At the same redline, why does a Ferrari V12 sound higher-pitched than a V6?

Answer: More firing pulses per rev

More firing pulses per rev ✓ — Right. In a four-stroke engine, each cylinder fires once every two crank revolutions, so the main firing order is half the cylinder count. A V12 therefore gives six firing pulses per revolution, while a V6 gives three. At 9500 rpm, that simple math puts the V12's main pulse frequency near 950 Hz, roughly double the V6's 475 Hz at the same rpm. The surprise is that the pitch is not mainly luxury branding; it is counting pulses.

Larger cylinders boom lower — Almost, but the cylinder's size is not the first lever for pitch. A bigger cylinder can change loudness, bass weight, and combustion character, yet the main engine note follows how many firing events happen per crank revolution. A V12 can use large cylinders and still sing high because six pulses arrive every turn. That is why a high-revving twelve can sound more violin-like than a smaller six.

Exhaust tuning sets pitch — Not quite. Exhaust tuning can filter or emphasize parts of the sound, so it matters a lot to the final character. But it does not create the base firing frequency from nothing. The root pitch comes from combustion pulses locked to rpm and cylinder count. An exhaust can make the V12 sharper or smoother, yet the doubled pulse count is already present before the tailpipe.