Chromatic Tuner
Play or sing any note and the tuner shows its name, octave, frequency and how many cents it is off, with a strobe-style meter and a live pitch graph. It works for strings, winds, brass and voice, and can display written pitch for B♭, E♭ and F instruments.
Press Start tuner and allow the microphone, then play or sing a note.
Detects any note from C0 to C8. Audio is analysed live in your browser and never uploaded.
How to use the Chromatic Tuner
- Choose your instrument key: Concert pitch for guitar, piano, strings and flute, or B♭, E♭ or F for transposing instruments.
- Press Start tuner and allow microphone access when the browser asks.
- Play a long, steady note. The big display shows the nearest note and octave, plus the exact frequency.
- Adjust until the meter is centred: the strobe stripes stop moving and the bar turns green when you are within ±5 cents.
- Watch the pitch graph to check intonation over time, for example how steady a sustained note or a vibrato is.
Note frequencies and cents
In twelve-tone equal temperament every semitone multiplies the frequency by the twelfth root of two (about 1.05946). With A4 tuned to 440 Hz, the frequency of any note is f = 440 × 2(n − 69) / 12, where n is the MIDI note number (C4 = 60, A4 = 69). The difference between a measured frequency f and a target frequency f₀ in cents is 1200 × log₂(f / f₀); 100 cents make one semitone.
| Note | Octave 2 | Octave 3 | Octave 4 | Octave 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 65.41 Hz | 130.81 Hz | 261.63 Hz | 523.25 Hz |
| D | 73.42 Hz | 146.83 Hz | 293.66 Hz | 587.33 Hz |
| E | 82.41 Hz | 164.81 Hz | 329.63 Hz | 659.26 Hz |
| F | 87.31 Hz | 174.61 Hz | 349.23 Hz | 698.46 Hz |
| G | 98.00 Hz | 196.00 Hz | 392.00 Hz | 783.99 Hz |
| A | 110.00 Hz | 220.00 Hz | 440.00 Hz | 880.00 Hz |
| B | 123.47 Hz | 246.94 Hz | 493.88 Hz | 987.77 Hz |
The tuner's full range runs from C0 (16.35 Hz, below the lowest note of a piano) to C8 (4186.01 Hz, the piano's top note). Very low notes need a good microphone because many small speakers and laptop mics barely pick them up.
Transposing instruments: written vs concert pitch
When a B♭ clarinettist reads a written C, the instrument sounds a concert B♭. To tune from your own part, choose the instrument key and the tuner adds the right interval to what it hears.
| Key | Instruments | Sounds below written by | Concert A4 reads as |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | Trumpet, cornet, clarinet, soprano & tenor sax | Major 2nd (2 semitones; tenor sax an extra octave) | B4 |
| E♭ | Alto & baritone sax, E♭ clarinet, alto horn | Major 6th (9 semitones; baritone an extra octave) | F♯5 |
| F | French horn, English horn | Perfect 5th (7 semitones) | E5 |
Instruments that sound an extra octave lower than written (tenor and baritone saxophone, bass clarinet) show the correct note name but an octave number one lower than written.
How many cents is "in tune"?
- ±5 cents — the green zone on this tuner. Differences this small are hard to hear on a single note.
- ±10–20 cents — clearly audible when two instruments play together, as a slow beating or "wobble".
- Equal temperament vs just intonation — a perfectly tuned major third is 13.7 cents lower than the equal-tempered third, and a pure fifth is 2 cents wider. Singers and string or wind players often adjust thirds and fifths by ear in chords, so a tuner reading slightly off on those notes is not always wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chromatic tuner?
A chromatic tuner recognises all twelve notes of the chromatic scale in every octave, rather than only the six notes of a guitar's strings. That makes it suitable for any instrument, for alternate tunings and for singing.
What do B♭, E♭ and F mean in the instrument key menu?
Transposing instruments read music in a different key from the sound they produce. A B♭ trumpet or clarinet sounds a whole tone lower than written, an E♭ alto saxophone sounds a major sixth lower and an F horn a perfect fifth lower. Choose your instrument's key and the tuner shows the written note you see on your part; the concert pitch is shown underneath.
How does the strobe meter work?
The stripes move left when the note is flat and right when it is sharp, and the speed shows how far off you are. When you are exactly in tune they stand still, which makes small deviations easy to see, just like a mechanical strobe tuner.
How accurate is this online tuner?
On a clean, steady tone the pitch detection is accurate to well under one cent. In practice accuracy is limited by your microphone, background noise and how steady the note is, so read the meter once the note has settled after the attack.
Why does the tuner show the wrong octave sometimes?
Some instruments and voices have a very strong second harmonic, and a few notes such as low bass notes have a weak fundamental. Play a little louder and closer to the microphone and let the note sustain. The note name is still correct even if the octave number jumps.
Can I tune to A = 442 Hz or 432 Hz?
Yes. Set the A4 calibration anywhere from 430 to 450 Hz with the − and + buttons or by typing a value. All notes are then calculated relative to that reference.
Can I use it to check my singing?
Yes. Sing a steady note and the tuner shows which note you are singing and whether you are flat or sharp. The pitch graph is useful for practising holding a note steadily.