Review of Korg MA-30 Metronome – Best for Amateur and Serious Musicians
The Korg MA-30 metronome is a rectangular, vibrant blue digital metronome with useful, in-depth features that many other metronomes lack, such as a convenient memory function, volume control, and complicated rhythms, instead of just the standard quarter, half, and whole tones. Because of its rhythmic versatility, the Korg MA-30 is an ideal metronome for the amateur musician and the aspiring or successful professional alike. It weighs only .17 lbs including batteries, and is only approximately 4 inches long and .6 inches thick, making it light and easily portable by hand, pocket, or music bag/case.
The Korg MA-30 metronome boasts 13 different built-in rhythms, ranging from standard to duplets, triplets, and quadruplets, as well as the latter two with inner beats omitted for more precise practicing. The volume of these rhythms can be quickly adjusted via a spin wheel located on the side of the metronome. For situations in which quiet is a necessity (thinking about tempos outside the door before a major audition, for example), or at times when the clicking is bothering others, the Korg MA-30 is well-prepared with a 1/8 of an inch earphone jack perfect to plug headphones into for private practice. The headphone jack option is also ideal for extremely noisy circumstances, during which it can be hard to hear the metronome even at top volume, but easy with a pair of headphones directly over a musician’s ears.
As well as varied rhythms, the Korg MA-30 also includes 12 different reference pitches to accommodate the tuning needs of all different types of instruments. The pitches included range from C4 to B4, allowing virtually every instrument playing any style of music to properly tune. The Korg MA-30 has a wide calibration range, ranging from 413 Hz to 420 Hz, and from 438 Hz – 445Hz in 1-Hz units, allowing for any type of instrument from any country (calibrations can differ widely amongst makers and countries) to blend in with an orchestra or group. The tempo ranges from 40 to 208 beats per minute, encompassing the tempi of 99% of pieces published and currently being written. Two buttons, an arrow upward and an arrow downward, allow the musician to raise or lower the tempo beat by beat. When pressed and held, these buttons adjust the tempo faster or slower respectively by 20-beat intervals, making it fast and easy to go from Largo to Vivace in no time.
Beneath the surface of the Korg MA-30, an easy-to-read liquid crystal pendulum flicks back and forth across the screen, keeping the beat in a highly visual and effective manner. The metronome is thus obviously very sensitive – I dropped mine once, and the top half of everything on the screen disappeared, including the pendulum and numbers.
The Korg MA-30 is powered by two AA batteries, and is built for up to 250 hours of continuous use. I’ve used mine consistently since the day I got it two years ago with no problems (besides the droppage), and bring it with me everywhere. It’s compact, multifunctional, and ideal for use in teaching my young students as well as in my own personal practice time. For my purposes, the Korg MA-30 is the best metronome I’ve found for its price and size.
List Price: $32.00
Can be found new for approximately half that ($16.00) on a variety of music store sites, as well as on eBay, Amazon, etc.
