k2k audio Raise it, lower it, harmonize it. Change the pitch of audio without changing its length — from subtle retuning to multi-voice harmony stacks.
Pitch Shift
What it does — Shifts the pitch of incoming audio up or down by semitones and cents, using a phase vocoder for high-quality time-preserved transposition.
When you’d reach for it — You have a vocal or instrument recorded in the wrong key and need to nudge it into place, or you want to create a detuned double by shifting a few cents and blending with the original.
Quick example
- Connect your audio source into Pitch Shift.
- Dial Semitones to +3 to move up a minor third.
- Fine-tune with Fine Tune if it sounds slightly off — try -8 cents to soften the interval.
- Pull Dry/Wet back to 0.50 to blend the shifted signal with the original for a thickening effect.
- If you hear phasing artifacts, switch FFT Size to 4096 for cleaner results.
Parameters
| Parameter | What it controls | Range | Sweet spot hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semitones | Pitch shift in semitone steps | -24 to +24 st | Stay within -7 to +7 for natural results |
| Fine Tune | Sub-semitone pitch adjustment in cents | -100 to +100 cents | Small offsets (5-15 cents) add chorus-like width |
| Dry/Wet | Balance between original and shifted signal | 0.00 to 1.00 | 1.00 for full shift, 0.50 for doubling effect |
| FFT Size | Analysis window size — larger means cleaner but slower | 1024 / 2048 / 4096 | 2048 is a solid default; 4096 for vocals or sustained tones |
| Phase Lock | Locks phase relationships between bins for reduced smearing | On / Off | Leave on for most material |
Harmonizer
What it does — Generates two to four pitch-shifted copies of your audio at independent intervals, each with its own level, and mixes them back with the dry signal.
When you’d reach for it — You want to build a chord or harmony stack from a single monophonic line — say, turning a solo vocal into a three-part harmony, or fattening a synth lead with parallel intervals.
Quick example
- Connect a vocal or melodic source into Harmonizer.
- The voice display starts with four voices — remove any you don’t need by right-clicking a point.
- Drag the remaining points to your desired intervals: +4 st (major third) and +7 st (perfect fifth) gives a bright major triad.
- Scroll on each point to set its level — pull the fifth down to about 0.6 so it sits behind the third.
- Set Mix to 0.50 to keep the dry vocal present alongside the harmonies.
Parameters
| Parameter | What it controls | Range | Sweet spot hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice intervals | Pitch offset for each harmony voice (drag points vertically) | -12 to +12 st per voice | Diatonic intervals (3, 5, 7 semitones) sound musical; dissonant intervals work for texture |
| Voice levels | Volume of each harmony voice (scroll wheel on each point) | 0.00 to 1.00 | Keep lower voices a touch quieter (0.6-0.7) to avoid muddiness |
| Voice count | Number of harmony voices (double-click to add, right-click to remove) | 2 to 4 | Two voices for subtle thickening, four for lush stacks |
| Mix | Balance between dry signal and harmony blend | 0.00 to 1.00 | 0.50 keeps the original prominent; 1.00 for harmonies only |
| Gain | Output level trim | -12 to +12 dB | Nudge up if harmonies sound quieter than expected |
| FFT Size | Analysis quality | 1024 / 2048 / 4096 | 2048 for most sources; 4096 for cleaner sustained notes |