What is a sine wave tone generator used for?

A sine wave generator produces a pure tone at a single frequency with no harmonics. It is used for testing speaker frequency response, calibrating audio equipment, measuring distortion (by checking for harmonics that should not be present), verifying crossover frequencies, hearing tests, and setting reference levels for sound systems.

What frequency should I use to test my speakers?

Test at 1 kHz for midrange response (industry standard reference), 80-100 Hz for woofer performance, 3-5 kHz for tweeter output, and your crossover frequency to verify the transition between drivers. A slow sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz reveals the full frequency response including resonances and rattles.

What is the difference between sine, square, sawtooth, and triangle waves?

A sine wave is a single frequency with no harmonics. A square wave contains odd harmonics (3rd, 5th, 7th) at decreasing amplitudes. A sawtooth contains all harmonics (both odd and even). A triangle wave contains odd harmonics at much lower levels than a square wave. More harmonics means a brighter, more complex sound.

Can I use a tone generator for hearing tests?

Yes, but with important caveats. A tone generator can show which frequencies you can and cannot hear, but it is not a medical audiometry test. Results depend on your speaker or headphone frequency response, ambient noise, and playback level. For clinical hearing assessment, visit an audiologist with calibrated equipment.

What is 440 Hz and why is it important?

The frequency 440 Hz is the international standard for concert pitch A4, established by ISO 16:1975. Musicians use it as the reference for tuning instruments. It falls in the midrange where human hearing is most sensitive. A tone generator at 440 Hz is commonly used for tuning reference and as a quick speaker check.

How can I identify speaker rattles with a tone generator?

Slowly sweep from 20 Hz to 200 Hz at moderate volume. Rattles and buzzes from loose components, cabinet panels, or objects near the speaker will be excited at specific frequencies. Note which frequencies cause rattling and investigate the physical cause. Low-frequency sweeps are particularly effective at finding mechanical resonances.

What is THD and how does a tone generator help measure it?

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) measures the harmonic content added by a device to a pure sine wave input. Play a sine tone through your system and analyze the output with a spectrum analyzer. Any spectral content at 2x, 3x, 4x the fundamental frequency is harmonic distortion added by the amplifier, speaker, or room.

Is the generated tone sample-accurate at all frequencies?

Yes. SonaVyx uses the WebAudio API OscillatorNode, which generates waveforms at 32-bit floating-point precision. The frequency accuracy is limited only by the IEEE 754 float representation, providing sub-millihertz precision. The resulting THD for sine waves is below -90 dB, limited by the 32-bit float dynamic range.

What is a sine wave tone generator used for?

A sine wave generator produces a pure tone at a single frequency with no harmonics. It is used for testing speaker frequency response, calibrating audio equipment, measuring distortion (by checking for harmonics that should not be present), verifying crossover frequencies, hearing tests, and setting reference levels for sound systems.

What frequency should I use to test my speakers?

Test at 1 kHz for midrange response (industry standard reference), 80-100 Hz for woofer performance, 3-5 kHz for tweeter output, and your crossover frequency to verify the transition between drivers. A slow sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz reveals the full frequency response including resonances and rattles.

What is the difference between sine, square, sawtooth, and triangle waves?

A sine wave is a single frequency with no harmonics. A square wave contains odd harmonics (3rd, 5th, 7th) at decreasing amplitudes. A sawtooth contains all harmonics (both odd and even). A triangle wave contains odd harmonics at much lower levels than a square wave. More harmonics means a brighter, more complex sound.

Can I use a tone generator for hearing tests?

Yes, but with important caveats. A tone generator can show which frequencies you can and cannot hear, but it is not a medical audiometry test. Results depend on your speaker or headphone frequency response, ambient noise, and playback level. For clinical hearing assessment, visit an audiologist with calibrated equipment.

What is 440 Hz and why is it important?

The frequency 440 Hz is the international standard for concert pitch A4, established by ISO 16:1975. Musicians use it as the reference for tuning instruments. It falls in the midrange where human hearing is most sensitive. A tone generator at 440 Hz is commonly used for tuning reference and as a quick speaker check.

How can I identify speaker rattles with a tone generator?

Slowly sweep from 20 Hz to 200 Hz at moderate volume. Rattles and buzzes from loose components, cabinet panels, or objects near the speaker will be excited at specific frequencies. Note which frequencies cause rattling and investigate the physical cause. Low-frequency sweeps are particularly effective at finding mechanical resonances.

What is THD and how does a tone generator help measure it?

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) measures the harmonic content added by a device to a pure sine wave input. Play a sine tone through your system and analyze the output with a spectrum analyzer. Any spectral content at 2x, 3x, 4x the fundamental frequency is harmonic distortion added by the amplifier, speaker, or room.

Is the generated tone sample-accurate at all frequencies?

Yes. SonaVyx uses the WebAudio API OscillatorNode, which generates waveforms at 32-bit floating-point precision. The frequency accuracy is limited only by the IEEE 754 float representation, providing sub-millihertz precision. The resulting THD for sine waves is below -90 dB, limited by the 32-bit float dynamic range.

