A method to determine and/or monitor at least one process variable of a medium with at least one vibration-capable unit. The vibration-capable unit is excited to mechanical vibrations by means of an electrical excitation signal of an adjustable frequency; wherein the mechanical vibrations are transduced into a received electrical signal, which is characterized at least by a frequency and/or a phase and/or an amplitude. The excitation signal is generated based on the received signal; wherein the voltage values of the received signal are sampled at specified predetermined points in time, starting from the excitation signal. The real part and the imaginary part of the received signal are determined from the sampled voltage values of the received signal by means of a Goertzel algorithm; wherein at least one Goertzel coefficient—in particular the number of the sample values and/or an operating frequency and/or a sample frequency—is provided for performing the Goertzel algorithm. At least the current phase and/or the current amplitude of the received signal are calculated from the real part and the imaginary part of the received signal; wherein the frequency of the excitation signal is adjusted such that a predeterminable phase shift is present between the excitation signal and the received signal; and wherein the at least one process variable is determined.