Overtone Series
Find the first five harmonics that make up a fundamental tone.
About Overtone Series
A tone is a stack of whole-number multiples of its fundamental, and these overtones give the sound its timbre. Understanding the overtone series explains consonant tuning, formants and why different instruments sound different.
Formula
Overtone Series
Harmonic n = fundamental x n
- harmonic
- A whole-number multiple of the fundamental frequency
Worked example
With the default values below, Overtone Series returns 5th Harmonic of 550.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Fundamentalminimum 1 Hz
- 110 Hz
Results
- 1st Harmonic
- 110.00 Hz
- 2nd Harmonic
- 220.00 Hz
- 3rd Harmonic
- 330.00 Hz
- 4th Harmonic
- 440.00 Hz
- 5th Harmonic
- 550.00 Hz
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Overtone Series
- 35th Harmonic= 550.00 Hz
- 41st Harmonic= 110.00 Hz
- 52nd Harmonic= 220.00 Hz
- 63rd Harmonic= 330.00 Hz
- 74th Harmonic= 440.00 Hz
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the single input listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Overtone Series calculated?
Harmonic n = fundamental x n A tone is a stack of whole-number multiples of its fundamental, and these overtones give the sound its timbre.
Why does Overtone Series matter?
Understanding the overtone series explains consonant tuning, formants and why different instruments sound different.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 1 input: Fundamental. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.