How do I match my tinnitus frequency?

Switch to Tinnitus mode (2–16 kHz), click Play Tone, then use the Fine-tune slider to adjust until the external tone matches the pitch you hear internally. The displayed Hz is your tinnitus frequency.

Dominant Frequency Finder

Identify the single strongest frequency in any sound — in real time. See energy dominance %, frequency band, nearest musical note, and 10-band octave analysis. Four analysis modes: General, Room Resonance, Hum/Noise Identifier, and Tinnitus Matcher. 100% browser-based, no downloads, no audio uploaded.

🔒 100% private — all analysis runs locally in your browser. No audio is ever uploaded or stored.

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Space Start/Stop H Hold C Calibrate T Tone 1 General 2 Room 3 Hum 4 Tinnitus

🎤 Microphone:

Click "Start Listening" to begin. Choose a mode below for your use case.

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Energy Dominance

Dominance

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⬆ Session Peak — Hz

Analysis Mode

Likely cause

Suggested fix

Search Range

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🔊 Tone Match

Controls

Sensitivity -60 dB

FFT Size

Averaging

📊 Live Spectrum (log scale)

Secondary Peaks

Start listening to see secondary peaks

🎚️ Octave Band Analyzer

Dominant Hz Over Time

Session Stats

Readings

Peak Hz

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Peak Band

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Duration

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History Log

Time	Hz	dB	Band	Mode

How to Use the Dominant Frequency Finder

Choose Your Mode

Select the analysis mode that matches your goal: General for any sound, Room Resonance to find standing waves, Hum/Noise to identify 50/60 Hz interference, or Tinnitus to match the pitch of ringing in your ears. Each mode pre-configures the search range and adds helpful visual overlays.
Calibrate (Optional but Recommended)

Click Calibrate (or press C), stay silent for 1.5 seconds, and the tool sets the noise floor automatically. This ensures only genuine sound peaks are detected — not background hiss or air conditioning rumble. Re-calibrate any time the environment changes.
Play or Produce the Sound

For hum identification, leave the microphone running near the noise source. For room resonance, play a sweep or clap in the room. For tinnitus, just be in a quiet room — your microphone will pick up very little, letting you focus on matching the tone. For general analysis, play or sing any sound.
Read the Dominant Frequency

The large Hz display shows the strongest frequency. The Energy Dominance % tells you how much of the total spectrum it accounts for — 60%+ means a very prominent peak. The Band Badge categorizes it: Sub-bass, Bass, Low-mid, Mid, High-mid, Presence, or Air. The Octave Band Analyzer shows where energy is distributed across all 10 standard bands.
Match the Tone & Export

Click Play Tone to hear a sine wave at the detected dominant frequency. In Tinnitus mode, use the Fine-tune slider to match the tone precisely to what you hear. Export your session data as CSV or copy the current reading to clipboard for documentation.

Understanding Your Results

Dominant Frequency vs. Fundamental Frequency

The dominant frequency is the frequency with the highest energy (loudest amplitude) in the spectrum at this moment — not necessarily the lowest one. A guitar string playing A2 (110 Hz) may have its dominant energy at 220 Hz (the octave harmonic) if the body resonates more strongly there. This is different from the fundamental frequency (the true lowest pitch) which requires harmonic analysis. Use the Fundamental Frequency Finder if you need F0.

Energy Dominance %

The Energy Dominance bar shows what percentage of the total spectral power is concentrated in the dominant peak's neighborhood. 70%+ means a very pure, strong single-frequency sound (sine wave, tuning fork, steady hum). 30–60% is typical for instruments and voices. Below 20% means the sound is broadband noise or has many competing frequencies — no single frequency clearly dominates.

Frequency Band Labels

The colored badge classifies the dominant frequency into one of seven standard audio bands: Sub-bass (20–60 Hz) — felt more than heard, bass rumble, HVAC. Bass (60–250 Hz) — kick drum, bass guitar, male voice fundamental. Low-mid (250–500 Hz) — warmth of instruments, muddiness zone. Mid (500 Hz–2 kHz) — presence of most instruments and voices. High-mid (2–4 kHz) — attack, consonants, harshness zone. Presence (4–6 kHz) — clarity, cut-through, breath sounds. Air (6–20 kHz) — shimmer, sibilance, high harmonics.

