Sing, hum or play a note and this free pitch detector shows its name, its frequency in Hz and how many cents it is sharp or flat, live from your microphone. Use it to check whether you are singing in tune, to find out what note you are singing, or to tune an instrument. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Pitch Detector
Sing, hum or play a note to see its name, frequency in Hz and how many cents it is sharp or flat, live from your microphone.
Press Start and allow microphone access. Sound is analysed in your browser; nothing is recorded or uploaded.
within 10 cents more than 10 cents off · last 10 seconds
Notes you held
Each note you hold for about a third of a second is listed here.
Session
- Lowest note
- –
- Highest note
- –
- Time in tune
- –
- Target match
- No target
Settings: mode, A4 calibration, sensitivity, target note, reference tone
Use headphones for the reference tone. While it plays, the detector pauses so it does not measure its own sound.
How to Use the Pitch Detector
- Press Start pitch detector and allow microphone access.
- Sing or play one steady note. The big display shows the note name (for example A4), the frequency and the tuning in cents.
- Watch the needle: in the middle means in tune; left is flat, right is sharp. Within 10 cents counts as in tune.
- Press Hold to freeze the reading, or keep singing to see the pitch history of the last 10 seconds.
- Notes you hold for about a third of a second are listed under Notes you held, with your lowest and highest note and your time in tune.
For your voice, keep the mode on Voice (60–1,400 Hz). For guitar, bass, piano or violin, choose Instrument (40–4,200 Hz).
What Note Am I Singing?
The note name is the nearest note in standard tuning, where A4 is 440 Hz. The number after the letter is the octave: C4 is middle C, and every C starts a new octave. If the display shows A3 +12 cents, you are singing an A below middle C, slightly sharp. Most men speak and sing mainly in octaves 2 and 3, most women in octaves 3 and 4. To see where your whole range sits and which voice type it matches, use the vocal range calculator.
How to Read Cents, Sharp and Flat
| Reading | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to ±10 cents | In tune for most listeners | Hold it there |
| ±10 to ±25 cents | Slightly sharp or flat | Relax and adjust gently |
| ±25 to ±50 cents | Clearly off; close to the next note | Listen to a reference note and slide to it |
| Note name keeps jumping | Unsteady voice or noisy room | Sing louder and steadier, or lower the sensitivity |
A cent is a hundredth of a semitone, so ±50 cents is exactly halfway to the next note. Trained singers usually stay within about 10–15 cents on held notes; vibrato makes the needle swing evenly on both sides of the note, which is normal.
Practice Pitch With a Target Note
Open Settings and choose a Target note. The detector then shows how close you are to that note, and Play tone sounds it for you (use headphones; the detector pauses while the tone plays). A daily routine that works:
- Play the target, then sing it on “ah” and hold for three seconds.
- Aim for the needle within 10 cents before moving to the next note.
- Go up and down a scale one note at a time, then try small jumps such as C to E and C to G.
- Warm up first with a few vocal warm-up exercises; a cold voice tends to sing flat.
To score your accuracy over five notes, together with range and steadiness, take the vocal tier test.
Common Pitch Problems the Detector Reveals
- Going flat on high notes: the needle drops left as you climb. Usually tiredness or too little breath support; take a breath earlier and think of the note as slightly higher.
- Going sharp when you push: loud, forced notes tend to drift right. Sing the same note softer and watch it settle.
- Scooping: the pitch history rises into each note from below. Aim to start on the note, not under it.
- Drifting on long notes: the line slowly sinks. Keep the air flowing evenly to the end of the note.
- Wide wobble: a swing of more than about ±50 cents is heavier than normal vibrato; practise the note straight first, then add a gentle vibrato.
Seeing the problem on screen is often all it takes to fix it: sing, look, adjust, and repeat for a few minutes a day.
How Pitch Detection Works
Your voice produces a fundamental frequency, the rate at which the vocal folds vibrate, plus overtones at 2, 3, 4 and more times that frequency. The detector analyses short slices of sound with the YIN algorithm, finds the repeating period of the wave and converts it to Hz, then to the nearest note and the distance in cents. It ignores sound that is too quiet or too noisy to measure, which is why it shows nothing between notes. More about how the voice creates pitch is in how vocal cords produce pitch.
Settings Explained
- Detection mode: Voice limits the search to 60–1,400 Hz, which avoids false readings from noise; Instrument goes from 40 to 4,200 Hz.
- A4 calibration: change 440 Hz to 432, 442 or another reference if your band or piano uses it.
- Sensitivity: High for quiet voices in a quiet room; Low for a noisy room.
- Target note and reference tone: for pitch-matching practice.
Tips for Accurate Readings
- Use a quiet room and keep the microphone 20–50 cm away.
- Sing one note at a time; chords and several voices confuse any pitch detector.
- Very low notes on phone microphones are harder to read: sing a little louder, or check the octave on a piano.
- Wired headphones stop the reference tone reaching the microphone; Bluetooth headsets often switch to a low-quality microphone.
Pitch Detector, Note Detector or Frequency Converter?
This page is built for live singing and tuning. To identify the notes in a recording or a melody in the order they are played, with the staff and piano view, use the note detector. If you already know a frequency and want the note, use the frequency to note converter. To measure the average pitch of your speaking voice in Hz, use the voice Hz test, and to measure your full singing range in octaves, the octave range test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this pitch detector free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no app, account or upload.
How accurate is it?
For a clear, steady note it reads to about one cent. Background noise, very quiet sound and very low notes on small microphones are the main sources of error.
Why does it show a different octave from my piano?
On low notes a microphone can pick up the first overtone more strongly than the note itself, so the reading jumps an octave. Sing a little louder or use Instrument mode, and compare with a piano app.
Why does the note flicker between two names?
You are singing very close to halfway between two notes (about ±50 cents), or the room is noisy. Hold the note steadier and it will settle on one name.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in Safari, Chrome and other current browsers. Allow microphone access when asked, and keep the phone a little away from your mouth.
Can I use it to tune a guitar or ukulele?
Yes. Choose Instrument mode and pluck one string at a time; tune until the needle sits in the middle.