50 Hz tone
European mains hum.
Volume first. Turn your device volume down before pressing play, then raise it slowly. Tones start quiet on purpose. Very low tones can damage small speakers and woofers if pushed hard. Stop if you hear rattling, distortion or cone slap.
What 50 Hz is used for
Mains electricity runs at 50 Hz across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. A hum at this pitch in your recordings usually points to a ground loop or an unshielded cable.
| Period | 20.000 ms |
|---|---|
| Wavelength in air (20 °C) | 6.86 m |
| One octave down / up | 25 Hz / 100 Hz |
The generator above starts at 50 Hz. You can still move the slider to any other frequency, or open the full tone generator.
Questions people ask
Why can't I hear the 50 Hz tone?
Small speakers physically cannot move enough air at 50 Hz. Phones, laptops and most earbuds produce little or nothing this low; you need full-range speakers, good headphones or a subwoofer.
How long is one cycle of 50 Hz?
20.000 milliseconds. In room-temperature air the wavelength is about 6.86 metres.
Keep testing
- Tone generatorSine, square, triangle and sawtooth from 1 Hz to 22 kHz.
- Frequency sweepLogarithmic or linear sweeps over any range and duration.
- Subwoofer testBass tones from 10 Hz, a low sweep and a room-mode calculator.