Octave Band Analyzer

The 10-band analyzer follows standard acoustic measurement practice (ISO 266), showing peak energy in each 1-octave band centered at 31.5 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz, and 16 kHz. The band containing the dominant frequency is highlighted. This is the same standard used in professional noise measurement and room acoustic analysis.

Secondary Peaks

The Secondary Peaks list shows the next three strongest frequencies after the dominant. This is valuable for harmonic analysis — if the dominant is 100 Hz and you see 200 Hz, 300 Hz as runners-up, the source is likely a 100 Hz fundamental with its harmonics. In Hum mode, runners-up often reveal whether the noise source is 50 Hz or 60 Hz based on which harmonic family appears most.

Analysis Modes

General — flat response across 20–20,000 Hz. Best for music, voice, and unknown sources. Room Resonance — narrows to 20–800 Hz and draws harmonic markers (×2, ×3, ×4…) of the dominant peak to help identify room modes and standing waves. Hum/Noise ID — narrows to 20–600 Hz and draws the 50 Hz family (purple: 50, 100, 150, 200 Hz) and the 60 Hz family (orange: 60, 120, 180, 240 Hz) as reference gridlines so you can immediately identify power line interference. Tinnitus — restricts search to 2–16 kHz where tinnitus most commonly occurs and enables the Fine-tune slider (±200 Hz) for precise frequency matching with the tone playback.

Tone Match & Fine-Tune

The Play Tone button generates a pure sine wave at the detected dominant frequency. As the dominant frequency updates, the tone tracks it in real time. In Tinnitus mode, the Fine-tune slider lets you offset the playback frequency by up to ±200 Hz to match the exact pitch you hear — useful for identifying tinnitus frequency for audiologist documentation. Keep the tone volume low to avoid feedback with the microphone.

FFT Resolution & Averaging

The FFT Size setting controls frequency resolution: 8192 bins at 44.1 kHz gives ~5.4 Hz per bin; 32768 gives ~1.3 Hz. Larger FFT = better frequency precision but slightly slower response. The Averaging setting controls temporal smoothing: Fast shows every frame (noisy but responsive), Normal averages 4 frames, Smooth averages 10 frames. For steady hum identification use Smooth; for transient sound bursts use Fast.

Frequency Stability Indicator

Below the main Hz reading, a stability indicator shows variance over the last 10 readings: ● STABLE ±N Hz — the dominant frequency is holding steady (pure tone, steady hum, room mode). ◐ DRIFTING — slight pitch variation (instrument, voice, variable-speed fan). ○ UNSTABLE — frequency is changing rapidly (transient sound, broadband noise). Always wait for a STABLE reading before recording a tinnitus or hum frequency for documentation.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Space — Start / Stop. H — Hold / Resume the display. C — Auto-calibrate noise floor (stay silent for 1.5 s). T — Toggle tone playback on / off. 1 — General mode. 2 — Room mode. 3 — Hum/Noise mode. 4 — Tinnitus mode. All shortcuts are disabled while typing in input fields.

Identifying Hum & Noise Sources

Electrical and mechanical hum follows predictable harmonic patterns based on the power line frequency in your region. Use the quick-reference table below to identify which family your hum belongs to:

Hz	Family	Harmonic	Region	Common source
50	50 Hz	Fundamental	EU / UK / Asia / Africa / AU	Transformers, ballasts, ground loops
60	60 Hz	Fundamental	US / Canada / Mexico / Japan	Power supplies, unbalanced cables
100	50 Hz	2nd (loudest)	EU / UK	Ground loop, motor noise
120	60 Hz	2nd (loudest)	US / Canada	Ground loop, TV/monitor interference
150	50 Hz	3rd	EU / UK	Switch-mode power supplies
180	60 Hz	3rd	US / Canada	Switch-mode power supplies
200	50 Hz	4th	EU / UK	Fluorescent lighting
240	60 Hz	4th	US / Canada	Fluorescent lighting

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50 Hz Power Hum (Europe, Asia, Africa)

Fundamental: 50 Hz. Harmonics: 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 Hz. Sources: transformers, lighting ballasts, poorly shielded cables, ground loops. The 2nd harmonic (100 Hz) is often the loudest.

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60 Hz Power Hum (Americas, Japan)

Fundamental: 60 Hz. Harmonics: 120, 180, 240, 300 Hz. Sources: same as 50 Hz family. The 2nd harmonic (120 Hz) is typically dominant in US residential environments.

