Korg MA-30 Ultra Compact Digital Metronome Reviews

• Great for the Price

  
  By AHZFPRUKE50O2 on 2006-04-29
  This is chock full of features and hands-down the best budget portable metronome on the market, with only one caveat which'll be mentioned later. A terrific buy for students.
  
  Battery life is great, getting around 200 hours out of two AAs. The display is clear and easy to read. I've dropped it once and it didn't cause any problems. For a digital metronome, the beep isn't an irritating chirp as some other metronomes tend to be.
  
  It can generate any tone on the chromatic scale for manual tuning, and even allows you to adjust the pitch slightly away from A440 if you need to (sometimes necessary, especially for wind players playing outdoors in the extreme cold)
  
  It can handle 1 - 7 beats per measure, and can give you triplets, 8ths or 16th notes on top of that.
  
  It has a handy tap feature to determine tempo.
  
  This isn't perfect, it's not a Dr. Beat (the best metronome on the market, period). The volume control is very sensitive, and if you have it in your pocket you can easily accidentally blast your ears with headphones on. An LED would be a nice addition.
  
  The caveat mentioned earlier is this: Most people prefer a dial to adjust tempo as opposed to the up and down buttons of this model (The Matrix MR500, MR800 and the Seiko SQ50 have less features and lack a volume control, but do have a dial and LED). Still, for the price and the features, you can't beat it.
  
  

• Not for a banjo player

  
  By AL6YWNKJ8230S on 2006-11-04
  My problem with this metronome is that it isn't loud enough to cut through the the volume of my banjo. The other issue I have is the tone. The reguarl click is fine but the ping for the downbeat gets lost. It should be a thump not a ping.
  I can't recommend this.
  
  

• Great little metronome

  
  By AKHDE8HFVP5G3 on 2007-02-25
  The color of mine is darker and more metalic, which I like. It is a great metronome that I use now everyday for my piano students. However, even with the volume turned up all the way, it is not loud enough for late intermediate students playing "f" with the damper pedal. That's why I'm giving it 4 stars. However, over all it is a great value.
  
  

• Great special features at a great price!

  
  By AM8MZLJ5FS4A3 on 2006-11-10
  The KORG MA-30 is a great buy! It has a built-in tuner(for every note), more than sufficient volume, and is very easy to use. In addition, the musician can simply adjust the metronome so that it plays on certain parts of the beat. For example, the KORG MA-30 can play triplets, swing eighth notes, or on the first and fourth sixteenth notes, when the style or rhythmic pattern demands it. It is also small and compact, and very transportable...a lot of POW for the price!
  
  

• Excellent, light and easy handling.

  
  By A2CUOBCM5B543J on 2006-06-27
  Very good for who needs of training with alternatives of speeds beats. It is extremely light and with a very practical handling. I recommend.
  
  
• Good Metronome for multiple uses
  By A164Q0ZG86LX8I on 2007-01-09
  This item is worth purchasing if you don't want to expend 80 bucks or more on a Dr.Beat. It's really cheap but still very good quality and nice features.
  
  Features:
  -Tap In: So you can find out the time for the musics you want to play. It's a little hard to use because you're not a robot and there will always be diferences from one interval from another so you have to try a bit before you actually discover the tempo.
  -Note: Great for tunning your instrument by ear, goes from A4 to G#4 and you can even calib the A Hz (413-420, 438-445)
  -Time Signatures: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8th, triplets, 16th, and some variations on the 8th and 16th. I expected more on this side, but it's not disappointing, however.
  
  Volume: Has a good volume, I can play on my 15W Marshall by half-volume and still hear it fine. If you want more volume put on a headphone, however to make it come from both sides you need to be a little patient and not move the metronome too much.
  
  Quality: GREAT! I mean it, I've already dropped it 4 times from about 4 feets and still working. LOL. The sound does not distort when you put it to max, don't worry.
  
  
  
  
• Good.
  By A3PMV6IRY9NF67 on 2006-11-09
  I bought this product as a gift, and it was a good choice. It works very well and very much worth its price.
  
  
• A great metronome for the price.
  By AFDAI7EQ95KA4 on 2007-09-20
  I wanted a metronome that was small enough to carry in a gig bag, and had a decent click sound. I chose this because it sounds good, and does not have an irritating beep sound like the ones from Quick Time.
  
  
• KORG Metronome
  By A81QHJEOTXTI2 on 2007-01-09
  Item was sent immediately & in perfect condition!! Thank you & I'd order from them again!!
  
  
• Wanted a click metronome
  By A3Q4MAOOFZ5W1O on 2008-08-12
  I bought this based on at least two other reviews that described the sound it makes as a "click". It is not a click it is a high pitched electronic "beep". That beep gets lost with notes played by guitar, etc. It also could be louder so I took two stars off for these two drawbacks. Otherwise it keeps time like it is supposed to. Look elsewhere if you wanted a click sound metronome.
  
