Pitch & Key
Note to Frequency
Every note has an exact frequency. Pick one to tune a kick, match an 808 to your key, or find a resonance to notch. Reference pitch defaults to A4 = 440 Hz.
| Note | Oct 1 | Oct 2 | Oct 3 | Oct 4 | Oct 5 |
|---|
Based on A4 = 440 Hz and twelve-tone equal temperament (12-TET), the tuning standard used by virtually all modern DAWs and synths. · Methodology
Where the frequencies come from
f = 440 × 2(n − 69) / 12 (n = MIDI note number)
Equal temperament divides the octave into twelve equal steps, each a frequency ratio of the twelfth root of two (≈1.0595). A4 is fixed at 440 Hz (MIDI note 69); every other note is that many semitones away. Going up an octave doubles the frequency, going down halves it, so A1 is 55 Hz, A2 is 110, A4 is 440.
Tuning kicks and hunting resonances
Tuning a kick or 808 to the root of your track is one of the fastest ways to make a low end feel intentional instead of muddy. An untuned kick clashing with the bassline is the single most common reason a mix sounds cluttered down low. Find your key's root here, then pitch the kick's fundamental to it, or to a fifth or octave, which also sit consonantly.
This chart is also a resonance map: if a specific note rings out uncomfortably in a synth or sample, look up its frequency and notch it with a narrow EQ band. Sub content below about 30 Hz is felt more than heard and eats headroom, so high-pass it unless you have a genuine reason to keep it.