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HVAC & Fan Noise

Fan blades create tonal noise: blade pass frequency = RPM/60 × blades. A 4-blade fan at 1500 RPM produces 100 Hz. Use Room Resonance mode to identify motor frequency and room resonances that amplify it.

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Ground Loops & RF Interference

Ground loops produce hum at the power frequency and harmonics. RF interference (from phones, WiFi) often appears as broadband noise with a dominant peak at its carrier frequency. Switch to General mode with the full 20 Hz–20 kHz range to detect RF.

Room Resonance & Standing Waves

Every room has natural resonant frequencies — called room modes or standing waves — where sound is reinforced by reflections between parallel walls. These cause excessive bass buildup at certain spots in the room.

How to Find Room Modes

Switch to Room Resonance mode, play a bass sweep (20–300 Hz) or white noise through a speaker, and watch the dominant frequency display. Move around the room — the dominant Hz will change as you enter different mode patterns. The harmonic markers on the spectrum (×2, ×3, ×4) show the modal series: if the room resonates at 60 Hz, you'll also see energy at 120 and 180 Hz.

Calculating Room Modes

The fundamental axial room mode frequency for a dimension L is: f = 343 / (2L) (speed of sound ÷ twice the dimension). A 3-metre wall has f = 343/6 ≈ 57 Hz. Three dimensions (length, width, height) each produce a mode series. Use the dominant frequency you find to work backwards: L = 343 / (2f).

What to Do About Room Modes

Bass traps placed in corners (where modes are strongest) absorb low-frequency energy. Parametric EQ on your speaker output can cut the dominant room mode frequency. Asymmetric room layouts reduce standing wave buildup. The Dominant Frequency Finder gives you the exact frequency to target.

Matching Tinnitus Frequency

Tinnitus is a phantom sound perception — typically a ringing, buzzing, or hissing — heard in one or both ears in the absence of an external source. Knowing the pitch of your tinnitus is useful for audiologist evaluation and some therapeutic approaches.

How to Use Tinnitus Mode

Switch to Tinnitus Mode

Click Tinnitus in the mode switcher. This constrains the search to 2–16 kHz (where most tinnitus occurs) and enables the Fine-tune slider for precise matching.
Enable Tone Playback

Click Play Tone. You'll hear a sine wave. Use the Fine-tune slider to adjust the frequency up or down until the external tone sounds as close as possible to the tinnitus you perceive.
Record the Frequency

Once matched, the displayed Hz value is your tinnitus frequency. Click Copy Reading or Export CSV to save it for your audiologist. Most tinnitus falls between 4–8 kHz; pure-tone average frequencies correlate with hearing loss patterns.

Note: This tool is for informational and self-assessment purposes only. It is not a medical device and cannot diagnose tinnitus or hearing loss. Consult a licensed audiologist for clinical evaluation and treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the dominant frequency of a sound?

The dominant frequency is the frequency with the highest energy (amplitude) in a sound's spectrum at a given moment. It is not necessarily the fundamental frequency (lowest pitch) — complex sounds like instruments or voices have many frequency components, and the loudest one may be a harmonic. The Dominant Frequency Finder isolates this single peak and quantifies how dominant it is as a percentage of total spectral energy.

What's the difference between this and the Frequency Detector or Fundamental Frequency Finder?

The Frequency Detector shows all significant peaks simultaneously (up to 5) with equal weight — good for seeing the full frequency content of a sound. The Fundamental Frequency Finder uses dual-algorithm analysis (HPS + Cepstrum) to find the true lowest pitch (F0) of harmonic sounds. The Dominant Frequency Finder focuses exclusively on the single strongest energy peak with dominance %, band analysis, octave bands, and practical modes (hum ID, room resonance, tinnitus) — optimized for troubleshooting and noise identification.

How do I identify a 60 Hz hum in my recording?

Switch to Hum/Noise mode and start listening. The spectrum will show orange dashed lines at 60, 120, 180, 240 Hz (60 Hz family, Americas/Japan) and purple lines at 50, 100, 150, 200 Hz (50 Hz family, Europe/Asia). The dominant frequency display will show the loudest one. A 60 Hz ground loop typically shows its dominant peak at 120 Hz (second harmonic). Once identified, the Hz reading tells you exactly what frequency to cut in your EQ or notch filter.