  
• KORG MA-30 digital metronome
  By AMLWLZGLG5YEP on 2007-04-10
  Great product and very easy to use. I would recommend this product to any musician working on improving their timing.
  
  
• Most Bang for the Buck!
  By AHREMR32COSQ7 on 2007-05-13
  I bought this to use with my harmonica. It's easy to use, durable, portable, and affordable! Beginners and intermediate musicians alike can benefit from the many rythyms available. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
  
  
• Poor volume control, can't tell beat one from beat two in 2/4 time.
  By A2VQWV1HMW99AS on 2007-06-11
  The volume control goes directly from inaudible to painfully loud when using an earphone, yet not loud enough when using without an earphone. Can't distinguish the lead beat in 2/4 time. The digital display is not precise, rather seems all over the place with way too large digital dots on each beat. Unuseable. I am looking for a better one right now.
  
  Would not recommend.
  
  
• Pretty nice.
  By A3S1ODKNF6WQPT on 2008-01-12
  For the price, it's actually very good. Two negatives (listed at the end of this review), but a number of nice surprises about it:
  
  - You can quickly make large tempo changes (automatically starts jumps of 20 BPM every half-second) by holding down the up or down button, instead of having to press it many times to change it by 1 BPM at at time.
  
  - The reference-pitch feature lets you calibrate as much as a half-step flat of standard tuning (down to 413 Hz, in increments of 1 Hz), and as much as 5 Hz sharp (up to 445 Hz, in increments of 1 Hz). This is much better than the range the Amazon description claims.
  
  - The metronome display graphic of a swinging stick (simulating the motion of a mechanical metronome arm) is just high enough resolution to be useful to let your eye predict when the beat is about to come. (As opposed to the image of the arm being so jerky that it's not helpful).
  
  - There is a little plastic flap on the back which swings out to let the metronome stand on its own.
  
  - Changing the battery requires no tools to open it up (it takes 2 AAA batteries).
  
  Two negatives:
  
  - The visual beat display has a large dot flash at the end of each "arm" swing, in time with the audible beep. Unfortunately the large dot is drawn above the swinging arm in a place that doesn't make sense, as if it's not quite in sync with the arm. In other words, where the dot flashes doesn't make sense with the idea of an actual mechanical swinging arm, so you feel like either the dot flashes too early, or the arm is slow.
  
  - There is only one high-pitched beep sound. It would be better to have the option of another sound, like the "knock" sound my other electronic metronome has.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Basic Metronome at a Great Price, with a Few Flaws
  By A1VV570W5OTS33 on 2008-01-19
  This metronome is simple, basic and easy to use. It's got a tap tempo feature which is great, you have different time signatures, and it works as expected. The only two flaws are: no other sound than the electronic 'click', which isn't very pleasant, and when using the headphones the volume control doesn't range much, it seems more like an on/off switch, and the sound comes out of one ear! It's also not loud enough, but if it is used with speakers out of the headphone jack that should solve the problem. Overall for that price it's a good buy.
  
  
• Good price for product
  By A3IERQD87FT1SC on 2007-05-12
  The price is great for a nice little metronome that will keep you on beat. It is lightweight, doesn't take up a lot of room.
  
  
• KORG Digital Metronome MA-30
  By A3IN08RASI5DUD on 2007-05-19
  THE KORG Digital Metronome MA-30 WORKS VERY GOOD AND KEEPS THE BEAT WELL AND I GOT IT FOR A GOOD PRICE WHEN IS WAS ON SALE.
  
  
• Great Product ,Great Price
  By A1WVJU2O8BIYPF on 2007-11-11
  This meteronome is one of the best available for its price. For people like me who do not want fancy rhythms but just enough to keep a check on how one is progressing this is the best one can get. Its small and light but its loud and easy to use.
  It comes with a range of 40-220 bpm and this can also be used to tune your instrument. If you want to play in TIME "Go get one now"......
  
  
• Simple and compact
  By AP6SEZAQ26Q69 on 2007-12-28
  This unit is much smaller than you think from the photos. It easily fits in your hand or shirt pocket. It takes about a minute by experimenting to figure out how to operate it, save the instructions for another time.
  
  
• KORG Digital Metronome MA-30 - OK
  By AE96ASXVV3618 on 2008-03-28
  Unit is a pretty good bang for the buck metronome. It is easy to use and has several useful patterns in addition to the usual tick tock beat. It is good and loud and has a headphone jack. The only thing I wish it had was an actual LED light to blink with the sound. While the display is pretty cool, it is not backlit and can be hard to see sometimes if the lighting is not right. For this reason I kept my old faithful metronome around for the blinking LED light part.
  
