Overtone Singing Frequency Analyzer

Analyze throat singing and overtone singing in real time. Detect the drone fundamental and isolated overtone frequencies, see harmonic amplitudes H1-H16, identify singing techniques (Khoomei, Sygyt, Kargyraa), view a live spectrogram waterfall, and track harmonic isolation quality. 100% browser-based, no audio uploaded.

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

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🎤 Microphone:

Sensitivity -60 dB

Click "Start Listening" to begin overtone singing analysis.

Drone Fundamental

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Dominant Overtone

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Overtone / Fundamental Ratio

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Harmonic Isolation Quality

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How well the overtone is separated from the drone

🎶 Technique Identification

No signal

Start singing to detect throat singing technique.

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📖 Throat Singing Styles Reference

Tuvan Khoomei

Mid-range overtone singing with moderate harmonics. The foundational Tuvan style producing a clear melody above a steady drone.

Typical: H3–H5 prominent

Mongolian Khöömii

Broad term for Mongolian overtone singing. Often uses nasal resonance to amplify mid-range harmonics with a warm, resonant drone.

Typical: H3–H6 prominent

Sygyt (Whistle)

High-pitched whistle-like overtone, often compared to a flute. Extremely focused harmonic isolation in the upper range.

Typical: H6–H10 prominent (high whistle)

Kargyraa (Growl)

Deep growling drone using ventricular (false vocal) folds vibrating at half the fundamental frequency, creating a subharmonic bass.

Typical: Subharmonic at 0.5× F0, strong H2–H4

📊 Harmonic Bar Chart (H1–H16)

Fundamental (Drone) Dominant Overtone Other Harmonics

📈 Spectrogram Waterfall

0 Hz 4000 Hz

Session Stats

Readings

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Avg Drone

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Avg Overtone

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Duration

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Best Isolation

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Most Common

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How to Use the Overtone Singing Frequency Analyzer

Start Listening

Click Start Listening to capture sound from your microphone. Select a specific microphone from the dropdown if you have multiple input devices. Adjust the sensitivity slider to filter out background noise. A close-range condenser mic or headset works best for overtone singing.
Produce Your Drone and Overtone

Begin with a steady drone note — the tool detects this as the fundamental (F0) via autocorrelation. Then shape your mouth, tongue, and throat to amplify a specific harmonic overtone above the drone. The dual display will show both the drone frequency and the dominant overtone frequency in real time.
Read the Harmonic Bar Chart

The bar chart shows harmonics H1 (drone/fundamental) through H16. The amber bar is your drone, the cyan highlighted bar is your dominant overtone, and grey bars are other harmonics. Watch the bars change as you shift your overtone melody.
Check Technique Identification

The technique panel identifies your singing style based on harmonic profile: Sygyt for high whistle overtones (H6-H10), Khoomei for mid-range (H3-H5), or Kargyraa for subharmonic growl. The harmonic isolation meter shows how cleanly your overtone separates from the drone.
Export Your Data

Click Export CSV to download a file with all 16 harmonics, their frequencies, amplitudes, the identified technique, isolation quality, and session statistics. Or click Copy Data to copy a formatted summary to your clipboard.

Understanding Overtone Singing Analysis

Drone and Overtone

In overtone singing, the singer produces a steady drone (fundamental frequency, F0) and simultaneously amplifies one or more overtone harmonics above it. The overtone is perceived as a separate, whistle-like melody floating above the drone. This tool separates these two components in real time, showing the drone frequency and the dominant overtone frequency independently.

Harmonic Isolation Quality

The isolation meter measures how well your overtone stands out from surrounding harmonics. A high isolation percentage (80%+) means your overtone is clearly dominant — the hallmark of skilled overtone singing. Lower isolation suggests the overtone blends into the harmonic series without a distinct peak. Expert Sygyt singers can achieve 90%+ isolation.

Technique Identification

The analyzer classifies your singing into recognized throat singing styles based on which harmonics are strongest: Khoomei features moderate H3-H5 overtones, Sygyt shows strong H6-H10 (the characteristic whistle), and Kargyraa is identified by subharmonic energy at half the fundamental frequency. Mixed techniques produce blended profiles.

The Spectrogram Waterfall

The spectrogram displays frequency (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis), with color representing amplitude. Bright horizontal lines indicate steady harmonics — the drone appears as a persistent low line, while overtone melodies trace moving bright lines at higher frequencies. This visualization is the gold standard for analyzing overtone singing, as it clearly reveals harmonic transitions and stability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is overtone singing and how does it work?

Overtone singing (also called throat singing or harmonic singing) is a technique where a singer produces two or more pitches simultaneously. The singer sustains a low drone note while shaping their vocal tract (mouth, tongue, lips) to selectively amplify individual harmonics of that drone, creating the perception of a separate, higher melody. The overtones are natural integer multiples of the fundamental frequency — by changing vocal tract resonance, specific harmonics are boosted 20-40 dB above their neighbors.

What is the difference between Khoomei, Sygyt, and Kargyraa?

Khoomei is the foundational Tuvan throat singing style, producing mid-range overtones (typically H3-H5) with a warm, melodic quality. Sygyt creates a high-pitched whistle-like overtone (H6-H10) that sounds like a flute playing above the drone — it requires precise tongue positioning and strong isolation. Kargyraa is a deep growling technique where the ventricular (false) vocal folds vibrate at half the fundamental frequency, creating a subharmonic bass an octave below the true fundamental.

What does the harmonic isolation meter mean?

The harmonic isolation meter measures how strongly the dominant overtone stands out from the rest of the harmonic series. It calculates the ratio of the overtone's amplitude to the average amplitude of all the other overtone harmonics (H2–H16). 90%+ isolation indicates expert-level overtone separation (strong Sygyt). 60-89% is good isolation typical of Khoomei. Below 60% suggests the overtone is not clearly distinct from the overall harmonic series — practice focusing your vocal tract resonance on a single harmonic.

What microphone setup works best for analyzing overtone singing?

A condenser microphone positioned 6-12 inches from your mouth gives the best results, as it captures the full frequency range including high overtones. A good headset mic also works well. Avoid using laptop built-in microphones if possible — they often have limited frequency response that can miss higher harmonics. Sing in a quiet room to minimize background noise interference with the analysis.

Why does the tool sometimes detect the wrong fundamental?

Fundamental detection can be confused when the drone is very quiet relative to the overtones, or during Kargyraa singing where the subharmonic may be detected as the fundamental. The tool uses autocorrelation (YIN algorithm) which is robust for most cases, but rapid technique changes or background noise can cause brief mis-detections. Maintain a steady, strong drone for the most accurate analysis. Adjusting the sensitivity slider can also help filter out noise.

Is my audio data private?

Completely. All 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.

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