TUNELIT

Iron Maiden · 1995 · Studio album

The X Factor tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. All 11 songs use it.

The X Factor album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 11 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD 1 of a 1995 two-disc edition, EMI+0.2 ¢A 440.111−0.6 to +2.4 ¢High
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).

Blaze Bayley's first album, produced by Steve Harris and Nigel Green at Barnyard. E Standard at concert pitch, songs from −6 ¢ (Fortunes of War) to +7 ¢ (The Aftermath); the 2015 remaster agrees.

11 songs

Every song, ready to tune

Tune opens the tuner in that song's tuning, pitch included. Play along opens the song player set to that tuning, so the track plays in yours. What the labels mean

  1. 1. Sign of the Cross

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  2. 2. Lord of the Flies

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  3. 3. Man on the Edge

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. Fortunes of War

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. Look for the Truth

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The one Songsterr bass tab drops the E string to D (D A D G); the guitars stay in E Standard.

  6. 6. The Aftermath

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Judgement of Heaven

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. Blood on the World's Hands

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  9. 9. The Edge of Darkness

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  10. 10. 2 A.M.

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  11. 11. The Unbeliever

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

What the labels mean

Measured
TuneLit measured the pitch on an original CD or LP. The tuning name still comes from the sources.
Official
The band, a member, their producer or their guitar tech said it.
Widely reported
Trusted outlets, guides and tabs agree, but the band did not say it directly.
From tabs
From community tabs, or from players who tune along with the record.
Disputed
Sources disagree. The likeliest setting is shown; the notes name the other one.

Each song shows one label, the strongest it has, in this order. How we measure recordings →

Questions

What tuning is The X Factor in?

Iron Maiden recorded The X Factor (1995) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Every song uses it.