Pitch effects allow users to modify the fundamental frequency, or notes perceived in a musical sound. There are two components to pitch correction:

• Pitch: the note we perceive
• Formant: the resonant frequencies of a voice. Adjusting the formant affects the timbre or tonal quality of a voice and can make someone sound deeper or like a robot or chipmunk without changing the note.

Examples:

Here is a dry vocal track:

Here is the recording with a pitch-shifted version blended with the original:

Here is the recording with a formant-shifted version blended with the original:

Here is the recording, re-tuned so every word is the same note. Notice how some parts sound natural, some quite unnatural, and some notes have “artifacts” added as a result of the software. That will very depending on how far the note is being moved and the setting of the tuning software.

Pitch adjustment/correction is most commonly used on vocal recordings, but can be interesting on other instruments. Below is a drum loop that is pitch-shifted halfway through the recording:

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