What note am I singing? Press start, allow microphone access and hold a single note. The pitch detector shows the note name with its octave (for example A3 or F#4), the frequency in hertz, and a cents meter that tells you whether you are sharp, flat or dead on. A moving line traces your pitch over the last few seconds,. You can also drop in an audio file to get the median note and a pitch-over-time graph for the whole clip. It is free, needs no sign-up, and runs in your browser; your audio is never uploaded.
Example result
Input
A singer holds an open "ah" for about four seconds into a laptop microphone, aiming for the G above middle C.
Output
Live display: G4, 390.5 Hz. The cents meter hovers around -7, so the note is a touch flat of a centered G (392.0 Hz with A4 at 440). The pitch history line starts a little low, rises into the note within the first half second, then shows a gentle, even ripple, which is vibrato. Near the end the line dips as the breath runs out. File mode on the same take: median note G4, median frequency 391.4 Hz, -3 cents, pitched audio 86% of the analyzed frames. The rest is breath and silence around the note.
How it works
How Pitch Detector works
- 01
Choose microphone or file
Live mode listens to your mic continuously. File mode reads the first 60 seconds of a recording you pick, which is handy for checking a voice memo or a practice take after the fact.
- 02
Find the repeating cycle
Every pitched sound repeats its waveform many times per second. The detector uses the YIN algorithm to find that repeat length in short slices of audio, then converts it to a frequency in hertz. Quiet or unclear frames are skipped rather than guessed.
- 03
Name the note
The frequency is mapped to the nearest note of the equal-tempered scale and the gap is shown in cents (100 cents make one semitone). A slider lets you move the A4 reference anywhere from 430 to 450 Hz if your band or orchestra tunes away from 440.
- 04
Smooth and plot
Live readings are smoothed over the latest few frames so the display does not flicker. For files, you get the median note, median frequency and the share of the clip that had a clear pitch.
Use cases
Who it is for
Singers checking intonation
Hold the first note of a song and see whether you start on pitch, then watch the cents meter as you sustain it. Seeing a note sag by twenty cents at the end of a phrase teaches your ear faster than guessing.
Figuring out a melody by ear
Hum a line from a tune stuck in your head one note at a time and write down each note name.
Tuning a single string or wind instrument
Pluck one open string or play one long tone and nudge it until the meter centers. Use the A4 slider for groups tuned to 442 or older recordings pitched near 432.
Checking your speaking pitch
Say a sustained vowel at your natural speaking level to see roughly where your voice sits in hertz. Voice trainers often use this as a simple reference point.
Tips
Get better results
- Sing or play one note at a time. Chords, harmonies and full songs with drums confuse any single-pitch detector.
- Use a quiet room and get fairly close to the mic; if the tool says it cannot hear much, raise your input level.
- Hold notes for at least a second. The first moments of a sung note often scoop up to the target, so judge the steady middle.
- For low notes like a bass guitar string, give the sound a moment to settle; the lowest readable pitch is around 60 Hz.
Limitations
What it can't tell you
This is a monophonic detector: it reads one clear pitch at a time and will not name chords or pull a melody out of a mixed song. Very low or very breathy sounds, strong room echo and whispered notes may show no pitch at all. It is a practice aid, not a certified tuning device for instrument repair or calibration work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pitch Detector questions
How do I find out what note I am singing?
Open the pitch detector, press Start microphone and allow access when your browser asks. Sing an open vowel and hold it steadily. The large letter is the note name, the small number next to it is the octave, and the cents meter below shows how far you are from the center of that note.
Is this online pitch detector really free?
Yes. The detector runs entirely in your browser with the Web Audio API, so there is no account, no upload and no usage limit. Your audio stays on your device.
Can I use it as an online tuner?
For one string or one sustained note at a time, yes. Play the note, read its name and move toward zero cents. It does not auto-select strings the way a dedicated guitar tuner app does, so you need to know which note each string should be.
What do cents mean on the meter?
A cent is one hundredth of a semitone. A reading of +20 means you are a fifth of a semitone sharp; -50 means you are halfway to the next note down. Offsets of a few cents are hard to hear, while bigger ones start to sound sour, especially on long held notes or against a fixed instrument like a piano.
Can it find the key of a whole song?
No. It follows a single pitch, so a full mix with bass, chords and vocals will not give a clean reading. To find the key of a track, use the key finder instead, and for the chords underneath a song, try the chord progression analyzer.
Why does the note sometimes jump an octave?
Octave jumps happen when a sound has strong overtones or a weak fundamental, which is common with breathy singing, low male voices and some instruments. A brighter vowel or moving closer to the mic usually steadies it.
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Pitch Detector runs in your browser. LindaleAI's AI analysis tools use credits from a paid plan. See pricing