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How to Change Audio Pitch in DaVinci Resolve & Fairlight

pitch

Many factors go into creating a sound audio track, and pitch is one of them. The pitch of your audio can make or break a scene since it will affect the piece’s mood. With DaVinci Resolve, you can easily change the audio pitch to get the perfect sound for your project.

To change audio pitch in DaVinci Resolve, go to the “Edit” tab, select your audio clip, open “Inspector”, go to “Audio”, and scroll down to “Pitch”. You’ll see “Semi-Tones” & “Cent”. Change these settings however you like.

This post will describe how to change the audio pitch in DaVinci Resolve in a few easy steps. We’ll be using the latest version of DaVinci Resolve 18 with our content.

Step-by-step guide: How to change audio pitch in “Inspector”

Tip: If you already have your project loaded and your clips in your timeline, you can skip straight to step 3.

1. Open your project in DaVinci Resolve 

The first step is to open your project in DaVinci Resolve. Here are the steps to do so:

  1. Launch the DaVinci Resolve software on your computer.
  2. Navigate to your project files and select the one you want to work on.
  3. Click “Open” to open your project in the software.

2. Select the audio clip you want to change

Once your project is open, find the audio clip you want to change and select it. Here are the steps to do so:

  1. Locate the audio clip you want to change in your project timeline.
  2. Click on the clip to select it.

If your audio clip isn’t yet imported, you can read on how to import new audio clips to DaVinci Resolve.

3. Change audio pitch in the Inspector Panel 

Once your audio clip is selected, you can adjust its pitch in DaVinci Resolve. Here is how:

  1. Head over to the Inspector Panel“.
  2. You’ll see an option labeled “Pitch“.
  3. Use the sliders to adjust the pitch of your audio clip.

Semi-Tones – The Semi-Tones setting makes more drastic changes to your audio.

Cent – The Cent setting is for finer adjustments to your audio.

Changing the audio pitch in DaVinci Resolve through the Inspector, navigating to "Pitch", and changing the "Semi-Tones" & "Cent" settings.

4. Listen back and make further adjustments 

Once you’ve changed the pitch, it’s important to listen back and make sure it sounds good. If it doesn’t sound right, adjust the slider until you get the perfect sound.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when adjusting the pitch of your audio:

  • Make minor adjustments at first and then gradually increase their size as needed. This way, you can avoid altering the sound too much.
  • Ensure that the pitch change doesn’t result in noticeable noise or distortion. If it does, try adjusting the volume balance accordingly to compensate for this issue.
  • Ask a friend or colleague to listen to the audio and provide feedback. That can help ensure that the pitch is spot-on. A second pair of ears can help notice something the first pair doesn’t.

How to change audio pitch in DaVinci Fairlight

As expected, you can do the same in DaVinci Fairlight, although, it’s achieved with a different method. Navigate to the Fairlight tab within DaVinci Resolve. You can find this at the bottom of your software. It’s displayed in the image below.

Fairlight icon along the bottom of the DaVinci Resolve software.

1. Go to the mixer & add a pitch effect

  1. Find the mixer panel. (If you’re using the default layout, you’ll find the mixer on the right-hand side of the DaVinci Resolve software).
  2. Click the “+” icon next to “Effects“.
  3. Select “Pitch” > “Pitch“.
Changing audio pitch in DaVinci Fairlight using the mixer panel, adding a pitch effect and changing the pitch within the new window.

2. Change the audio pitch

A new window should appear called “Audio 1 – Slot 1“. You’ll see knobs that have the “Semi-Tones” & “Cent” settings labeled underneath. Change these however you see fit.

Audio pitch panel.

Summary

Learning how to change audio pitch in DaVinci Resolve can be a great way to improve the sound quality of your project. It’s easy to do and only takes a few minutes. Simply follow the steps outlined above, and you’ll have no trouble getting great-sounding audio for your next project!

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Robert Sutton

An unwavering enthusiasm for games, films, literature, and comics has always been a profound element of my life. I possess skills in SEO, mastery in using Adobe Software, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and a keen understanding of SQL Database operations.

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