Generate Sine, Square, and Sawtooth Tones in Audacity

Audacity includes a built-in Tone Generator that allows you to synthesize basic waveforms—specifically sine, square, and sawtooth waves—for audio testing, calibration, tuning, and sound design. This guide provides a straightforward walkthrough on how to locate the Tone Generator, select your desired waveform type, adjust audio parameters such as frequency and amplitude, and render the audio directly onto your track timeline.

Step 1: Prepare a Track

1. Open Audacity.
2. You can generate a tone into a new project directly, or create a specific track first by going to Tracks > Add New > Mono Track (or Stereo Track).
3. If you have an existing track and wish to insert the tone at a specific location, click the timeline where you want the tone to begin. If no track is selected, Audacity will automatically create a new audio track for the tone.

Step 2: Open the Tone Generator

1. Click on the Generate menu in the top menu bar.
2. Select Tone... from the dropdown list.
3. A dialog window labeled Tone Generator will appear.

Step 3: Choose Your Waveform

In the Tone Generator window, locate the Waveform dropdown menu. Click it to choose from the available waveform types:

• Sine: Produces a clean, smooth, pure frequency containing no additional harmonics. Commonly used for calibration, testing equipment, and sub-bass design.
• Square: Generates a harsh, hollow, digital-sounding buzz composed of odd harmonics. Audacity also provides a "Square, no alias" option to prevent digital aliasing distortion at higher frequencies.
• Sawtooth: Creates a bright, sharp, buzzy tone that contains both even and odd harmonics. Frequently used as a base for synthesizing lead instruments and brass sounds.

Select Sine, Square, or Sawtooth depending on your project requirements.

Step 4: Configure Tone Parameters

Before rendering the audio, set the following three parameters within the dialog box:

1. Frequency (Hz): Enter the pitch of the tone in Hertz. For example, enter 440 for standard concert pitch (A4), or 1000 (1 kHz) for a standard test tone.
2. Amplitude: Enter a value between 0.0 (silence) and 1.0 (maximum volume before clipping). A setting of 0.8 is standard to ensure the tone is loud without introducing digital distortion.
3. Duration: Specify how long you want the tone to last. You can set the time in hours, minutes, seconds, or milliseconds using the numerical counter.

Step 5: Render the Tone

1. Click Apply (or OK, depending on your Audacity version).
2. The generated waveform will immediately appear on your timeline.
3. Press the Spacebar to play back the generated tone. You can use the Zoom Tool (or Ctrl + 1 / Cmd + 1) to zoom in close enough to inspect the physical peaks and valleys of the sine, square, or sawtooth shape directly on the track.