Harmonic Recovery Get the app

Free pitch check

Do your ears hear the same pitch?

A tone plays in one ear, then in the other. You adjust the second until they sound the same. In about three minutes you'll see how far apart your ears hear a note, in cents.

Before you start

  • Wear headphones or earbuds. Both ears, properly seated. This doesn't work through speakers.
  • Find a quiet room.
  • Turn off Mono Audio and spatial audio, and center your left/right balance, in your device settings.
  • Start with your volume low, then raise it until the tones are clear but comfortable.

This is a rough check for curiosity, not a hearing test or a diagnosis. Nothing you do here is saved or sent anywhere.

How this check works

It uses pitch matching, the standard way to measure diplacusis. A reference tone plays in the ear you hear normally with, then a tone plays in your other ear, and you move the second until the two sound like the same pitch. How far you had to move it, in cents, is your mismatch. 100 cents is a semitone, the step between neighboring piano keys.

The tones play one after the other, never together: played at once, the brain can merge them into one sound and hide the difference. The slider starts at a random spot and its range shifts each time, so you can't match by position. You listen instead.

What your result means

  • Under about 20 cents: within the range ordinary variation can explain.
  • 20 to 50 cents: a noticeable difference, enough to make chords sound slightly sour.
  • 50 to 100 cents: a clear mismatch, up to half a semitone and beyond.
  • Over 100 cents: a semitone or more, a large mismatch.

Whatever your number, if the change in your hearing is new, have it checked by an audiologist or ENT. A standard hearing test doesn't measure pitch, so tell them about it.

What the app adds

This page gives you a snapshot. The Harmonic Recovery app measures properly and over time:

  • a setup for your headphones that finds each ear's hearing level, so tones suit your ears
  • a loudness match between your ears first, since pitch shifts with loudness
  • six frequencies, each matched twice, with how consistent your answers were
  • a chart that shows whether your mismatch changes, and only calls it a change when it beats your normal variation
  • daily practice with your own music and a pitch hint, plus 3-minute drills

Harmonic Recovery

Measure it properly, and practice with your own music

A headphone setup tuned to each of your ears, a pitch-matching check at six frequencies, a pitch hint that plays in your other ear while you listen to your own songs, 3-minute drills, and a chart that shows whether anything is changing. Free to start.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

On a computer? Scan with your phone's camera to open the app in its store.