Pitch Shifter
Transpose audio up or down by semitones (and cents for fine-tuning) while the duration stays the same.
Used for matching keys between tracks, transposing a song into your vocal range, sample tuning, or detuning a doubler track.
How it works.
- 1Drop the audioVocal, instrument, full mix. Anything decodable.
- 2Pick semitones (and cents)+12 = up an octave. -5 = down a perfect fourth. 100 cents = 1 semitone, so use the cents slider to detune slightly (matching a slightly out-of-tune live track) or to land between standard pitches.
- 3Processffmpeg shifts pitch by raising/lowering the sample rate, then time-stretches back to the original duration. Within ±5 semitones the result sounds natural; beyond that vocals start to sound chipmunk-like (up) or muddy (down).
Transpose any song into a range you can actually sing
The most common reason people reach for a pitch shifter: the original artist sings higher (or lower) than you do. Shift the whole track down two or three semitones and suddenly the chorus is reachable. Karaoke singers, cover artists, and choir directors do this every day, and here it's a slider and a download instead of a DAW project.
- +12 semitonesUp a full octave
- -3 semitonesThe classic 'bring it into my range'
- ±50 centsFix a slightly sharp live recording
- TempoUnchanged, the song stays the same length
Match samples and blend keys without opening a DAW
Producers use pitch shifting to tune a sample to the key of a beat, nudge an out-of-tune piano recording into line, or detune a vocal double by a few cents for width. Run the Key Finder on both files first, count the semitones between them, and shift, the whole job takes under a minute in the browser.
Pitch changing that stays on your machine
Like every tool on this site, the processing runs locally in your browser with ffmpeg, your vocal take or unreleased track is never uploaded anywhere. No watermark stamped on the audio, no three-files-a-day limit.
How to change the key of a song
Step by step
- Find the song's current key with the Key & BPM Finder, and decide the key you want.
- Drop the file into the tool above: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A, AAC or AIFF, up to 200 MB.
- Set the semitones (−12 to +12). Use cents (−50 to +50) only for fine tuning.
- Press Shift pitch, listen to the result in the page, then download the WAV.
Counting semitones
Each step in this row is one semitone. Count from the current key to the new key; right is up (+), left is down (−).
CC♯DD♯EFF♯GG♯AA♯B
Minor keys count the same way: A minor to G minor is −2. Take the shorter route. Shifts over 5 semitones change the sound of a voice a lot, so −3 usually beats +9.
Common shifts
| Song in E, you sing it best in D | −2 semitones |
| Male cover of a female song (or the reverse) | −3 to −5 (or +3 to +5) |
| Play along with a capo on fret 2 | +2 semitones |
| Half-step-down guitar tuning (E♭) | −1 semitone |
| A = 440 Hz to A = 432 Hz | 0 semitones, −32 cents |
| Up or down a full octave | +12 or −12 semitones |
Mistakes to avoid
- Shifting a vocal more than about 5 semitones. The voice starts to sound thin going up and muffled going down. Split the vocal and sing or regenerate it in the new key if you need a bigger move.
- Using cents to change key. Cents are for tuning; 100 cents is only one semitone.
- Forgetting that drums move too. In a full mix the kick and snare change pitch with everything else. Small shifts of 1 to 3 semitones are rarely noticed.
- Shifting the same file several times. Each pass adds a little blur. Go back to the original and apply the total shift once.
Questions.
How does pitch shifting without tempo change actually work?
Two stages chained. First, ffmpeg lies about the sample rate. Playing the file 'faster' shifts pitch up an octave for each doubling of rate. Second, atempo time-stretches back to the original duration. The pitch shift survives; the duration cancels out. Result: pitch changes, tempo stays put.
Will my vocal sound natural after pitch shifting?
Up to about ±5 semitones, yes. Beyond that the formants (the resonances that make vowels sound like specific vowels) shift along with pitch, which is why aggressive up-shifts sound chipmunk-y and aggressive down-shifts sound muddy. Tools that preserve formants separately (Auto-Tune, Melodyne) sound more natural at extreme shifts but cost money. For modest shifts this is fine.
What's the cents slider for?
Fine-tuning between semitones. 100 cents = 1 semitone. So +50 cents is a quarter-tone up. Useful when a live recording is slightly sharp, when you're matching a sample to an out-of-tune piano, or when you want a deliberate detune effect on a doubler.
How many semitones do I need to change key?
Count the steps between the two keys on C, C♯, D, D♯, E, F, F♯, G, G♯, A, A♯, B. From E to D is 2 steps down, so −2. Go the shorter way round: A to C is +3, which sounds better than −9.
How do I convert a song from 440 Hz to 432 Hz?
Leave semitones at 0 and set cents to −32. That lowers the tuning by 31.8 cents, which moves A from 440 Hz to 432 Hz.
What file do I get?
A 24-bit WAV at 44.1 kHz with the same length as the original, named with the shift, for example song_-2.00st.wav.
Pitch shift vs key change. Same thing?
Roughly. 'Key change' is the musical term. Moving a song from C major to D major is a 2-semitone pitch shift. The technical operation is identical. Songwriters use this to transpose a song into a singer's comfortable range; producers use it for sample matching.