Live microphone tuner
Pitch Detector
Find the note you are singing or playing, see whether it is flat or sharp, and track pitch stability in real time.
Detector setup
Your browser will ask for microphone permission. No audio is uploaded or saved.
Detected note
Live pitch trail
Deviation from the nearest note over the last few seconds.
Session summary
Updates while the detector is running.
Recent sessions
Stored only for this browser tab.
Completed sessions will appear here.
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Online Pitch Detector
Use the online pitch detector to identify the musical note you are singing or playing through your microphone. The tool displays the nearest note and octave, exact frequency in Hertz, tuning deviation in cents, signal strength, pitch stability, and target-note accuracy.
All microphone analysis happens inside your browser. The tool requests microphone access through the browser’s media API and reads the incoming waveform with the Web Audio API.
How to Use the Online Pitch Detector
- Select Start microphone.
- Allow microphone access when your browser asks.
- Sing or play one clear, sustained note.
- Watch the detected note, frequency, tuning meter, and stability indicators.
- Select Stop detector when finished.
For the clearest reading, use one voice or instrument at a time. Spoken words, chords, background music, and rapidly changing notes may prevent the detector from finding a stable fundamental pitch.
Choose the Right Detection Mode
The selected mode limits the frequency range searched by the detector.
| Mode | Detection range | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | 45–2500 Hz | General voice and instrument detection |
| Voice | 65–1100 Hz | Singing and sustained vocal sounds |
| Instrument | 27.5–4200 Hz | Instruments with lower or higher notes |
Start with Automatic. Select Voice when singing or Instrument when the automatic reading jumps between octaves or struggles with very low or high notes.
These modes do not identify your voice type or instrument. They only change the frequency range used during pitch detection.
Set A4 Calibration and the Noise Gate
A4 Calibration
The default calibration is A4 = 440 Hz, which is the standard setting for most practice situations. You can adjust it from 410 to 480 Hz when matching an ensemble, historical tuning, or an instrument calibrated to another reference pitch.
Changing A4 affects:
- The nearest note assigned to a frequency
- The expected frequency of each note
- The cents reading
- The built-in reference tones
Leave the setting at 440 Hz unless you have a specific reason to use another reference.
Noise Gate
The noise gate controls how strong the microphone signal must be before pitch analysis begins.
| Setting | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Very low or Low | The voice or instrument is quiet |
| Medium | The room is reasonably quiet |
| High or Very high | Background noise triggers false readings |
A high noise gate does not improve pitch accuracy by itself. It simply ignores weaker audio. If the tool keeps showing Waiting for a clear pitch, lower the gate or move slightly closer to the microphone.
How the Pitch Detector Calculates the Note
The detector processes the microphone waveform in several stages:
- It measures the signal’s root-mean-square level.
- It compares that level with the selected noise-gate threshold.
- It searches the waveform for repeating patterns within the active mode’s frequency range.
- It estimates the fundamental frequency from the strongest repeating period.
- It smooths recent frequency readings to reduce sudden jumps.
- It locks onto the most consistent recent note.
- It maps the frequency to the nearest note in 12-tone equal temperament.
In equal temperament, each semitone has a frequency ratio of (2^{1/12}). The plugin converts frequency to a MIDI-style note value using the selected A4 calibration:
note value = 69 + 12 × log₂(frequency ÷ A4 frequency)
It rounds that value to the nearest note, calculates the note’s expected frequency, and then measures the difference in cents:
cents = 1200 × log₂(detected frequency ÷ expected frequency)
One semitone equals 100 cents. A value close to zero means the detected pitch is close to the nearest equal-tempered note.
How to Read the Results
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Detected note | The nearest note name and octave, such as A4 or C♯5 |
| Frequency | The measured fundamental frequency in Hz |
| Cents | Distance above or below the nearest note |
| Stability | Consistency of recent frequency readings |
| Signal | Current microphone signal strength on the tool’s internal scale |
| Target accuracy | Proximity to the selected target note |
| Live pitch trail | Recent cents movement around the nearest notes |
Flat, Sharp, and In Tune
A negative cents value means the pitch is flat. A positive value means it is sharp.
The plugin reports In tune when the pitch is within five cents of the nearest note. The tuning meter displays a range from −50 to +50 cents:
- −50 cents: halfway toward the note below
- 0 cents: centered on the nearest note
- +50 cents: halfway toward the note above
Do not try to freeze the meter perfectly at zero. Natural singing and many instruments contain small pitch movement. Aim for a centered average with controlled, repeatable variation.
Stability Score
Stability measures how much recent frequency readings move relative to one another. A higher percentage means the pitch has remained more consistent over the short analysis window.
It is not a grade for vocal tone, musicianship, vibrato, or overall performance. A deliberately changing pitch can produce a low stability score even when performed correctly.
Signal Strength
Signal indicates the measured microphone level relative to the detector’s internal scale. A very low signal may produce intermittent readings, while an extremely strong or distorted input may also be difficult to analyze.
