Free Online Pitch Detector
Real-time pitch detection with voice type awareness. Fix the octave error problem — designed for singers.
A pitch detector is a browser-based tool that listens through your microphone and identifies the exact musical note you are singing or playing — displaying the note name (e.g. A4), its frequency in hertz, and how many cents sharp or flat you are from perfect pitch. Unlike generic chromatic tuners, this pitch detector is voice-aware: select your voice type (Soprano, Tenor, Bass, etc.) and it locks to the correct octave automatically, eliminating the octave errors that affect singers on standard tuning apps. You can also use our free key finder to identify the key of a song, or generate reference tones with the tone generator.
Select your voice type
My instrument is tuned to…
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Related Free Music Tools
Voice-Aware Detection
Select your voice type (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) and get accurate octave identification — no more reading C3 when you sing C4.
Stable High-Note Reading
Confidence indicator shows signal reliability. In high register, you see a clear stability gauge — not a jittering needle.
Live vs Recording Compare
See your real-time pitch curve alongside your recorded playback curve on the same screen to spot intonation drift instantly.
How the Pitch Detector Works
- 1.
Grant Mic Access
Click Start Detection and allow your browser to access your microphone. No audio is ever sent to any server — all processing happens locally inside your browser using the Web Audio API. Your voice stays completely private.
- 2.
Select Your Voice Type
Choose your voice category — Soprano, Mezzo, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, or Bass. This tells the pitch detection algorithm which octave range to prefer, eliminating the octave-error problem that plagues generic pitch detectors when used by singers.
- 3.
Sing or Play
As you sing, speak, or play an instrument, the pitch detector shows the note name (e.g. A4, C#5), its frequency in Hz, and how many cents sharp or flat you are from perfect tuning. The pitch curve scrolls live on screen so you can track your intonation history at a glance.
Supported Voice Types & Ranges
Most pitch detectors treat all voices the same, causing male voices to read one octave too low and high sopranos to be misidentified in the break register. Our free online pitch detector uses voice-type priors so each singer gets the correct octave every time — no manual octave shifting required.
Soprano
F3 – G5
The highest female voice. Common in classical opera, choral music, and contemporary pop. Sopranos frequently trigger octave errors in generic tuners — our voice-aware mode locks to the correct octave.
Mezzo-Soprano
E3 – F5
A rich, middle female voice — statistically the most common female voice type. The mezzo range bridges the chest and head registers, making accurate octave detection especially important.
Alto
D3 – E5
The lowest female voice, prized for its warm, full chest register. Alto singers often overlap with the tenor range, so voice-type selection prevents misidentification.
Tenor
C3 – C5
The highest common male voice. Central to opera, pop, and choral music. Without voice-type awareness, tenor high notes are frequently read as alto notes by standard pitch detectors.
Baritone
A2 – A4
The most common male voice — powerful mid-range with a characteristically dark timbre. Baritones benefit most from our confidence indicator when pushing into their upper passaggio.
Bass
E2 – E4
The lowest male voice, prized for its depth and resonance. Sub-bass frequencies can challenge standard autocorrelation algorithms — our YIN-based engine handles them reliably.
Who Uses This Pitch Detector?
Singers & Vocal Students
Get instant feedback on every note you produce. Use the cents gauge to build muscle memory for precise intonation. Record a reference phrase, then sing again and compare your live pitch curve to the orange reference line — a fast, visual way to identify exactly where your pitch drifts.
Vocal Coaches & Music Teachers
Show students their real-time pitch curve on a shared screen during lessons. The confidence indicator makes it easy to spot unstable high notes and guide students toward better breath support and resonance. No software installation required — just open a browser tab.
Choir Directors & Section Leaders
Use the singing note detector to verify section pitch accuracy in rehearsal. Assign voice parts accurately using the vocal range test — determine who is a true Alto versus a low Mezzo-Soprano in minutes.
Instrumentalists & Ear Trainers
Whether you play violin, flute, or trombone, our pitch detector reads monophonic input with high accuracy. Use it alongside our guitar tuner for string instruments, or pair it with the free online metronome for ear-training exercises and interval recognition practice — all without installing any additional software or apps.
