-buer circuit expands the dynamic range of the sound, which helps
prevent the sound from thinning out when you use longer cables or multiple
pedals.
True bypass outputs the input audio as-is, without changing the sound in any way.
DC 9V IN jack
If you’re using an AC adapter to supply power, connect a separately sold AC
adapter (9 V, ) here. Using a dierent AC adapter may cause a malfunc-
tion.
e battery is not used when an AC adapter is connected to the DC 9V IN
jack.
DC 9V OUT jack
When using a separately sold AC adapter, you can use this unit to power an eect
pedal or similar device that operates on 9 V ( ). When you use a DC cable
in this case, you can use this unit to power multiple eect pedals.
Make sure that total current consumption for the eect pedals that are
connected does not exceed 200 mA. Also, make sure that the eect pedals are
connected with the correct power polarity.

5
Do not connect an AC adapter to the DC 9V OUT jack. Doing so may cause
a malfunction.
When the unit is operating on battery power, power is not supplied to the
DC 9V OUT jack.
Tuning procedure
1. Press the TUNER ON/OFF switch to activate the tuner.
e Tuning LED meter or the note name display lights up.
e signal from the INPUT jack will not be output from the BYPASS jack.
Tip: e TUNER ON/OFF switch only functions if an instrument is connected
to the INPUT jack.
2. If necessary, set the reference pitch and the display mode. (page 6
“Reference pitch settings”, page 7 “Display mode settings”)
3. Play a single note on your instrument and tune it so that the desired note
appears in the note name display.
e note name closest to the entered note appears in the note name display.
4. Tune your instrument using the tuning LED meter.
e method for indicating whether your instrument is in tune, sharp or at
depends on which display mode you choose (page 7 “Display mode
settings”).
5. Aer you nish tuning your instrument, press the TUNER ON/OFF switch to
turn the tuner o.
e Tuning LED meter or the note name display goes dark. e signal from the
INPUT jack is outputted to the BYPASS jack.
Tip: When you press the TUNER ON/OFF switch to turn o the tuner, the
reference pitch, display mode and bright mode settings are stored in
memory. ese settings are preserved even if you remove the battery or
unplug the AC adapter.
Tip: To reset the settings to the factory defaults (reference pitch = 440 Hz,
display mode = regular, bright mode = brighter), hold down the CALIB
button and press the TUNER ON/OFF switch when you turn on the
tuner.

6
Reference pitch settings
Set the reference pitch for tuning (the A note in the middle of the piano keyboard=
A4) within the 436–445 Hz range. e Pitchblack X comes from the factory with
the reference pitch set to A=440 Hz.
1. Press the CALIB button.
e current setting will blink for several seconds in the note name display.
2. While the setting is shown, press the CALIB button to set the reference pitch.
Each time you press the CALIB button you will cycle through the following
settings.
0: 440Hz
1: 441Hz
2: 442Hz
3: 443Hz
4: 444Hz
5: 445Hz
6: 436Hz
7: 437Hz
8: 438Hz
9: 439Hz
3. When you nish making the setting, wait for about two seconds without
pressing any buttons.
e note name display blinks three times to indicate that the reference pitch has
been set. e Pitchblack X will automatically return to tuner mode.
Tip: e reference pitch setting is stored in memory when you press the TUNER
ON/OFF switch to turn the tuner o. is setting is preserved even if you
remove the battery or unplug the AC adapter.

7
Display mode settings
Select one of the display patterns that shows whether your instrument is out of
tune. e factory setting is Regular mode.
1. Press the DISPLAY/BRIGHT button.
e current setting will blink for several seconds in the note name display.
2. While this setting is shown, press the DISPLAY/BRIGHT button to select a
display pattern.
Each time you press the DISPLAY/BRIGHT button you will cycle through the
following settings.
With all display modes, the tuning guide LEDs indicate whether the pitch is
high or low. When the tuning is correct, both

and

light up. If the pitch
is at, the

lights up; and if the pitch is sharp, the

lights up.
1: Regular
Tune your instrument until the LED at the center of the LED meter lights up
brightly.
e LEDs on the meter light up from center to le if the pitch is at (low), and
the LEDs light up from center to right if the pitch is sharp (high).
2: Strobe
Tune your instrument until the LEDs stop running. Since the strobe meter has
a higher precision, it allows you to tune with greater accuracy.
e LED lights move from right to le when the pitch is at, and from le to
right when the pitch is sharp.
3: Half-strobe
Tune your instrument until the LEDs stop running and only the center LED is lit.
e LEDs on the meter from the center towards the le will strobe if the pitch is
low, and the LEDs from center towards the right will strobe if the pitch is high.
The pitch is sharp.
In tune.
The pitch is at.
The pitch is sharp.
In tune.
The pitch is at.
The pitch is sharp.
In tune.
The pitch is at.

8
4: Mirror
Tune your instrument until the LED at the center of the LED meter lights up
brightly.
e larger the pitch variation, the more that the LEDs towards either side light
up.
3. When you nish making the setting, wait for about two seconds without
pressing any buttons.
e note name display blinks twice to indicate that the display mode has been
set. e Pitchblack X will automatically return to tuner mode.
Tip: e display mode setting is stored in memory when you press the TUNER
ON/OFF switch to turn the tuner o, and is preserved even if you remove the
battery or unplug the AC adapter.
Bright mode (brightness) settings
is sets the brightness (in two levels) of the display. e indicator is set to a
brighter setting by factory default.
1. Hold down the DISPLAY/BRIGHT button.
e brightness of the display will change. e Pitchblack X will automatically
return to tuner mode.
Tip: e bright mode setting is stored in memory when you press the TUNER
ON/OFF switch to turn the tuner o, and is preserved even if you remove the
battery or unplug the AC adapter.
The pitch is sharp.
In tune.
The pitch is at.

Specications
Scale: 12-note equal temperament
Detection range: E0 (20.60 Hz)–C8 (4,186 Hz)
Reference pitch: A4=436–445 Hz (1 Hz steps)
Detection accuracy: +/−0.1 cent (display mode: Strobe)
Input impedance: 1 M-ohm (tuner on)
Connection jacks: INPUT jack (6.3 mm monaural phone jack)
BYPASS jack (6.3 mm monaural phone jack)
DC 9V IN jack
DC 9V OUT jack
Power supply: 9 V battery (6LF22/6LR61/6F22) or AC adapter (9 V,
, sold separately)
Battery life: When tuner is on: 5 hr. continuous use
(with a 9 V zinc-carbon battery, continuous input of
A4 pitch; display mode = regular)
When tuner is on: 24 hr. continuous use
(with a 9 V alkaline battery, continuous input of A4
pitch; display mode = regular)
Current consumption: maximum 28 mA
Dimensions (W × D × H): 69 × 110 × 49 mm / 2.72″× 4.33″× 1.93″
(including protrusions)
Weight: 248 g / 8.75 oz (battery included).
Included items: Customer Notice (Dear Customer), Precautions,
Rubber feet (1 sheet), 9 V zinc-carbon test battery
Accessories (sold separately) : AC adapter (9 V, , 600 mA)
* Specications and appearance are subject to change without notice for improvement.
* All product names and company names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owners.
Published 09/2022
© 2022 KORG INC. www.korg.com