How to use it
- Choose your Instrument and its Tuning.
- Press Start microphone and allow access when your browser asks.
- Play one string at a time and turn its peg until the needle sits in the centre and the reading says In tune.
- Press Stop tuner when you are done.
How the pitch is found
The tuner takes a block of about a tenth of a second of sound and looks for the length of its repeating wave. It uses the YIN method: the block is compared with copies of itself moved by different amounts, and the shift at which they match best is the period of the note. A parabola through the best match refines the period between samples. The method is described in the Wikipedia article on pitch detection, which cites the 2002 paper by de Cheveigné and Kawahara.
cents = 1200 × log2(played frequency ÷ target frequency)Notes, cents and the A4 reference
Equal temperament divides the octave into twelve equal steps. Each semitone is the twelfth root of two, about 5.9 % in frequency, and a semitone is 100 cents, so an octave is 1200 cents. The A4 reference sets the whole scale: 440 Hz is the usual choice, and some players use 432 Hz or 442 Hz. Changing it moves every target.
The tunings
Standard guitar tuning is E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4, from the thickest string to the thinnest, which at A4 = 440 Hz is 82.41, 110, 146.83, 196, 246.94 and 329.63 Hz. DADGAD and Open G are common alternatives. The bağlama and saz tunings follow the Turkish and English Wikipedia articles on the bağlama, which give the same notes for the bottom, middle and top courses. They take the bottom course as La and give no octaves, because instruments of different sizes are tuned at different heights, so the tuner aims at the octave nearest the note you play.
Limits of a microphone tuner
A phone or laptop microphone also hears the room and the other strings. Tune in a quiet room, one string at a time. A string that rings with strong harmonics can be read an octave high or low, so check the note name as well as the needle. This tool is a guide, not a calibrated instrument.
Example: reading the A string
The A string of standard tuning should sound at 110 Hz (A2 with A4 = 440 Hz). Suppose it sounds at 111 Hz. The difference is 1200 × log2(111 ÷ 110) = 15.7 cents sharp, so the needle sits to the right of the centre. Loosen the peg until the reading is within a few cents of in tune.
Frequently asked questions
Is my instrument recorded or sent anywhere?
No. The sound is analysed in your browser and drawn on the page. Nothing is recorded, stored or uploaded, and the microphone is switched off when you stop the tuner or leave the page.
Why does the needle jump between strings?
A note far from every target, or a noisy room, can make the nearest string change. Play one string clearly and the reading settles. The page holds the last reading for about a second when the sound stops.
What is a cent?
A cent is a hundredth of a semitone, so 100 cents make one semitone and 1200 make an octave. Most players tune within about 5 cents, which the tuner shows as in tune.
Why does the bağlama tuning name no octave?
The Wikipedia articles on the bağlama give its tunings as notes only, with the bottom course taken as La; the same tuning is set higher or lower depending on the size of the instrument. The tuner therefore aims at the octave nearest the note you play, so a string tuned an octave away would not show as out of tune.
Which A4 reference should I use?
440 Hz is the standard reference, standardised by ISO 16. Some orchestras and players use 432 Hz or 442 Hz; choose the reference your other instruments or recordings use.
Sources
- Pitch detection algorithm, Wikipedia (YIN and its 2002 reference)
- A440 (pitch standard), Wikipedia
- Guitar tunings, Wikipedia
- DADGAD, Wikipedia
- Bağlama, Turkish Wikipedia (düzenler)
- Bağlama, Wikipedia (Tunings, with its sources)
- Cent (music), Wikipedia
Figures and text last checked on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.