What is an octave band analyzer?

An octave band analyzer divides the audible frequency spectrum into 10 standard bands, each spanning one octave (a 2:1 frequency ratio). The standard center frequencies (ISO 266) are: 31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 16000 Hz. Each bar shows the peak energy level in that band. This is the standard format used in architectural acoustics, noise assessment reports, and environmental noise measurements. It gives a quick overview of how energy is distributed across the full spectrum.

Can this find the resonant frequency of a room?

Yes. Switch to Room Resonance mode, play a broadband signal (white noise, bass sweep, or even a hand clap) in the room, and the tool will identify the dominant resonant frequency. The spectrum draws harmonic markers at ×2, ×3, ×4 of the detected dominant, showing the full room mode series. Move around the room to map where each mode is strongest. The formula to calculate the theoretical mode frequency for a room dimension L is: f = 343 / (2L) Hz.

How do I use this for tinnitus frequency matching?

Switch to Tinnitus mode (restricts search to 2–16 kHz). Click Play Tone — you'll hear a sine wave at the currently detected frequency. Use the Fine-tune slider (±200 Hz) to adjust the tone until it matches the pitch of your tinnitus as closely as possible. The displayed Hz reading is your tinnitus frequency. Use Export CSV to save it for your audiologist. Note: this is not a medical device; see a licensed audiologist for clinical assessment.

What does Energy Dominance % mean?

Energy Dominance % measures what fraction of the total spectral power is concentrated around the dominant peak. A pure sine wave scores near 100%. A sustained instrument note typically scores 40–70%. Broadband noise scores below 20%. A high % (60%+) means one frequency strongly dominates — this is typical of electrical hum, tuning forks, or room resonances. A low % means the sound energy is spread across many frequencies.

What FFT size should I use?

8192 (default) gives ~5.4 Hz resolution at 44.1 kHz — suitable for most use cases. 16384 gives ~2.7 Hz resolution — better for precise hum frequency identification or tinnitus matching. 32768 gives ~1.3 Hz resolution — best for sub-bass room mode analysis where you need to distinguish 57 Hz from 60 Hz. Larger FFT sizes are slower to respond — use the Smooth averaging mode alongside them for stability.

Is my audio data private?

Completely. All frequency analysis runs entirely in your browser using the Web Audio API. No audio is recorded, stored, or transmitted to any server. The tool works offline once loaded. Your microphone data never leaves your device.

What is my tinnitus frequency? How do I find it?

Most tinnitus falls between 4,000–8,000 Hz, though it can range from 1 kHz to 16 kHz. To find your specific tinnitus frequency: (1) Switch to Tinnitus mode (limits search to 2–16 kHz). (2) Click Play Tone to hear a reference sine wave. (3) Use the Fine-tune slider to adjust the tone pitch until it matches the ringing you hear as closely as possible. (4) The Hz value shown is your tinnitus frequency — save it with Export CSV for your audiologist. The tool uses a match proximity indicator (✓ MATCH) to confirm when you're within ±5 Hz.

How do I find the resonant frequency of my room online?

Use Room Resonance mode in this tool — no download needed. Steps: (1) Play white noise, a bass sweep (20–300 Hz), or a sustained bass note through a speaker in the room. (2) The dominant frequency display shows the strongest resonant peak. (3) Move around the room — the Hz value changes as you enter different pressure zones. (4) The spectrum draws harmonic markers (×2, ×3, ×4) to show the full room mode series. To calculate the theoretical mode for a room dimension: f = 343 / (2L) Hz, where L is the dimension in metres. A 3 m wall resonates at ~57 Hz; a 4 m wall at ~43 Hz.

What does the frequency stability indicator mean?

The stability indicator appears below the main Hz reading and shows how consistent the dominant frequency is over the last 10 readings: STABLE (±5 Hz or less) — the sound has a very steady, consistent pitch (pure sine wave, steady hum, tuning fork). DRIFTING (±5–25 Hz) — slight variation, typical of instruments, voices, or HVAC with speed variation. UNSTABLE (±25+ Hz) — the dominant frequency is changing rapidly (transient sound, broadband noise, or multiple competing peaks). For tinnitus and hum identification, aim for a STABLE reading before recording the Hz value.

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