Tuners

Tuners are a broad term for devices, equipment, and people involved in tuning, the process of adjusting a system to a desired state. The term applies across music, broadcasting, and automotive fields. In music, a tuner helps establish or verify pitch to a standard reference. In electronics, a tuner is a module that selects a particular frequency from a range of signals and decodes the information carried on that channel.

Musical tuners include handheld electronic devices, microphone-based stroboscopic tuners, tuning forks, pitch pipes, and smartphone apps. A piano tuner adjusts string tensions to bring the instrument into tune with standard pitch, usually A4 = 440 Hz. Instrument tuners may support various temperaments and tunings and show whether a played note is flat or sharp.

In radios and televisions, tuners, or RF tuners, are front-end modules that select one channel from many, filter the signal, and feed it to demodulation stages. Modern devices often integrate tuners with digital signal processing and may handle multiple standards (AM, FM, digital TV, DVB).

In automotive contexts, tuning refers to modifying engines, exhaust, suspension, or electronics to alter performance, efficiency, or behavior. Tuners may work on engine control units (ECUs), turbochargers, air intake, and fuel maps, sometimes for increased power, drivability, or customization. Legal and safety considerations apply, and tuning can affect emissions and warranties.

Tuners thus describe a class of tools, techniques, and professionals aimed at achieving precise pitch, selective reception, or optimized performance.