Pitch Detector
Detect the note you are singing or playing, see frequency in Hz, and check whether the pitch is flat, sharp, or in tune.
Allow microphone access, then sing or play one steady note.
Microphone audio is analyzed locally in your browser by this plugin. It is not uploaded for pitch calculation.
Recent stable pitches
Stored only for the current browser session.
Pitch detection can be affected by microphone quality, room noise, harmonics, vibrato and octave errors. This tool is designed for practical pitch checking, not laboratory measurement.
A Pitch Detector listens to a single sung or played note through your microphone and identifies its musical pitch in real time. The tool shows the nearest note, octave, frequency in Hertz, tuning deviation in cents, and whether the sound is flat, sharp, or in tune.
Use the detector above when you want to check a singing note, tune an instrument, identify an unknown pitch, practice intonation, or compare a measured frequency with a musical note. If your goal is specifically to watch vocal pitch over a longer practice session, the Vocal Pitch Monitor is a useful next tool.
How to Use the Pitch Detector
Start the detector and allow microphone access when your browser asks for permission. Then sing or play one clear, sustained note.
For the cleanest result:
- Use a quiet room.
- Avoid background music.
- Produce one note at a time.
- Hold the pitch steadily.
- Keep your microphone at a consistent distance.
- Avoid strong vibrato while checking tuning.
- Choose the preset that best matches your voice or instrument.
When the detector finds a stable pitch, it displays the note name, frequency, cents deviation, octave, target frequency, and tuning status.
For example, you might see:
A4 — 438.8 Hz — -4.7 cents — In Tune
This means the sound is closest to A4, measures about 438.8 Hz, and sits slightly below the target pitch.
If you already have a frequency and only need to identify the corresponding musical note, use the Hz to Note Converter instead.
Understanding the Pitch Detector Result
A pitch result contains several measurements. Each one tells you something different.
Note and Octave
A result such as C4, F#3, or A5 combines a note name with an octave number.
The note name tells you the nearest position in the chromatic scale, while the octave tells you which version of that note was detected.
This distinction matters because C3 and C4 share the same note name but have different frequencies.
Frequency in Hz
Frequency measures how many vibration cycles occur per second.
Pitch and frequency are closely related: higher frequencies are generally perceived as higher pitches.
The standard reference commonly used in modern tuning is:
A4 = 440 Hz
An octave above A4 is approximately 880 Hz, while the octave below is approximately 220 Hz.
If you want to work in the opposite direction and find the frequency of a particular note, try the Note to Frequency Converter.
What Does Cents Mean?
A cent is a small unit used to measure the distance between pitches.
There are 100 cents in one semitone.
The Pitch Detector compares your measured frequency with the exact target frequency of the nearest note and reports the difference in cents.
A result such as:
-18 centsmeans the pitch is below the target.0 centsmeans it matches the target frequency.+15 centsmeans the pitch is above the target.
This is more informative than simply displaying a note name because two sounds can both be identified as A4 while one is slightly flat and the other is slightly sharp.
Flat, Sharp, and In Tune
The tuning indicator converts the cents measurement into an easier visual interpretation.
Flat means the detected pitch is lower than the nearest target note.
Sharp means the detected pitch is higher.
In Tune means the pitch is close to the target frequency within the detector’s practical tolerance.
For vocal practice, you do not need to make every instant land at exactly 0.0 cents. Human voices naturally move, and vibrato intentionally causes pitch variation. The meter is most useful for checking the center of a sustained note.
How Real-Time Pitch Detection Works
When you start the tool, your browser receives audio from your microphone and analyzes the incoming waveform.
The detector looks for a repeating pattern associated with the sound’s fundamental frequency. Once it finds a reliable frequency, it compares that measurement with frequencies in the musical note system.
The nearest note is then calculated according to the selected reference pitch.
The tool also watches how much the pitch changes across consecutive measurements. A stable reading receives more confidence than a brief or rapidly changing signal.
This is why the detector may temporarily show messages such as:
- Listening
- Too quiet
- Stabilizing
- Stable pitch
Those states help prevent every small burst of noise from being treated as a meaningful musical note.
