Reference tone
1000 Hz — 1 kHz Reference Tone
1 kHz is the audio industry's universal reference tone — used for level calibration, line-up tones and equipment testing.
Audio visualization
Hz
20 Hz20 kHz
Waveform
Volume50%
L/R BalanceCenter
Tap a note to play its exact pitch — C1 to B8
Presets — one tap to start
Scale
Repeat
Press Space to play
About the 1000 Hz tone
A 1000 Hz sine wave is the go-to signal for setting and checking audio levels. Broadcast and studio “line-up” tones are almost always 1 kHz, because meters and the ear are both well-behaved at that frequency.
It's also handy for a quick channel check: play the tone and use the balance control to confirm your left and right speakers or headphones are both working and roughly matched.
Because 1 kHz sits in the most sensitive part of human hearing, it makes a reliable tone for confirming that a signal chain is passing audio at all.
Technical details
- Frequency
- 1000 Hz
- Nearest note
- B5 (+21¢)
- Category
- Reference tone
- Period
- 1.00 ms
- Wavelength (air)
- 34.3 cm
- Octave up / down
- 2000 Hz / 500 Hz
Common uses
- Set or check audio levels (line-up / reference tone)
- Test speakers, headphones and audio interfaces
- Confirm left/right channels with the balance control