5 More Creative Uses for Pitch Shifting Plugins

We previously wrote an article that explores five creative uses for pitch-shifting plugins, and we struggled to limit the article to just five techniques. In this article, we’re back with five more innovative ways to use pitch-shifting plugins. If you’re not familiar with pitch shifting, we suggest checking out the original article, where we answer the question “What is pitch shifting in audio?”

In this article, we’ll be using ELASTIQUE PITCH V2, our polyphonic pitch correction plugin. Some of the techniques below will be possible with alternative plugins, but some require functionality that is exclusive to ELASTIQUE PITCH V2.

5 More Creative Uses for Pitch Shifting Plugins

Without further ado, let’s open up our DAW and get creative. We’ll be using Ableton Live Suite, but you can follow along with your preferred DAW.

1. Harmonize Melodic Elements with Ease

ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 has a range of advanced features that set it apart from many other pitch correction plugins. One of these is the built-in Dry/Wet control, which allows you to apply parallel pitch shifting within the plugin. This means you can quickly add harmonized layers to melodic elements.

For example, if you’ve recorded a monophonic synth part to audio, but now want to harmonize it with another synth part, you can do that without having to rerecord it (or invest in a polyphonic synth!). Insert ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 on the audio channel, and set the Dry/Wet control to around 50%.

Now, adjust the Pitch control to the desired amount. Transposing up by seven semitones will give you a pleasant, rich harmonic tone, while +12 semitones will create a brighter sound. You can also transpose by -12 semitones for a deeper, richer tone. Once you’ve dialled in your transposition, try experimenting with the Dry/Wet amount to achieve the desired overall effect.

2. Add Unique Movement with Pitch and Timbre Modulation

Another unique feature of ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 is that every parameter can be controlled by automation. You can use this to add subtle pitch and timbre movement to audio signals, and even a unique chorusing effect when combined with the Dry/Wet control.

Place an instance of ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 directly on a melodic instrument. In our case, we’re going to modulate a synthesized string part. For maximum modulation flexibility, we’re going to unlink the Pitch and Timbre controls, but this technique also works with them linked.

Using your DAW’s automation functionality, apply some very subtle movement to the ELASTIQUE PITCH V2’s Pitch or Timbre value. Modulating the Pitch value with a sine wave by around 0.2 semitones (or 1% to 2%) will create a gentle vibrato-like effect. You can apply synced automation for rhythmic movement that stays in time with your project, or slow unsynced automation for a lazier and more natural feel.

When applying separate Timbre automation, feel free to be more heavy-handed with the depth of automation you apply. Unlike the Pitch value, the Timbre value allows for a deeper level of modulation without becoming melodically dissonant. Try modulating the Pitch and Timbre values at different tempos for an unpredictable sense of movement.

3. Create Transition Effects

As outlined in the last technique, the ability to automate any parameter within ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 makes it a unique and powerful pitch-shifting plugin. We can use this functionality to create transition effects to signify the start or end of a section within an arrangement.

Place an instance of ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 on an individual channel, group, or bus. This could be any channel apart from the core melodic element, as we’d recommend maintaining the pitch of that as a melodic reference point for the rest of the track. Try it on FX, drums, or secondary melodic parts, like pads.

Link the Pitch and Timbre controls and automate the effect all the way up or down during the last bar or two of a section, and then revert it at the start of the new section. This creates a swelling pitch riser effect that helps to build the energy and add excitement to your composition.

You can even create your own transition FX with this technique. Place another instance of ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 on a long crash cymbal sample, automate the pitch down by a full octave for the duration of the crash, then resample it to a new audio channel. Reverse the resampled audio, and you’ve got an otherworldly sucking crash cymbal that you can use as a transition effect in future projects.

4. Pitch Shift Return Effects to Create New Sounds

Unlike some pitch-shifting plugins, ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 is designed to be as transparent as possible. This makes it an extremely versatile tool that can be used for mixing purposes, as well as for creative sound design. This next technique can be used for either of these applications.

It’s common to apply reverb to a vocal via a return channel, as this grants you more independent control over the dry and wet signal. With this in mind, we can use ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 to apply pitch shifting to only the vocal’s reverb. Simply place an instance of the plugin after the reverb on the return channel, and dial in your pitch and timbre settings.

We can combine this technique with the first technique to add a harmonized reverb layer to our vocals. As we’re applying the processing in parallel instead of as an insert, we’ll want to keep the Dry/Wet value at 100% in this instance. Try transposing the pitch by five, seven, or 12 semitones for a pleasant harmonized reverb effect.

If you just want to tweak the tone of your reverb and don’t want to shift its pitch, unlink the Pitch and Timbre controls and adjust the Timbre value to taste. This is particularly useful for creating a sense of separation between your vocal and the reverb. For example, if you’re working with a particularly bright vocal with a lot of high-frequency information, try reducing the Timbre of the reverb. This should allow the vocal to shine through while the reverb sits underneath it.

5. Combine Freeze and MIDI Control to Play Any Sound Chromatically

While some of the creative pitch-shifting techniques covered in this article are possible with almost any pitch-shifting plugin, this last one is only possible with ELASTIQUE PITCH V2. The plugin’s integrated buffer Freeze function, along with its MIDI control, allow for some truly powerful sound design.

Place ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 on the audio channel you want to affect and set up a separate MIDI channel to send MIDI to the plugin. You can refer to the manual to find out how to set this up in your DAW. With an audio signal passing through ELASTIQUE PITCH V2, toggle the Freeze button on and off until you capture a segment of audio that you like the tone of.

You can now use MIDI to apply chromatic pitch shifting to the frozen segment of the audio signal. Provided you’ve set your DAW up appropriately, this works with MIDI clips and sequencers, as well as MIDI keyboards or controllers. To take this technique a step further, try automating ELASTIQUE PITCH V2’s Freeze button in sync with your project’s BPM. This will create a unique rhythmic stuttering pitch-shifted effect that remains in sync with your project.

As we’ve demonstrated here, pitch-shifting plugins are capable of much more than simply transposing audio up or down. Between both instalments of this article, we’ve outlined 10 unique ways to make the most of pitch correction plugins. Tools like ELASTIQUE PITCH V2 are great for experimentation, so it’s important to get creative with how you use them to come up with exciting new sounds and production techniques.