Online Tuning Drone
Tap a pitch class to hold a steady reference tone, then stack the octave, fifth and third to practise intonation against.
Mouse & touch
- Tap any note on the ring to pick the drone pitch. If the drone is stopped this starts it; if it is already sounding the pitch glides to the new note without a click.
- Start drone / Stop drone fades the tone in and out over about 0.3 seconds, so there is never a pop.
- Octave 2–5 moves the root between C2 (65.41 Hz) and B5 (987.77 Hz) at A=440. Octave 3 or 4 suits most practice.
- A4 reference slides from 415 to 466 Hz. Presets cover baroque A=415, modern A=440, and the sharper A=442 / A=443 used by many orchestras. Every displayed frequency updates with it.
- Timbre: Sine is a single pure partial. Organ and Reed are additive waves built from real harmonic partials (Organ emphasises the octave, twelfth and fifteenth; Reed adds strong odd partials for a buzzier, more penetrating tone).
- Harmonic stack: switch on the Octave, Perfect 5th or Major 3rd and set each level independently. Active intervals light up on the ring in the second colour, joined to the root by a dashed spoke; the octave shows as a dashed circle around the root because it is the same pitch class an octave higher.
- Reset stops the drone and restores A3, A=440, Organ, all harmonics off.
Keyboard
- Space start / stop the drone · R reset
- ← / → step the root down / up one semitone · ↑ / ↓ octave up / down
- C D E F G A B jump to a natural note · hold Shift for the sharp (Shift+C = C♯, Shift+D = D♯, Shift+F = F♯, Shift+G = G♯, Shift+A = A♯)
- 8 toggle the octave · 5 toggle the fifth · 3 toggle the third
- Tab onto a note on the ring, then Enter or Space to select it and ← / → to move between notes.
- Arrow keys are left alone while a slider has focus, so you can nudge the A4 reference or a level one step at a time.
Conventions
- Pitch is derived from MIDI note numbers: f = A4 × 2^((n − 69) / 12), where MIDI 69 is A4. At A=440 that gives A3 = 220 Hz, A2 = 110 Hz and C4 (middle C) = 261.63 Hz.
- Octave numbers use scientific pitch notation and roll over at C, so B3 (MIDI 59) is the note immediately below C4 (MIDI 60).
- Black keys are labelled with the sharp name and the flat name beneath; they are the same pitch here (equal temperament).
- Intervals are counted in semitones from the root: major third +4, perfect fifth +7, octave +12. A fifth above A3 is E4 = 329.63 Hz.
Listening for beating: play your own note against the drone and listen for the slow throbbing in the loudness. The further out of tune you are, the faster it beats; as you close in, the beats slow down and then vanish into a single smooth tone. That silence is true unison — your ear will find it far more precisely than a needle will.
Why an open fifth: a root plus fifth drone gives you two reference points at once, so you can check both a unison and a fifth without changing anything. It is also the safest drone for scale practice, because it does not force the third on you — add the Major 3rd only when you want to hear how a full triad pulls your thirds slightly lower than equal temperament would place them.
This free online drone plays a constant tone so that you can practice your ear training skills and work on maintaining good intonation. It offer accurate control from your computer keyboard and allows you to click around the pitch ring of this drone with your mouse.
There is no complicated setup process. The interface is easy to use and allow you to change the timbre, pitch, and harmonic structure of the drone.
How to Use the Drone Tool
To begin, you just choose a starting root note from the circular pitch selector. Any note you click around the ring becomes the drones base pitch. Once you’ve clicked on a note, it will automatically activate if the drone is not already sounding. Otherwise, it smoothy glides to the selected pitch without clicks or other abrupt changes.
You can also cleanly fade in/out using Start or Stop button. It’s simple to play with no need for a mouse thanks to keyboard mapping. Press the spacebar to start (or stop) the drone. Use the left or right arrow keys to move the root pitch up or down a semitone. To change the octave range, use the up/down arrow keys. If you want to instantly jump to any particular natural note just hit C, D, E, F, G, A or B on your computer keyboard. To select the matching sharp note simply hold the Shift key before hitting one of these letters.
The Harmonic Stack section allows you to turn on or off the Major Third, the Perfect Fifth and the Octave from the root note. Each one that is on will play together alongside the root note so that you can hear the combination of those intervals as a stack. Each one has its own slider for volume control so you can bring out the fifth if you are practicing scales or include the third to give it the full color of a triad.
It can also be set up so tone quality matches your preferred sound for practicing. You have three timbre settings: Reed; Organ; Sine. Sine gives you a single pure frequency, allowing you to focus on a specific pitch without any distractions from its harmonics. Reed and Organ introduce harmonic partials giving a more complex and rich sound that approaches traditional instrument-sounds. It help you appreciate how overtones affect how you hear the pitch of what you play.
The A4 control lets you fine-tune your reference pitch. The A4 is a slider that will change the frequency that an A note sounds. All the others will change as well. You can slide from 415Hz up to 466Hz to match moddern orchestral tuning or more closely align with historical standards. If you want quick access to commonly used pitches, there are preset buttons for 415, 440, 442 and 443 Hz. This can be helpful when playing alongside fellow musicians who may have tuned differently.
For the drone you have an octave range that keeps it within your comfort zone. With the octave selector, you shift the root note between two octaves: 5 or 2. Higher octaves work well when you want to check the intonation of treble notes. Bass lines can be given a more solid foundation with lower octaves. The octave can always be changed and the drone glides to the selected octave instantly.
Use the master volume slider to control the relative level of the drone. That is how much reference tone you want mixed with what you’re actualy playing. So turn it down a bit to support the drone while not drowning out what’s being played. Next adjust the level of each harmonic that makes up the stack as wanted for a better balance.
The reset button restores all options to default values. The drone will stop playing. The pitch is set back to A3, A4 to 440 Hz, and the interval stack is cleared. If you’ve made various adjustments, it’s an easy option for a clean slate. Alternatively, turn on the help panel for detailed information about the controls and key shortcuts.
Try playing a scale with a drone of a fifth and a root. Don’t force it to be either major or minor by leaving out the third. Listen for where your note meets the drone and hear if there is beats between them. They will slow down until they become a smooth tone when in tune. Only add the third if you want to see if it completes a chord.
Try altering the timbre and discover how this changes what you can perceive in terms of pitch. For example, the pure sine wave assists with fine intonation and hearing any beats. Reed and organ sounds are a bit richer and useful for practising blending within more complex musical settings. Alternate between these and develop your ear through various acoustic situations.
There’s also the option to enlarge the widget by using the fullscreen button which provides you with additional working space (useful if you’re leaving it open alongside notation or other tools). The interface will adapt to the size of your screen so that the controls aren’t lost from view.
Now armed with everything, it’s time to go into practice. Select a root note, set the volume to a level that feels relaxing and play in harmony with the drone. Spend some time tweaking the tones and harmonics until you get a sound that allows you to concentrate. These controls will support you as you train your ear and discover your perfect pitch.