How to Match Your Tinnitus Pitch

The process of matching your tinnitus frequency is called "pitch-matching," "frequency-matching," or "tinnitus tuning" - all of these terms are interchangeable. The goal is to match a computer-generated artificial tone with the tinnitus tone you hear in your head.

Data shows that about fifty percent of users will be able to consistently and reliably identify a tinnitus frequency that matches their own. Don't worry if it takes some practice!

The match does not have to be exact. As long as your tinnitus frequency occurs within the notch created by AudioNotch, the therapy can work. The width of the notch is approximately half an octave.

AudioNotch provides two ways to detect your tinnitus frequency:

1. Standard Tuner: audionotch.com/app/tune/ - Our main tuning tool with step-by-step instructions
2. Interactive 2AFC Tuner: audionotch.com/app/tune_2afc - An alternative tuner using a two-alternative forced choice method

1. Match the Sound Character

The tone from the computer should sound exactly the same as the tinnitus tone you hear. A good indicator that you've found the correct frequency is when the tones seem to "join into one" - they merge together rather than sounding like two separate tones.

2. Match the Volume

The volume of the computer-generated tone should be approximately equal to the volume of your tinnitus tone. This makes comparison easier and more accurate.

3. Trust Your Ears

The matched frequency should sound like the tone you hear in your head. If something feels "off," try adjusting the frequency slightly.

4. Check for Octave Confusion

Due to a phenomenon called "octave confusion," you might accidentally select a frequency that is half or double your actual tinnitus frequency. Once you find what you think is your frequency:

1. Find your frequency F (what you believe to be your tinnitus tone)
2. Compare F to ½F (half the frequency)
3. Compare F to 2F (double the frequency)
4. Pick the closest match among all three options

5. Use Different Tone Types

If you use Google Chrome, you can select from different tinnitus tone types (pure tone, narrow-band noise, etc.). Pick the tone type that best matches your tinnitus tone's character before matching the frequency.

For truly accurate tinnitus frequency determination, we recommend seeing an audiologist. They have specialized equipment and training for precise pitch matching.

When to see an audiologist:

• If you're having difficulty matching your frequency after multiple attempts
• If your tinnitus sounds different from the available tone types
• If you suspect your tinnitus frequency is outside your normal hearing range
• If you want confirmation of your self-matched frequency

It's possible that your tinnitus tone occurs outside of your hearing range. If this is the case:

• Speak to your audiologist about this scenario
• It may be unlikely that notched sound therapy will work in this situation
• You can still try the therapy - if it doesn't work, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for website purchases

Some tinnitus sounds like "sparking electricity," "whooshing," or other complex sounds. Unfortunately, these sounds are often too broad on the frequency spectrum to fit within the notch (which is necessary for the therapy to work in principle).

If you have atypical tinnitus that doesn't match the available tone types, the notched sound therapy approach may not be suitable for you.

If you have multiple tinnitus tones, you can match them separately. However, our therapy was designed to treat one dominant tone at a time.

For multiple tones, you can create therapy with multiple notches by:

1. Creating notched white noise at the first frequency
2. Downloading that file
3. Uploading it as a "song" and notching it at the second frequency
4. Repeating as needed for additional frequencies

Note: Don't do this for tones very close together in frequency - they may already fall within the same notch width.

Watch our step-by-step video guide to the tuning process:

• The Definitive Guide to Detecting Your Tinnitus Frequency (Blog Post)
• FAQ: How accurately do I have to tune?
• FAQ: What if I have multiple tinnitus tones?