Korg TM40 Large Display Digital Tuner Metronome

Don’t be fooled by the price, this tuner/metronome is the business! Compact, efficient and easy to use… well done Korg, another winner!

There really isn’t much to add here, the tuner is fast and accurate both in direct input and mic modes, although I’ll probably only use this one with direct input since I use a clip-on tuner with my acoustic guitars.

The metronome on the other hand is incredibly useful as an acoustic aid and I’m sure will prove to be invaluable. Very easy to set and use and my playing is already benefiting from being more disciplined.

As I said in the title – this Korg Tuner & Metronome is an excellent piece of kit.

Je recommande de préférence ce modèle par rapport à korg KDM-2 Korg – Metronomes KDM2 si vous hésitez entre les 2, car celui-ci il est léger, aussi fonctionnel que l’autre qui est bcp plus lourd (donc par ex si vous l’emportez avec vous dans un sac à main ou un petit sac pour l’avoir avec vous et travailler votre rythme dans la journée celui-ci est nettement préférable, l’autre est aussi TB mais c’est le “bon vieux gros machin” lourd et encombrant dont le mode d’emploi n’est pas traduit (donc parlez anglais sinon passez votre tour !) alors que pour ce modèle 2 en 1 le mode d’emploi est traduit ;o)
Comme je devais en acheter 2 exemplaires donc j’ai pris ce modèle et le ‘KDM-2’,
En résumé, j’aurais mieux fait de prendre 2 fois ce modèle ci car le “2 en 1” est parfait,léger, et vous pouvez mm utiliser les 2 fonctions simultanément (parfait pour la justesse du chant etc).
De toute la gamme Korg LE choix à faire sans aucun doute !
L’aspect très pratique aussi est le bip différent pour signaler le 1er temps selon la mesure choisie ex à 4 temps le 1er temps a un bip B et les 3 suivant bbb, très utile pour garder le repère.

This is my favorite metronome; I wore the first one out after 30 years of using it, dripping it, getting it wet accidentally etc! I own a music store and didn’t like the TM-50 that Korg replaced this TM-40 with nearly as well so I was simply delighted to find this still available. I think the casing is better quality than the newer TM-50 though they are both very easy to use. The metronome part has the flexibility and accuracy of a small Dr. Beat and the volume is good enough for students to hear simultaneously. The tuner part can be calibrated if you have to tune to a church organ or such. The tuner and metronome can be used independently. It takes AAA batteries that are easy to replace and which last a long time if you remember to turn it off when not in use. Korg products are top of the line.

As a Tuba player sometimes I have trouble finding a tuner that can process the low register. This tuner has not given me a problem and has been reasonably accurate down to a pedal Bb (that’s an octave and a half below the staff). The metronome side is also great. The different sub-divisions of the beat are very useful and all of the functions are easy to work with. Another nice feature is that it gives a pitch that you can use to tune to which is a great skill for students to work on instead of just watching a needle. One word of advice, though: if you are planning on using this metronome for percussion work, make sure you also invest in a set of ear buds. As with most metronomes, you can’t hear it over the drums without some sort of headphone.

This is a very good tuner that performs the basic functions of individual string tuning on the guitar well. For example, if you set the tuner (meter mode) for E and then play the E sting, the digital meter will give you a clear indication of how near or far you are from that note. There are also lights that work in conjunction with the meter to indicate if the note is flat, dead center or sharp. Also, you can set the tuner for flats and sharps and when you are trying to tune for that it will give you that same hi/lo/dead center indication with the digital meter and the lights. One of the reasons that I chose this device over others is that it does have some capability to perform “cents” tuning. I honestly don’t understand all of that yet but have done some reading on it and will hopefully be able to use it someday for some songs.

I really like the metronome function and how adjustable it is. I’m a beginning guitarist and smooth chord transitions can be frustrating. Using the metronome, it allows me to feel less stress when trying to finger and play various chords because the clicks can be slowed down. That gives me a psychology boost because I’m able to accurately play a chord and then set up for the next one before the 4 beat cycle gets back to the beginning. As my speed and accuracy improve, I can speed up the metronome, setting a higher standard for myself.

Though I feel that this is a good product and worth your money, I only gave it 4 stars. The reason is the tone generator or sound out function. To me, when I select E, A, D, G, B, or E, the tones don’t actually sound like the notes I want to tune to. If you want to hear what one or all of the sting notes sound like on the guitar, there are quite a few nice tools on the Internet that will do that for you. One I like can be found at […]. Also, the instruction sheet that comes with this device seems a bit abbreviated to me. I have never had any formal music training and that may be why I feel the instruction sheet is lacking. Mostly a lack of understanding on my part.

Would I recommend the Korg TM-40 to a friend or to you? Yes. There a couple of things that I don’t like about this product but all things considered I feel as if I got my money’s worth.