Korg Pitchblack Mini Tuner Review (2023)

Our last review was on the original Korg Pitchblack, so it’s only fair that we go and take a look at the smaller iteration of this chromatic tuner – the Korg Pitchblack Mini!
Hopefully you can take a few things away from our Korg Pitchblack Mini review, and find out if this is the right tuner for you.

Features:

• Compact Design
• Easy-to-Read Display
• 3 Meter Display Modes
• Incredible Tuning Accuracy (+/- 0.1 cents)
• True-Bypass
• Adjustable Calibration
• Powered Using a 9V Battery or AC Adaptor

I always like to start things off by mentioning the specs of the pedal. These figures were extracted from Korg’s official website.

SPECIFICATIONS	DETAILS
Scale	12 note equal temperament
Detection Range	E0 (20.60 Hz) – C8 (4186 Hz)
Calibration Range	A4 = 436 – 445 Hz (1 Hz steps)
Detection Accuracy	+/- 0.1 cent
Power Supply	3V Battery or 9V Power Supply
Battery Life	Approx. 3 hours
Dimension (W x H x D)	1.77”(4.5 cm) x 3.66” (9.3 cm) x 1.73” (4.4 cm)
Weight	0.28 lbs (129 g)

The purpose of the Pitchblack Mini was to provide a tuner that features the same functionality of the original Pitchblack, but in a smaller form. I can tell you right now that they succeeded in making the pedal incredibly small. Additionally, it’s also much lighter than the original too!
For comparison purposes this is how the two pedals go up against each other in terms of overall size and weight:

​	Pitchblack (original)	Pitchblack Mini
Size (W x H x D)	2.68” (6.8 cm) x 4.72” (12 cm) x 1.85” (4.7 cm)	1.77”(4.5 cm) x 3.66” (9.3 cm) x 1.73” (4.4 cm)
Weight	0.64 lbs (292 g)	0.28 lbs (129 g)

As you can tell from the figures above the Mini is much lighter and smaller. This is amazing news for anyone who can’t afford to give up any room on their pedalboard as the mini takes up way less room.
With a pedal this small you would expect there to be some drawbacks, but that’s where you might be wrong. I didn’t think it would be possible, but the display of the Pitchblack Mini is just as easy to read from a distance as the original. This is something I thought would be compromised from a change in size.
There are a couple of differences between the Pitchblack Mini and the original that I would like to mention. For starters, the mini has an increased number of LED colour segments used for tuning. The original had 5 while the mini has 7. This doesn’t make too much of a difference when tuning, but it’s just something to note about the pedal.
Another difference is the amount of modes available for you to use between the two versions of the Pitchblack. The original has 4 display modes while the mini has 3 to choose from. I personally don’t think having a massive variety of tuning modes is 100% necessary, but I’m sure some people like having the option to choose from more.
The 3 modes available to choose from are:

1. Regular Mode: In this mode you will want to tune your instrument so that the green LED in the center of the LED display lights and both tuning guide LED’s are lit. The tuning LED’s will be to the right of center if your instrument is sharp, and to the left of the center if your instrument is flat.
2. Strobe Mode: In this mode you will want to tune your instrument so that the LED meters stop streaming and both tuning guide LED’s are lit. The LED meters will stream from left to right if your instrument is sharp and from right to left if your instrument is flat.
3. Half-Strobe Mode: In this mode you will want to tune your instrument so that the LED meters stop streaming and only the green LED in the center is lit and both tuning guide LED’s are lit. The LED meters will stream to the right of center if your instrument is sharp, and to the left of center if your instrument is flat. When the pitch is correct, only the center LED will be lit.

Much like the original Pitchblack, the mini offers true-bypass functionality. This means that the signal going through the pedal will not be altered in any way as it passes though. A staple feature used by most guitar pedals seen nowadays.
Another great feature of the Pitchblack is that it allows you to power other effects pedals through the use of its DC OUT jack (assuming you are using an AC adaptor to power the pedal in the first place). This allows you to supply up to 200 mA of power to other effects pedals.

CONCLUSION

The Korg Pitchblack Mini gives you everything there is to love about the original Pitchblack, but in a smaller form. The pedal is simple, small, durable, and can tune your guitar with a high amount of accuracy.
I would recommend buying the Pitchblack Mini over the original as they are both basically the same price except the mini is much more portable. Regardless though, both variations of the Pitchblack are amazing, and I would highly recommend the tuner for both beginner and advanced users alike.
If you have read this article and want to leave us some feedback then let us know in the comments section below. We would love to hear what you have to say!