Pitch control
Pitch Control (English pitch control , pitch adjustment ) a function in reproducers is to primarily or actively regulate the pitch speed and keep for a certain period. Turntables , tape machines , music software , synthesizers and samplers , etc. offer this function.
In turntables and tape recorders, the pitch control increases or decreases the rotational speed of the turntable or capstan . A (mostly undesirable) side effect is a change in speed. A DJ uses the function to synchronize the music of two different records in terms of tempo. In order to change the tempo without affecting the pitch, there is the possibility of temporal stretching, see time stretching . However, this function is not available for turntables and tape recorders.
Software media players do not normally require any pitch control. Some computer jockeys who handle digital audio files on a PC use the function in the same way as with a record player.
For audio editing programs lasting is mostly pitch change (English pitch shift ) made. Pitch control is also used for dubbing during video editing . In order to only change the tempo, however, a time extension is usually made.
With synthesizers and samplers, the pitch control (also called pitch shift or transpose ) also allows you to transpose the notes on a keyboard up or down . Shifts by semitones are common. Fine-tune is then used to fine-tune notes or to detune them . With samplers, raising or lowering the pitch of a voice recording by 12 semitones or more can also be used to generate either a Mickey Mouse voice or a devil's voice, although the pitch control is not absolutely necessary here because the keyboard itself determines the samples plays higher or lower according to the key, so that the effect occurs automatically after an octave at the latest. With the Mickey Mouse voice, the voice not only becomes higher, but also faster. Conversely with the devil's voice, which then slows down accordingly. The speed can then be corrected again using time stretching.
The pitch control is not to be confused with the pitch bending , whereby you typically constantly bend the notes and basically not keep them in a certain pitch.