Signal strength is not a calibrated sound-pressure measurement and does not represent microphone quality.
Target-Note Accuracy
Choose a note from C1 through B7 in the Target note menu. The tool compares the detected pitch with that exact note, including its octave.
Target accuracy begins at 100% when the detected pitch matches the target and decreases as the total cents distance increases. The plugin shows Target matched at 95% accuracy or higher.
This differs from the main cents meter. The cents meter compares your pitch with the nearest note; target accuracy compares it with the specific note you selected.
Live Pitch Trail and Session Summary
The live pitch trail shows recent cents deviation from the nearest detected note. A line near the center indicates consistent intonation. A line that repeatedly drifts upward suggests the pitch is becoming sharper; a downward drift suggests it is becoming flatter.
The chart is not a waveform, melody transcription, musical staff, or chord analyzer.
During a session, the tool also reports:
- Lowest: Lowest detected session frequency and its nearest note
- Highest: Highest detected session frequency and its nearest note
- Average: Mean of the retained frequency readings
- Stable time: Time spent within five cents while stability was at least 72%
When you stop the detector, the session is added to Recent sessions. History includes the average, lowest and highest notes, session duration, and stable time. It uses sessionStorage, so it is limited to the current browser tab rather than permanent account-based tracking.
Practice with Reference Tones
The reference-tone control can play any chromatic note from C1 through B7. Its frequency follows the current A4 calibration setting.
A useful practice routine is:
- Select the note you want from both the Target note and Reference tone menus.
- Keep the reference-tone volume comfortable.
- Play the tone and listen closely.
- Stop the tone.
- Sing or play the note.
- Check the target accuracy, cents reading, and stability score.
- Repeat while trying to reduce consistent sharp or flat drift.
The Copy result button copies the current note, frequency, cents value, and stability percentage as plain text.
Tips for More Reliable Detection
- Hold one note steadily for at least a moment.
- Avoid playing chords or allowing several voices to reach the microphone.
- Reduce fans, music, conversation, and other background noise.
- Keep a consistent distance from the microphone.
- Lower the noise gate for soft singing or quiet instruments.
- Raise it when background sound produces unwanted readings.
- Use Voice or Instrument mode when Automatic mode is unstable.
- Judge the sustained portion of a note rather than its initial attack.
- Avoid covering the microphone on a phone or tablet.
- Confirm that the correct microphone is enabled in browser or operating-system settings.
What This Pitch Detector Does Not Do
The tool detects a single dominant pitch in real time. It does not:
- Correct or modify your audio
- Apply Auto-Tune
- Detect chords reliably
- Transcribe a melody into notation
- Identify a song’s key or tempo
- Classify your vocal type
- Measure your complete singable vocal range
- Record or play back microphone audio
- Save long-term progress to an account
These distinctions matter because pitch detection, pitch correction, vocal-range testing, and music transcription are separate tasks.
Privacy and Browser Requirements
Microphone permission is required before the detector can listen. Browser microphone access is provided through getUserMedia(), which prompts the user and returns an audio stream when permission is granted.
The plugin analyzes that stream locally and does not upload or save microphone audio. Only session summaries are placed in the current tab’s sessionStorage.
Use a current browser with JavaScript, microphone access, and Web Audio API support. Microphone access may fail when permission is denied, no input device is available, another application is using the microphone, or browser security settings block access.
Frequently Asked Questions
What note am I singing?
Start the microphone and hold one steady sung note. The detector displays the nearest note name and octave, such as G3 or C♯5, together with the measured frequency and cents deviation.
What do negative and positive cents mean?
Negative cents mean your pitch is flat relative to the nearest note. Positive cents mean it is sharp, while a value near zero means it is close to the center of that note.
How close must I be for the tool to show “In tune”?
The plugin displays In tune when the detected pitch is within five cents of the nearest note. This threshold applies to the main tuning result, not the separate target-accuracy percentage.
Why does the detected note keep changing?
The sound may be too quiet, noisy, unstable, or rich in competing frequencies. Hold one note, adjust the noise gate, maintain a consistent microphone distance, and try the Voice or Instrument mode that matches your source.
What does A4 calibration change?
A4 calibration sets the reference frequency used to calculate all note frequencies, cents values, and reference tones. The default is 440 Hz, but the plugin allows settings from 410 to 480 Hz.
Can I use the pitch detector for instruments?
Yes. Select Instrument mode for a search range of 27.5–4200 Hz, then play one clear note at a time. The detector is chromatic, so it can identify any nearest note rather than only standard guitar-string pitches.
Can the tool detect chords?
No. It is designed to find one dominant fundamental frequency. Chords and overlapping voices contain several pitches, which can cause unstable or misleading note readings.
Is my microphone audio recorded or uploaded?
No. The plugin processes the microphone stream locally in the browser and does not save or upload the audio. Recent session summaries are stored only in the current browser tab.
Does this tool correct my singing pitch?
No. It provides visual feedback but does not alter, tune, or process your voice. Use the cents meter, target accuracy, stability score, and reference tones to practice making your own adjustments.