Tuner
MusicIs your instrument in tune?
Play one note near your microphone to see the nearest note, cents sharp or flat and the frequency. Sound stays on your device.
Listen
What you enter stays on your device while you use this tool. Opening a shared link sends the settings in its address to HowToolbox to prepare the page.
Press Start listening and allow the microphone, then play one steady note.
Instrument and reference
The standard is 440 Hz; some orchestras tune a little higher.
Note
Not listening
Sponsored Links
Play one note near your microphone to see the nearest note, cents sharp or flat and the frequency. Sound stays on your device.
How to use
- Press Start listening and allow the microphone when the browser asks.
- Play one steady note on your instrument, close to the microphone.
- Read the note and the meter: left of the middle is flat, right is sharp. Tune until the needle sits in the middle and the card says In tune.
- Choose your instrument to see its open strings, and change the A4 reference if you tune to something other than 440 Hz.
Sponsored Links
How it works
Pitch is how fast a sound vibrates, counted in hertz. A string tuned to A4 vibrates 440 times a second, and every octave up doubles that. The tuner listens for the repeating shape of the sound, finds how long one repeat takes, and compares the resulting frequency with the nearest note.
The offset is shown in cents: 1200 × log₂(f / note), where f is the frequency you play and note is the frequency of the nearest note. One semitone is 100 cents, so +25 cents is a quarter of a semitone sharp. This tuner calls anything within 5 cents in tune.
A tuner works best with one note at a time. Chords, noise and several instruments confuse it, and a very quiet or very low sound may give no reading. Your microphone sound is analysed on your device and is never recorded, stored or sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Is my microphone recorded or uploaded?
No. The sound is analysed live in your browser and discarded straight away. Nothing is saved or sent.
Why was the microphone blocked?
The browser asks only once. Open the site settings in your browser, allow the microphone for this page and press Start listening again.
What do sharp and flat mean?
Sharp means the note is higher than it should be, so loosen the string. Flat means it is lower, so tighten it.
What is a cent?
A cent is one hundredth of a semitone. Most people cannot hear a difference smaller than about 5 cents.
Why does the reading jump or disappear?
Background noise, other notes or a fading note make the pitch unclear. Play one clear note, a little louder, and let it ring.
Can it tune a chord?
No. Tune each string on its own, one note at a time.
Next you might need
- Microphone testPress Start and speak: the level meter shows what your microphone picks up., private, runs on your deviceMedia and filesCheckerSound
- Chord finderPick a root and a chord type to see its notes and formula on a piano, hear it, or pick notes to find the chord's name., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- Circle of fifthsPick a key on the circle of fifths to see its key signature, relative key, scale and chords, and hear them on a piano., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- Drum machineBuild a 16-step drum pattern with kick, snare, hi-hats, clap and tom, play it at your tempo and tap live pads on top., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- Metronome: steady beats for music practiceSet the tempo, hear the beat and follow the pendulum., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- SynthPlay and shape a keyboard synth: choose the waveform, envelope, filter and LFO, then play with the mouse, touch, your computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
Popular now
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links