Chromatic Tuner Online — Tune Any Instrument

A chromatic tuner detects any of the twelve notes of the equal-tempered scale and shows how far the played pitch sits from the nearest one, in cents. It is not tied to a set of guitar strings or an instrument preset, so it works for any instrument that can hold a steady pitch.

How to use it

1. Start the tuner. Press Start Tuner (Microphone) and allow microphone access. The audio is analysed in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
2. Play a note and hold it steady. The display shows the nearest note name, the detected frequency and the cents offset. A single clean note gives a better reading than a phrase.
3. Read the name and the cents together. The name tells you which semitone you are nearest; the cents value and the needle tell you how far off it is. The needle covers -50 to +50 cents.
4. Adjust the instrument until the reading is inside your tolerance. The tuner offers ±1, ±3 and ±5 cents; the default is ±3 cents. Tighter tolerances suit studio work, wider ones suit a noisy room or an instrument that drifts.
5. Check the reference pitch before you start. A4 = 440 Hz is the default, and the chips set A415 to A444. Match the value your ensemble or recording uses.
6. There are no string cards in chromatic mode. The target is whatever note you play, so the display follows you across the range instead of naming a string.

What cents are

One cent is one hundredth of a semitone. Equal temperament divides the octave into twelve equal semitones, and each semitone into 100 cents, so an octave is 1200 cents. Cents are a ratio, not a fixed frequency: 10 cents sharp of A4 is a different number of hertz from 10 cents sharp of A3.

Note	Frequency (A4 = 440 Hz)
C4	261.63 Hz
C#4	277.18 Hz
D4	293.66 Hz
D#4	311.13 Hz
E4	329.63 Hz
F4	349.23 Hz
F#4	369.99 Hz
G4	392.00 Hz
G#4	415.30 Hz
A4	440.00 Hz
A#4	466.16 Hz
B4	493.88 Hz

The tuner displays whichever octave you play, so the same note name appears at different frequencies across the instrument’s range. A reading of +10 ¢ is a small but real offset: on a sustained note it is easy to hear when two players sound the same pitch, because the two notes beat against each other.

When a chromatic tuner beats an instrument preset

• Transposing instruments. The tuner reads the note that actually sounds, which is what you need when the written note and the sounding note are different. A Bb clarinet’s written C sounds as Bb, and the display will say so.
• Instruments with no fixed string set. Flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, horns and voices have no open-string preset; every note is a target. Chromatic mode is the only sensible option.
• Tunings outside the preset list. If you use an unusual tuning, chromatic mode lets you tune each string to the note you want instead of the nearest standard preset.
• Checking individual notes for intonation. A preset tells you whether the open string is in tune. Chromatic mode lets you check any note on the neck or any fingered note, which is how you find an intonation problem rather than a tuning one.
• Tuning to a reference that is not A4 = 440. Some ensembles tune to 442 or another standard; the reference chips and slider cover A415 to A444, and chromatic mode applies that reference to every note.
• Instruments that drift as they warm up. Wind and brass instruments change pitch with temperature. A chromatic readout lets the player watch the note move while adjusting a slide or barrel.

Band and orchestra use

The tuning note

Orchestras tune to an A, usually sounded by the oboe. Wind bands commonly tune to a concert Bb. Either way, the tuner’s job is the same: show the player how far their note sits from the ensemble’s reference, so the section can be brought together.

Transposing instruments

The tuner displays concert pitch. Players of transposing instruments read a different note from the one that sounds, so the display can look “wrong” until the relationship is understood.

Instrument	Written C sounds as	Interval from written
Bb clarinet	Bb	Major second below
Bb trumpet	Bb	Major second below
Eb alto saxophone	Eb	Major sixth below
Bb tenor saxophone	Bb	Major ninth below
F horn	F	Perfect fifth below

Piccolo and double bass are different cases: they are written in the same key as the tuner’s concert pitch but sound an octave above and an octave below what is written, so the note name matches while the octave does not.

Warm up before you tune

Wind and brass instruments change pitch as they warm up, and a cold instrument can sit noticeably flat. Play for a few minutes, then tune. If the ensemble re-tunes later in a rehearsal, use the same reference so the whole group moves together.

Accuracy and limits

• Room noise competes with the note. The tuner follows the strongest periodic signal it receives, so a loud room, a fan or another player can take over the reading. Tune one instrument at a time, or move away from the section.
• Vibrato and fast passages are hard to read. The tuner needs a steady note. Play or sing a straight tone and hold it long enough for the reading to settle.
• Very low and very high notes are the hard cases. Small microphones lose sensitivity at the extremes, and the detector is working near its configured limits there.
• The configured range is 25 Hz to 2200 Hz. The low B0 of a five-string bass (30.87 Hz) is inside that range. The highest equal-tempered note inside the ceiling is C7 (2093 Hz); anything above it, including the top of a piccolo’s range, is outside it.
• A weak fundamental can produce an octave error. When a note’s fundamental is quiet and its harmonics dominate, the display can jump an octave. Play the note clearly and check the frequency readout against the note name.
• The reference pitch affects every target. If the display seems consistently sharp or flat across the whole instrument, check the reference setting before adjusting anything.

Safety

• Tuning a stringed instrument up to pitch can break strings. Raise strings in small increments and stop at the target. If a string is sharp, lower it below the note and come back up.
• Do not force stuck tuning slides, pegs or keys. On woodwinds, a binding slide or tenon can crack if it is forced; on strings, a peg that will not turn is usually a string binding in the nut. Ease it free.
• Do not strain your voice to feed the tuner. If you are tuning by singing, keep the note in a comfortable range and stop if it hurts.
• Mind the volume around you. A tuner does not play tones in chromatic mode, but the instrument itself can be loud. Protect your hearing in a full section.
• Tune in a safe place. Stop playing before adjusting an instrument, especially on a stage or in a crowded room.