Music & tuning · reference pitch
432 Hz Frequency Generator
Play 432 Hz, set any note in three octaves under a 440, 432, 435 or 415 Hz reference, and compare what each note becomes. Every frequency is derived from equal temperament, and the page shows the maths and the history rather than repeating the claims.
A sine tone at 432 Hz is still a sine tone. Set the header level low before pressing play, raise it slowly, and remember that sustained tones at high volume are fatiguing and can damage hearing whatever their frequency.
Standard concert pitch (ISO 16).
Ready. Press play to sound 432 Hz.
Equal-tempered frequencies for one octave of notes under each reference pitch. Because equal temperament scales linearly with A4, the cent difference from 440 Hz is identical for every note in a column.
| Note | A4 = 440 Hz | A4 = 432 Hz | A4 = 435 Hz | A4 = 415 Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | 261.63 Hz | 256.87 Hz | 258.65 Hz | 246.76 Hz |
| D4 | 293.66 Hz | 288.33 Hz | 290.33 Hz | 276.98 Hz |
| E4 | 329.63 Hz | 323.63 Hz | 325.88 Hz | 310.90 Hz |
| F4 | 349.23 Hz | 342.88 Hz | 345.26 Hz | 329.39 Hz |
| G4 | 392.00 Hz | 384.87 Hz | 387.54 Hz | 369.72 Hz |
| A4 | 440.00 Hz | 432.00 Hz | 435.00 Hz | 415.00 Hz |
| B4 | 493.88 Hz | 484.90 Hz | 488.27 Hz | 465.82 Hz |
| C5 | 523.25 Hz | 513.74 Hz | 517.31 Hz | 493.52 Hz |
| Δ vs 440 Hz | 0 ¢ | -31.8 ¢ | -19.8 ¢ | -101.3 ¢ |
The interval is 31.8 cents
The distance from 440 Hz to 432 Hz is 31.8 cents - roughly one third of a semitone (a semitone is 100 cents). It is clearly audible as a slightly flatter pitch and is far too small to change the character of a note. For comparison, 415 Hz baroque pitch is about 101 cents below 440, a full semitone, which is why it sounds noticeably lower.
Equal temperament
Every frequency on this page comes from one formula, where n is the MIDI note number
(A4 = 69, middle C4 = 60):
f = A4 · 2^((n − 69) / 12)
Under A4 = 440, middle C4 is 261.63 Hz. Under A4 = 432 it is 256.87 Hz - the same note, the same interval, a lower reference. Change the number at the top of the page and the picker, readouts and the table all follow the same rule; nothing is looked up from a list.
A short history of A4
- 1859 - France adopts the diapason normal of 435 Hz in an early attempt to stop pitch drifting upward.
- 1939 / 1975 - international standard. An international conference recommends 440 Hz in 1939; ISO 16 confirms A4 = 440 Hz in 1975 as the standard tuning reference.
- 415 Hz is the usual modern choice for baroque pitch, about a semitone below 440, used for period-instrument performance.
On the health claims
You will find 432 Hz described as “natural”, “healing”, or aligned with the earth, DNA or chakras. None of these claims is supported by evidence. There is no established mechanism by which the reference pitch of A4 affects the body, and controlled listening tests do not find reliable effects that survive expectation and setting. What is verifiable is narrow and clear: 432 Hz is a slightly lower tuning than 440 Hz, it is mathematically well defined, it has real historical precedent in the range of pitches orchestras have used, and some players and listeners simply prefer how it sounds. That preference is a perfectly good reason to use it. It is just not a physiological one.
What actually changes between 440 Hz and 432 Hz?
Pitch, and nothing else. 432 Hz is 1200·log2(432/440) ≈ −31.7 cents below 440 Hz, about one third of a semitone. If you play A = 440 then A = 432 back to back, the second is simply a little flatter. There is no difference in waveform, harmonic content or the physics of the sound beyond its fundamental frequency.
Does 432 Hz have health, DNA or chakra benefits?
No. Those claims are not supported by evidence. Controlled listening tests find no reliable physiological or psychological effect that depends on the reference pitch itself; the effects reported are the ordinary ones any music produces, mediated by expectation and setting. Treat the 432 Hz tuning as a musical preference, which is an entirely legitimate reason to use it - just not a medical one.
Where do these reference frequencies come from?
440 Hz was standardised as ISO 16 in 1975. Before that, France adopted a “diapason normal” of 435 Hz in 1859, and baroque pitch is generally taken as 415 Hz - roughly a semitone below modern concert pitch. Orchestras still tune to other references for period repertoire, and many digital instruments let you set A4 anywhere.
How is every frequency on this page calculated?
Equal temperament: f = A4 · 2^((n − 69) / 12), where n is the MIDI note number and A4 is the reference you pick. Change the reference and every note moves by the same ratio, so the whole table scales together. The readouts here are computed, not looked up.