Using the Pitch Detector for Singing
Singers can use the tool to check whether they are matching a target note accurately.
Start with a comfortable pitch and sustain a vowel such as “ah.” Watch the tuning meter and try to center the pitch without tightening your throat or forcing the sound.
The detector is also useful for:
- pitch-matching exercises;
- checking scales;
- practicing interval accuracy;
- testing sustained notes;
- monitoring sharp or flat tendencies;
- finding the note you are currently singing.
If you want to use pitch measurements to explore your complete low-to-high singing span, use the Singing Voice Test or Vocal Range Calculator.
For broader information about the frequencies commonly produced by human voices, see our guide to Voice Frequency Range.
Using the Pitch Detector for Instruments
The detector can also function as a chromatic tuning aid for many monophonic instruments.
Play one note or string at a time and watch the cents meter.
If the pitch is flat, raise it carefully. If it is sharp, lower it until the reading approaches the center.
Presets can help narrow the expected frequency range for sources such as:
- Guitar
- Violin
- Low voice
- Mid voice
- High voice
- General chromatic sounds
The tool is designed for single-note pitch detection. It is not intended to identify the individual pitches inside complex chords or dense polyphonic audio.
A4 Reference Pitch
The default tuning reference is A4 = 440 Hz.
This reference determines the calculated frequencies of the notes around it. If you change the A4 setting, the target frequencies shown by the detector change accordingly.
This can be useful when working with an ensemble, historical tuning practice, or an instrument tuned to a reference other than 440 Hz.
The important point is consistency: all musicians or tools involved in the same tuning workflow should use the same reference.
Why Does the Detected Pitch Jump Around?
Unstable readings do not always mean the detector is malfunctioning.
Common causes include:
- background noise;
- strong room echo;
- rapid vibrato;
- sliding between notes;
- a weak microphone signal;
- multiple notes playing simultaneously;
- harmonics that compete with the fundamental pitch;
- very breathy or noisy vocal sounds.
Try holding one clean note more steadily.
If you are specifically investigating vocal frequency rather than musical tuning, the Voice Frequency Test may better match that goal.
Accuracy and Limitations
A browser-based Pitch Detector can be very useful for everyday tuning and practice, but its results depend on the audio signal it receives.
Microphone quality, device processing, acoustic reflections, harmonics, background noise, and the nature of the sound source can all affect detection.
Octave errors are also possible when a strong harmonic is interpreted as the fundamental pitch.
For that reason, repeat unusual results and listen critically rather than relying on a single measurement.
This tool should not be treated as laboratory measurement equipment or as a medical analysis of the voice.
Microphone Privacy
The Pitch Detector is designed to perform its pitch analysis in your browser during the active session.
The plugin does not need to upload your microphone audio to calculate the detected note and frequency.
Your browser controls microphone permission. You can stop the detector or revoke permission at any time.
Recent stable pitch readings stored by the tool are session-based and are intended to help you compare readings during your current visit.
For broader site-level information, review the Data Security page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What note am I singing?
Start the detector, allow microphone access, and sing one steady note. The tool will display the nearest musical note and octave.
Can a Pitch Detector show my exact frequency?
It estimates the fundamental frequency of the incoming sound and reports that value in Hz. Accuracy depends on your microphone, acoustic environment, and stability of the source.
What is the difference between pitch and frequency?
Frequency is a physical measurement in Hertz, while pitch is the musical perception and label associated with that frequency.
What does a negative cents value mean?
A negative value means the measured pitch is flat relative to the nearest target note.
What does a positive cents value mean?
A positive value means the pitch is sharp.
Why does my voice show different frequencies while holding one note?
A human voice naturally varies slightly in pitch. Vibrato, breath pressure, vocal technique, and microphone conditions can all create movement in the measurement.
Can I use this tool as a guitar tuner?
Yes. Select the guitar preset and play one string at a time. The detector will show the nearest pitch and its cents deviation.
Can the Pitch Detector recognize chords?
It is intended primarily for one dominant pitch at a time. Chords contain several frequencies simultaneously and can produce unreliable results.