Online Tone Generator

A tone generator produces a continuous audio signal at a specified frequency and waveform, essential for testing speakers, verifying frequency response, checking hearing range, and calibrating audio equipment. SonaVyx generates pure sine waves, square waves, sawtooth waves, and triangle waves from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with adjustable amplitude, using the WebAudio API oscillator for sample-accurate frequency control.

Try It Now

Open the tone generator — produce test tones from 20 Hz to 20 kHz in your browser.

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Technical Specifications

Parameter	Value	Standard
Frequency Range	20 Hz - 20 kHz	Audible spectrum
Frequency Resolution	0.01 Hz	WebAudio float precision
Waveforms	Sine, square, sawtooth, triangle	OscillatorNode types
Level Control	-60 to 0 dBFS	GainNode (linear to dB)
Channels	Mono / Stereo / L-only / R-only	StereoPannerNode
THD (sine)	< -90 dB (32-bit float)	Digital precision
Sweep Mode	Linear / logarithmic	Configurable rate
Sample Rate	44.1 / 48 kHz	Device native

How to Use the Tone Generator

Select Waveform

Choose sine for pure tone testing and calibration, square for checking transient response and harmonic content, sawtooth for rich harmonic testing, or triangle for gentler harmonic analysis. Sine waves are the standard for most audio testing applications.

Set Frequency

Enter the desired frequency or use the slider. Common test frequencies include 1 kHz (reference level), 100 Hz (bass response), 440 Hz (concert pitch A4), and specific frequencies for speaker crossover verification or hearing tests.

Adjust Level

Start at a low level (-20 dBFS or below) to protect your hearing and speakers. Increase gradually. For calibration, use the level that matches your reference standard (typically -20 dBFS for line-level calibration or 94 dBSPL for acoustic calibration).

Select Output Channel

Use mono for general testing. Select left-only or right-only to verify individual speaker channels, check stereo wiring, or identify which speaker in a pair has a problem. Stereo mode sends the same signal to both channels simultaneously.

Sweep if Needed

Enable sweep mode to automatically scan across a frequency range. Linear sweep moves at constant Hz/second. Logarithmic sweep spends equal time per octave, matching human hearing perception. Use sweeps to identify speaker resonances, rattles, and crossover frequencies.

Understanding Audio Test Tones

Pure tones are the simplest audio signals, consisting of a single sinusoidal frequency. They are fundamental to audio testing because any complex sound can be decomposed into a sum of sine waves (Fourier analysis). By testing at individual frequencies, engineers isolate the behavior of a system at each point in the spectrum, revealing resonances, distortion, and frequency-dependent gain variations.

Common Test Frequencies

The frequency 1 kHz (1000 Hz) is the universal audio reference. Level meters, sensitivity ratings, and gain structures use 1 kHz as the standard. Low-frequency testing at 50, 80, and 125 Hz checks subwoofer performance and room modes. Midrange testing at 500 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz covers the speech intelligibility region. High-frequency testing at 4, 8, and 16 kHz verifies tweeter response and hearing acuity.

Waveform Harmonics

A square wave at 1 kHz contains odd harmonics at 3, 5, 7, 9 kHz and beyond, with amplitudes decreasing as 1/n. This makes it useful for testing whether a speaker can reproduce harmonics accurately and for checking amplifier clipping behavior. A sawtooth at 1 kHz contains all harmonics (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 kHz) and stresses a system more uniformly across the spectrum. These harmonics help reveal crossover artifacts and nonlinearities.

Safety Considerations

Pure tones at high SPL can damage hearing and speakers. The ear is most sensitive between 2 and 5 kHz (the ear canal resonance), making tones in this range particularly dangerous. Always start at low levels and increase gradually. For speaker testing, keep levels below the driver rated power. For hearing tests, do not exceed 85 dBA. SonaVyx starts at -20 dBFS by default for safety.

Tone Generator Comparison

Feature	SonaVyx	Smaart v9	REW	OSM
Frequency range	20 Hz - 20 kHz	N/A (no generator)	1 Hz - 24 kHz	N/A
Waveforms	Sine, square, saw, tri	N/A	Sine, square, noise	N/A
Sweep mode	Lin + log	N/A	Log sweep	N/A
Channel selection	Mono/Stereo/L/R	N/A	L/R/Both	N/A
Browser-based	Yes	No	No	No
Price	Free	$898	Free	Free

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tools & Resources

Noise Generator

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Spectrum Analyzer

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SPL Meter

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THD (Glossary)

Total Harmonic Distortion explained

Standards References

ISO 16:1975 — Acoustics: Standard tuning frequency (A4 = 440 Hz)
IEC 60268-1:1985 — Sound system equipment: General (test signal specifications)
AES17-2020 — AES standard method for digital audio engineering: Measurement (THD measurement method)
IEC 61672-1:2013 — Sound level meters: Specifications (level calibration)