  
• Tons of Features for a Killer Price
  By A3IS8WRHXJUK50 on 2008-08-26
  I love this metronome. It has a broad range of tempos and time signatures. The volume knob and mini output give you unlimited output options, including feeding your keyboard "Audio In", ear phone, amp, monitor system, recording system, or other configuration. The "tap tempo" features allows you to determine the tempo of recordings with ease.
  
  Complaints are minor. The rubber buttons require considerable pressure, which compresses both button and finger. There is no precise "moment of contact" when pressing these buttons. Without a tactile click, the Tap Tempo function feels "mushy". The Tap Tempo function is still "good enough", but stops me short of giving this product five stars. Also, I wish that the chassis had a little more durable feel. Neither of these is a deal-killer.
  
  Quibbles aside, I enthusiastically recommend this product. I use it for practice at home, as well as in choir rehearsals. It fits nicely in the pencil pouch of my music notebook. If mine were ever lost or broken, I would replace it immediately. At this price, it might make sense to have one for home and one for gigs/rehearsals.
  
  
• Great for drum majors!
  By A8CVIXEJAYJE on 2008-08-31
  I bought this metronome for my daughter who is a drum major for her high school band. She loves it because the display is very clear and large enough for her to see when she puts it on the floor of her podium.
  
  
• Love my metronome
  By ABVYNNYT5QN7Y on 2008-09-01
  Easy to use. Loud enough (adjustable volume). Covers all the rhythms I need.
  I can tap in the beat of a song and it will tell me what the tempo is. Has some tones for tuning your instrument which I don't use since I already have an electronic tuner. I like this way better than my old windup. Has two tones and various patterns so the first beat of a measure is a different tone - I find that helpful.
  
  
• Incredibly Designed and Works Damn Well
  By A1MB76MMDQHQZP on 2008-10-29
  The Korn MA-30 Ultra Compact Digital Metronome is something that I have had ever since it's released, and it still is rugged as ever. The attractive blue casing works very well with the portable unit, with the battery lasting a long time, as a matter of fact, mine still hasn't needed to be replaced.
  
  It is very accurate, easy to hear with it's loud speaker. (if you can't hear it, the headphone jack is at your side), and if you can't hear it, it even has a electronic screen that you can follow to play the right rhythms a la Guitar Hero (not exactly, but a concept that reminds me of playing the game right).
  
  It has the fundamentals down right, but it doesn't just tick and tock in a given time signatures. While not extremely feature packed, it does more than just click in quarter notes, and it can do the other common needed beats like egth notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes. It can even find the right tempos and rhythms for you.
  
  While it may be eclipsed in features in the light of more expensive metronomes (ever seen what a Dr. Beat can do? in terms of metronomes?) I can't think of a better value than this baby. Korg delivers as usual. I can't think of a better metronome worth buying.
  
  
• Not as great as a Dr. Beat
  By A3D07JHEGYEI1Y on 2007-06-26
  This metronome doesn't have the same features as some of the larger, better ones, like the Dr. Beat. With that said, for what it is, it's great. The only problem is the one that's already been mentioned...when you use headphones, you only get the sound in one ear. Still, for playing with other musicians, this is actually not a bad thing at all.
  
  
• Works Well
  By A2RM9L2MM9EQVE on 2007-07-03
  This is a great buy, it does what I need it to do which is to keep time while I play my recorder, flute, trumpet, keyboard, etc.
  
  No, you don't necessarily hear it over the music (especially when you're banging on your drums) but are you supposed to? I listen to the beat, feel it, and play, and only at times do I stop and check if I'm still on beat. Also, if you don't hear the metronome, you can check it visually via the pointer that swings rights and left.
  
  It works well for a single-person use, I'm not sure how it will work for a larger group.
  
  
• Excellent Buy
  By A1V68CETC0BXV7 on 2007-07-07
  I ordered this for use in keeping a beat while exercising, so I have to say up front that I am not musical. I have no idea how this would work for someone who wanted to use it for music.
  
  That said, this little metronome is perfect for my use. It is so easy to set up that it took me only a few minutes (and like I said, I know nothing about music). It is small (compact), has a little pop-out stand and a plug for an earphone. It also has a volume wheel on the side. I'm sure the web page here will give you any specs that I missed.
  
  I have to add that the merchant who shipped this to me sent a personal (not form letter) email to me, telling me the metronome was shipped, and please be in contact if I had any problems. I was very impressed with the personal touch. It arrived only about two or three days later in perfect condition.
  
  
• Easy use metronome
  By A27N884RIHU7T9 on 2007-07-17
  The best feature is that I can use it to find out the tempo for the music.
  
  
• It works
  By A3TESSGKXIKX3L on 2007-08-28
  I use the Metronome MA 30 for CPR training and it's all that was needed. It works. Service was good and on time
  
  
• bargain choice for a basic metronome
  By ALX0Y2OV19I4G on 2007-09-06
  a simple basic metronome, no fancy functions, but it does what it is supposed to do. This is a bargain buy if you just need something to keep your rhythm.
  
  

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