We will be using only stock plugins in these examples, so you can easily follow along.

Tip #1 : Pitch Shifting in FL Studio and Ableton Liveįirst let’s look at how to use pitch shifting in two of the most popular DAWs: FL Studio and Ableton Live. While pitch shifting will keep the harmonics in step, a frequency shift will move the fundamental and every harmonic by a certain number of Hertz, meaning the harmonics are no longer multiples of the fundamental, and hence lose their musical properties. This is what is commonly referred to when talking about pitch shifting and time stretching, and it opens up a world of possibilities.Ī quick disclaimer that pitch shifting is different from frequency shifting. Through technological innovations, we can now time-stretch without changing the pitch, or change the pitch without changing the duration of the audio.

This is why pitch shifting and time stretching are two sides of the same coin. If you speed up an audio sample, you will raise the pitch. Intuitively, you can see that if you stretch out (i.e slow down) a waveform, you will lower its pitch. Visually, a higher frequency will therefore translate into a more “squeezed” waveform, while a lower frequency will look more spaced out. One hertz equals one cycle per second, so a higher number of hertz means more cycles per second, which the human ear will translate into a higher pitch. If you’ve ever had a physics 101 class, this will probably bring back some (potentially painful) memories.įrequency is measured in hertz (Hz), which is just a fancy way of defining the number of cycles per second of a given waveform. What Do We Mean by Pitch Shifting and Time Stretchingīefore diving into practical tips, a little refresher. Tip #9: Transform Your Vocals With Little Alterboy.Tip #8: Transforming Sounds Into New Instruments.Tip #6: Haunting Textures Through Extreme Time Stretching.Tip #5: Creating the Stutter Effect in Ableton Live.Tip #4: Harmonizing with NewTone (FL Studio).Tip #2: Time Stretching in FL Studio and Ableton Live.Tip #1 : Pitch Shifting in FL Studio and Ableton Live.

Perfect shifting sounds