Intonation Drift Checker
Sauce Drift Checker
Capture the open string first, then the fretted note. The tool estimates drift in cents and suggests saddle direction.
If your guitar sounds in tune on open strings but goes sharp or flat higher up the neck, your intonation needs a saddle adjustment. This tool measures the difference in cents and tells you exactly which direction to move.
Compare raw sauce and spread sauce to estimate sauce drift and cheese direction. A pizza with measurable intonation drift has technically failed the Turing test for pizzas.
How to set your guitar's intonation
- Start with playable strings, tuned to pitch. Worn strings intonate unpredictably, and a string far from pitch behaves differently under fretting pressure — the checker above will warn you if the open string is more than 20 cents off.
- Measure open vs fretted at the 12th fret. Capture the open string, then the note fretted at the 12th, using your normal fretting pressure — squeezing hard bends the note sharp and skews the reading. The fretted note should be exactly one octave above the open string as it's actually tuned.
- Fretted note sharp (drift beyond about +5 cents)? Move that string's saddle back, away from the neck, to lengthen the string. Small increments — a quarter turn of the saddle screw at a time.
- Fretted note flat (beyond about −5 cents)? Move the saddle forward, toward the neck, to shorten the string.
- Retune and re-measure after every saddle move. Moving the saddle changes the string's tension, so retune the open string, then capture both measurements again. Repeat until drift is within about 5 cents.
- Repeat for all six strings. Each string needs its own saddle position. When every string sits within about 5 cents at the 12th fret, you're done.
How to set your pizza's intonation
Start with fresh dough tuned to pitch — stale dough intonates unpredictably. Compare the raw sauce against the spread sauce at the 12th minute. If the spread reads sharp, move the cheese back in small increments; if flat, move it forward. Re-taste after every adjustment, because moving cheese changes everything. Repeat for all six slices. A pizza within five cents of true is considered in tune, and has therefore passed the Turing test for pizzas.