YIN Pitch Detection Algorithm
Our pitch detector is powered by the YIN algorithm — one of the most robust monophonic pitch estimation methods available, developed by de Cheveigné & Kawahara (2002). YIN uses an autocorrelation-based approach combined with a Cumulative Mean Normalized Difference function, making it resilient to noise and harmonics. We add an Exponential Moving Average smoother on top to reduce perceptual jitter without introducing perceptible latency.
100% Private — No Upload, No Account
All audio processing runs inside your browser using the Web Audio API. Your microphone signal never leaves your device. We do not record, store, or transmit any audio data to any server. No account creation is required — open the page and start detecting immediately. The tool continues to work entirely offline once the page has loaded. Your privacy is guaranteed by design.
Common Note Frequencies (Hz)
Every musical note corresponds to a specific frequency in Hertz. This pitch detector identifies the exact frequency of your voice or instrument and maps it to the nearest note. Here are the most common reference frequencies:
| Note | Frequency (Hz) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C4 | 261.63 | Middle C — reference note for beginners |
| E4 | 329.63 | Open high E string on guitar |
| G4 | 392.00 | Open G string on guitar |
| A4 | 440.00 | International standard tuning pitch (A440) |
| C5 | 523.25 | C above middle C — tenor high note |
| E5 | 659.25 | Open A string on violin |
| C6 | 1046.50 | High C — soprano territory |
| E2 | 82.41 | Lowest open string on bass guitar |
Frequently Asked Questions
A pitch detector is a tool that listens to a sound through your microphone and identifies the musical note being produced — including the note name (e.g. A4), its frequency in Hz, and how many cents sharp or flat it is from perfect tuning.
Most pitch detectors don't account for voice type, causing male voices to often read one octave too low. Our tool lets you select your voice type (e.g. Tenor, Bass) so the algorithm uses the correct frequency range and gives you accurate octave readings.
High-frequency signals can be harder to track reliably. We display a Confidence Indicator so you always know how trustworthy the current reading is. A low-confidence signal means you should move closer to the mic or reduce background noise.
No. All processing happens locally in your browser using the Web Audio API. No audio data is ever uploaded or stored.
Yes. The tool is fully responsive and works on iOS (Safari) and Android (Chrome). No app download required.
Any microphone that your browser can access will work. A directional headset mic or USB condenser mic gives significantly better results than a built-in laptop microphone because it reduces room noise and keyboard click interference. For casual practice a built-in mic is sufficient in a quiet room.
The confidence bar reflects how reliably the YIN algorithm identified a fundamental frequency in the audio frame. It turns red when the signal-to-noise ratio is too low, when the note is being attacked or released rather than sustained, or when multiple frequencies are present simultaneously. Move closer to the mic and reduce background noise to improve confidence.
Yes. It works with any monophonic (single-note) audio source: voice, violin, flute, guitar (single strings), trumpet, and more. Polyphonic inputs such as chords on a piano or guitar will produce unreliable readings because the algorithm is designed for one pitch at a time.
Yes. The pitch detector works with any monophonic sound source — voice, guitar, violin, flute, and more. Play each string individually and the tool will show the detected note name and cents deviation so you can tune to pitch.
Both use the same detection engine, but serve different goals. The pitch detector focuses on real-time note-by-note accuracy for checking intonation. The vocal range test maps your full singing range from lowest to highest note, helping you identify your voice type (Soprano, Tenor, Bass etc.).
Frequency is the physical measurement of sound vibrations per second (Hz). Pitch is the musical label we assign to a frequency — for example, the note A4 corresponds to 440 Hz. Our pitch detector shows both values simultaneously.
Under good conditions (quiet room, close-mic, sustained note, correct voice type selected), the YIN algorithm produces pitch estimates accurate to within 1-2 Hz, well within 5 cents for the mid-vocal range. Accuracy decreases at the extremes of the vocal range, during rapid note transitions, and in noisy environments.
The tool requires Web Audio API and getUserMedia support. All modern browsers support these: Chrome 74+, Firefox 76+, Safari 14.5+, Edge 79+. Internet Explorer is not supported.
An octave detector is a pitch detection tool that correctly identifies which octave a note belongs to — not just the note letter name, but whether it is C3, C4, or C5. Most online pitch detectors fail at octave detection for singers because they don't account for voice type. This tool acts as an octave detector by letting you select your voice type (Soprano to Bass), which constrains the frequency search range so the correct octave is always identified.
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