Tone library
Hear the frequencies people argue about. Every tone on this page is synthesised live in your browser - nothing is downloaded, nothing is stored - and every set carries an evidence rating so you know what is documented and what is marketing.
Frequency numbers travel further than the evidence behind them. A value like 528 Hz appears on album covers, meditation apps and supplement pages, usually without anyone letting you simply hear it. This library fixes that: press play, listen, and decide for yourself what the sound does and does not do.
The tones are grouped into four sets - the seven Wholetones frequencies, the wider solfeggio list, real tuning references, and the octave-spaced test tones audio engineers use. Each set is labelled with the same evidence rating system used across this section.
22 tones shown. One plays at a time; each stops itself after 60 seconds.
The Wholetones set
Evidence rating: UnsupportedSeven frequencies popularised by musician Michael S. Tyrrell in Wholetones: The Sound of Healing (Barton Publishing, 2014). The book pairs each tone with a name and a theme. We reproduce the set here so you can hear the actual pitches rather than read about them, and rate the healing claims separately from the listening experience.
Evidence: No peer-reviewed trial shows that these specific pitches produce healing, cellular repair or DNA effects. Many people find sustained, slow, consonant music relaxing - that is a music effect, not a property of a particular hertz value.
- 60s max396 HzOpen Door(~G4)
Lowest tone of the set; sits just below G above middle C.
- 60s max417 HzDesert Sojourn(~G#4)
A little over a semitone above 396 Hz.
- 60s max444 HzThe Key of David(~A4 +16¢)
A slightly sharp A - the tuning used across the Wholetones recordings.
- 60s max528 HzTransformation(~C5)
The most-marketed number in the solfeggio revival; close to C above A440.
- 60s max639 HzThe Bridge(~D#5)
Mid-set tone, often described by listeners as warm.
- 60s max741 HzGreat Awakening(~F#5)
Brighter; pure tones this high can fatigue quickly.
- 60s max852 HzThe Majestic(~G#5)
Highest of the seven; keep the level low.
Extended solfeggio numbers
Evidence rating: UnsupportedThe wider nine-number solfeggio list circulated online. The numbers come from a 1970s numerological reading of a medieval hymn, not from historical tuning practice or from acoustics.
Evidence: The historical origin story does not hold up, and no controlled study links these values to the outcomes claimed for them. They remain perfectly pleasant tones to listen to.
- 60s max174 HzFoundation(~F3)
Low and easy on the ear; felt as much as heard on good speakers.
- 60s max285 HzRestore(~D4)
Sits near D above middle C.
- 60s max963 HzReturn(~B5)
Highest of the list; brief listening only.
Tuning references
Evidence rating: Established scienceThe pitches that actually govern how instruments are tuned. Play them back to back to hear how small a difference the much-discussed 432 Hz debate really makes.
Evidence: These are documented standards. A440 has been the ISO 16 concert reference since 1955. That is a fact about tuning conventions, not about health.
- 60s max261.63 HzMiddle C(C4)
The reference note most keyboards are described against.
- 60s max432 HzAlternative reference A(A4 -32¢)
About a third of a semitone below standard pitch.
- 60s max440 HzConcert pitch A(A4)
The ISO 16 international standard reference.
- 60s max442 HzOrchestral A (sharp)(A4 +8¢)
Many European orchestras tune slightly high for brightness.
Hearing-range reference tones
Evidence rating: Established scienceOctave-spaced test tones used in audio work. Useful for checking headphones, room response, and where your own hearing starts to roll off with age. Not a hearing test - see an audiologist for that.
Evidence: Standard audiometric test frequencies. Presence or absence of a tone here tells you something about your playback chain and listening environment as much as your ears.
- 60s max60 HzDeep bass
Most laptop and phone speakers cannot reproduce this at all.
- 60s max125 HzBass
Warmth region; where room modes usually live.
- 60s max250 HzLow mid
Body of most voices and instruments.
- 60s max500 HzMid
Core intelligibility range.
- 60s max1000 HzReference mid
The standard calibration frequency for audio measurement.
- 60s max2000 HzPresence
Consonant clarity; the ear is most sensitive around here.
- 60s max4000 HzUpper presence
The region most affected by noise-induced hearing loss.
- 60s max8000 HzAir
High-frequency detail; sensitivity here typically declines with age.
The Wholetones seven, in order
If you arrived from the book or the recordings, this is the set as published, in sequence. Play them one after another to hear the intervals between them.
Source of the names and the set: Wholetones: The Sound of Healing by Michael S. Tyrrell (Barton Publishing, 2014, ISBN 978-0692291979). SonicSenses is not affiliated with the book or its publisher, and reproduces the frequencies for study and comparison only.
What a pure tone can and cannot do
A sine wave is the simplest possible sound: one steady rate of pressure change with no harmonics. It is an excellent teaching tool and a standard measurement signal. What it is not is a treatment. Documented benefits in music-based interventions - reduced pre-operative anxiety, improved perceived sleep quality, lower reported pain during procedures - come from studies using music: melody, rhythm, familiarity, preference and context. Those elements are absent from an isolated tone.
That does not make listening pointless. Slow, steady, predictable sound genuinely helps some people settle, and there is no harm in using it that way at a low level. The distinction worth holding onto is between "this is pleasant and it helps me wind down" and "this frequency is medically active." Only the first is supported.
Listening safely
Set your volume with music first, then switch to a tone - starting with a sine wave almost always leads to setting the level too high. Take a break every few minutes. If a tone produces pressure, discomfort, ringing or a dulled sense of hearing afterwards, stop and give your ears a quiet hour. The World Health Organization's safe listening guidance applies here exactly as it does to music.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the seven Wholetones frequencies?
- 396 Hz (Open Door), 417 Hz (Desert Sojourn), 444 Hz (The Key of David), 528 Hz (Transformation), 639 Hz (The Bridge), 741 Hz (Great Awakening) and 852 Hz (The Majestic), as named in Michael S. Tyrrell's book Wholetones: The Sound of Healing (Barton Publishing, 2014).
- Does 528 Hz repair DNA?
- No. That claim traces to popular books rather than to biological research, and no controlled study supports it. Listening to 528 Hz is harmless at moderate volume, but it should not be treated as a medical intervention.
- Why do these tones feel relaxing then?
- Sustained, slow, predictable sound with no sudden dynamics gives the auditory system very little to track, which many listeners experience as calming. That response is driven by the character of the sound and by your expectations, not by a specific hertz value.
- Is the audio downloaded or streamed?
- Neither. Every tone is generated on your device with the Web Audio API. Nothing is fetched, uploaded, stored or logged.
- How loud and how long should I listen?
- Keep the volume low - pure sine tones mask their own loudness, especially on headphones - and keep sessions short. Each player here stops itself after 60 seconds. Stop immediately if you notice discomfort, ringing or dulled hearing.
References & further reading
- Tyrrell MS (2014). Wholetones: The Sound of Healing. Barton Publishing (ISBN 978-0692291979) Source
- International Organization for Standardization (1975). ISO 16: Acoustics - Standard tuning frequency (A440). ISO Source
- Bradt J, Dileo C, Shim M (2013). Music interventions for preoperative anxiety. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (6):CD006908 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006908.pub2 Source
- Moore BCJ (2012). An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing (6th ed.). Brill Source
- World Health Organization (2022). Make Listening Safe: global standard for safe listening. WHO, World Health Organization Source
Related articles
Back to Frequency & the Human Experience.
This article is an educational summary of publicly available research and is not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat, or cure any medical or psychiatric condition. Where evidence is emerging or mixed, we say so. Consult a qualified professional for personal guidance.