Web/API/OscillatorNode

The OscillatorNode interface represents a periodic waveform, such as a sine wave. It is an AudioScheduledSourceNode audio-processing module that causes a specified frequency of a given wave to be created—in effect, a constant tone.

An OscillatorNode is created using the BaseAudioContext.createOscillator() method. It always has exactly one output and no inputs. Its basic property defaults (see AudioNode for definitions) are:

Number of inputs	0
Number of outputs	1
Channel count mode	max
Channel count	2 (not used in the default count mode)
Channel interpretation	speakers

Constructor

OscillatorNode()

Creates a new instance of an OscillatorNode object, optionally providing an object specifying default values for the node's properties.  If the default values are acceptable, you can simply call the BaseAudioContext.createOscillator() factory method.

Properties

Inherits properties from its parent, AudioScheduledSourceNode, and adds the following properties:

OscillatorNode.frequency

An a-rate AudioParam representing the frequency of oscillation in hertz (though the AudioParam returned is read-only, the value it represents is not). The default value is 440 Hz (a standard middle-A note).

OscillatorNode.detune

An a-rate AudioParam representing detuning of oscillation in cents (though the AudioParam returned is read-only, the value it represents is not). The default value is 0.

OscillatorNode.type

A string which specifies the shape of waveform to play; this can be one of a number of standard values, or custom to use a PeriodicWave to describe a custom waveform. Different waves will produce different tones. Standard values are "sine", "square", "sawtooth", "triangle" and "custom". The default is "sine".

Event handlers

OscillatorNode.onended

Sets the event handler for the ended event, which fires when the tone has stopped playing.

Methods

Inherits methods from its parent, AudioScheduledSourceNode, and adds the following:

OscillatorNode.setPeriodicWave()

Sets a PeriodicWave which describes a periodic waveform to be used instead of one of the standard waveforms; calling this sets the type to custom. This replaces the now-obsolete OscillatorNode.setWaveTable() method.

OscillatorNode.start()

Specifies the exact time to start playing the tone.

OscillatorNode.stop()

Specifies the time to stop playing the tone.

Examples

The following example shows basic usage of an AudioContext to create an oscillator node and to start playing a tone on it. For an applied example, check out our [[../../../../../../mdn.github.io/violent-theremin/index|Violent Theremin demo]] (see app.js for relevant code).

// create web audio api context
var audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)();

// create Oscillator node
var oscillator = audioCtx.createOscillator();

oscillator.type = 'square';
oscillator.frequency.setValueAtTime(440, audioCtx.currentTime); // value in hertz
oscillator.connect(audioCtx.destination);
oscillator.start();

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
Web Audio APIThe definition of 'OscillatorNode' in that specification.	Working Draft

Browser compatibility

The compatibility table on this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
OscillatorNode	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
OscillatorNode() constructor	Chrome Full support 55 Notes' Full support 55 Notes' Notes' Before Chrome 59, the default values were not supported.	Edge Full support 79	Firefox Full support 53	IE No support No	Opera Full support 42	Safari No support No	WebView Android Full support 55 Notes' Full support 55 Notes' Notes' Before version 59, the default values were not supported.	Chrome Android Full support 55 Notes' Full support 55 Notes' Notes' Before Chrome 59, the default values were not supported.	Firefox Android Full support 53	Opera Android Full support 42	Safari iOS No support No	Samsung Internet Android Full support 6.0 Notes' Full support 6.0 Notes' Notes' Before Samsung Internet 7.0, the default values were not supported.
detune	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
frequency	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
onended	Chrome Full support 30	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25	IE No support No	Opera Full support 17	Safari Full support 6.1	WebView Android Full support 4.4	Chrome Android Full support 30	Firefox Android Full support 26	Opera Android Full support 18	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 2.0
setPeriodicWave	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
start	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25 Notes' Full support 25 Notes' Notes' Before Firefox 30, the when parameter was not optional.	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26 Notes' Full support 26 Notes' Notes' Before Firefox 30, the when parameter was not optional.	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
stop	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25 Notes' Full support 25 Notes' Notes' Before Firefox 30, the when parameter was not optional.	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26 Notes' Full support 26 Notes' Notes' Before Firefox 30, the when parameter was not optional.	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
type	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 25	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 26	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support Yes	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0

Legend

Full support  

Full support

No support  

No support

Compatibility unknown  

Compatibility unknown

See implementation notes.'

See implementation notes.

See also

• Using the Web Audio API

OscillatorNode by Mozilla Contributors is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.5.