Transpose your audio or video for singing and instrument practice
Is the song too high to sing, or in the wrong key for your instrument? Move its playback pitch up or down in semitones while keeping the speed you chose. You can still loop a short passage. If you are learning the notes of the original recording by ear, return to zero before writing them down.
Transposing a local audio or video file is free with a free account. Pro cloud files can also be transposed. After a permitted recording has been separated into tracks with Pro, transposition works with Solo and Play Along too. The original audio of an embedded YouTube video cannot be transposed here.
How to change the key in the player
- Choose a file you may use. Add your own local audio or video, or open an available Pro cloud file. See how to practise with your own files if you are starting from a recording.
- Optionally set a loop and speed. Frame the phrase you want to test. Speed and pitch have separate controls.
- Adjust pitch. Open Transpose beside Solo in the player toolbar. Press − or + to move one semitone at a time and listen to your file. Reset to original pitch returns to 0. Once the key works, widen the loop or adjust speed separately.
Use the new key with Solo and Play Along
If you have the right to process the recording, Pro can separate it into parts. Solo lets you hear one voice or instrument on its own. Play Along mutes the selected part in the prepared accompaniment mix so you can sing or play it yourself. Both modes can use the transposed pitch and the same practice loop. For example, hear the bass alone, lower the key, then try the bass part against the remaining tracks.
Track separation and the accompaniment mix require Pro and must finish before those modes are available. Transpose does not create stems or a backing track by itself. See how track separation and Play Along work, or practise a sung phrase.
Which recordings can you transpose?
| Source | What to check first |
|---|---|
| Your local audio or video | A free account can add and transpose a file you have permission to use. Common audio and video formats are accepted, but playback still depends on the file's encoding and your browser. |
| Pro cloud audio or video | Open a synced file from the media library. Playback and processing also depend on its format, encoding and your connection. |
| A recording with completed track separation | With Pro, transpose can be used in Solo, Play Along and the full mix. Play Along also needs its accompaniment mix to be ready. |
| Embedded YouTube video | You can loop and change playback speed, but cannot transpose its original audio here. Use your own permitted local or cloud file if you need a different key. |
Transposing and slowing down solve different problems
Move pitch when the key is uncomfortable; slow down when the rhythm is too fast. You can use both controls: set playback to 0.8×, then lower the key by two semitones. Changing pitch does not reset speed to 1.0×, and changing speed does not reset pitch. If you only need more time to hear a fast passage in its original key, read how to slow music without changing pitch.
A large pitch shift can change the timbre of a voice or instrument. Move one semitone at a time and compare a few phrases, including the song's highest and lowest notes, before choosing a key for singing.
Frequently asked questions
What do −2, 0 and +2 mean?
Zero keeps the recording at its original pitch. −2 lowers everything by two semitones; +2 raises it by two. For example, a recording in C major shifted by −2 sounds in B♭ major; +2 sounds in D major. The control runs from −12 to +12 semitones. It shows a change relative to the recording, not a detected song key.
Do I need an account or Pro?
Adding and transposing your own local audio or video is free, but adding a file requires a free account. Cross-device cloud files require Pro. Solo and Play Along also need completed Pro track separation, and Play Along needs its accompaniment mix.
Can I use it on my phone?
You can open the app in a phone browser. Whether a particular file plays and transposes smoothly depends on the device, browser and file encoding. Try a short passage from your own file first.
Does this change the original file or export a new one?
No. Transpose changes what you hear during practice. It does not rewrite the source file, and the current feature does not export a transposed audio or video file.
Will it choose a key or rewrite my chord chart automatically?
No. It does not detect your vocal range, choose a key or update chords, notation, fingerings or subtitles. If you play along, adjust the notes or chords you play to match the shifted recording.
Choose one phrase in a recording you may use. Move one semitone at a time, check the highest and lowest lines, then loop the passage in a key that works for your practice.
▶ Add your own audio or video and start free A free account is required to add a local file.