Dr Rob Toulson, Senior Lecturer in Electronics and Audio and Music Technology at Anglia Ruskin University has been awarded over £35 000 funding by the East of England Development Agency to develop an innovative music tuning device. The Proof of Concept funding will enable Rob to assess the market and test the commercial viability of the idea.

The idea for the device evolved from a research tool for analysing the acoustics of percussion instruments, designed by Dr Toulson in late 2006. At present, percussionists tune their instruments in a very ad hoc manner, and there is no scientific basis associated with the methods used.

Existing electronic tuning devices only allow a single fundamental frequency (pitch) to be detected and evaluated as 'in tune'. This is sufficient for instruments such as guitar and piano, which give a strong fundamental note. However, more complex sounds such as those from percussion and vocals require more advanced data to deduce whether the sound of the instrument (or singer) is in tune and optimised.

Rob's initial research showed that percussion tuning methods do, in fact, exist and are attempted by advanced musicians. However, many players do not have the accuracy of hearing to tune percussion instruments unassisted. Rob's innovation extends existing technology to provide a complete tuning solution for all musical instruments. The tuning device can also be used as a voice-training aid.

Once the market research has been completed, Rob hopes to secure a company to produce a production version of the tuning aid.

If you would like more information about the progress of the musical tuning device, please contact Rob Toulson at rob.toulson@anglia.ac.uk or David Firth at david.firth@anglia.ac.uk.