Hearing pitch

  • warzone (nov 5-9) signup begins in...
In reason you can load a sample into the NNXT and then use the NNXT's right click menu to find the pitch.

Hearing the pitch for yourself is a hard thing to get the grasp of, it does take some time and plenty of practice to tune the ears to hear the tone. Playing a piano patch over a sample was how I used to try and figure out the key.
At first this can be a little hit and miss, especially with the low end frequencies, so always try and imitate the key in a higher octave, then shift the octave down for basses to get a more accurate result.
 

Formant024

Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
dude, just load up another plugin and find the key, if you cant find the pitch because its to low then either transpose and octave up and see if you can hear it ( play the sample twice the speed ).
 
Being as you are on a budget, Id highly recommend using some of the methods mentioned to find the key.

If the sample you are trying to find the key for is mid to high range in the frequency range things should be a little easier.
Load a piano patch like mentioned before. Its easier to distinguish the tonal changes with a piano patch I find.
Then with the sample looped up and playing just try each key in the middle C octave until you find the one that sounds just right. Finding the rest of the keys to use is the next step of the battle.
Like Formant said if the sample is in the low frequency range(bass) then pitchshift the sample by 1 or two octaves to make the key of the sample easier to hear, then apply the same technique with the piano I mentioned before.
Relying on a program to find pitch will not train your ears to be able to do it yourself, I really wouldnt recommend relying on software to find the key.
 

nonie

Kohie
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 4
Well I mean I guess that method works if you have somewhat of an ear. Based on that method, I think the sample is in the C4 octave, but other than that I don't which key. Trying to determine each note used in the sample is kinda hard for me esp. since I don't have an ear for the pitch. Plus I don't have a MIDI keyboard which makes it even harder. Bleh, I really want to try and put a bassline on this beat before I upload it anywhere.
 
I know what you are saying, there was a time I had a real hard time finding pitch. And many times I thought I had the right key only to be wrong, but to be honest, thats part of the learning process.
If you never start to try and get it right, you never will. See what Im saying?
 
D

DnL

Guest
In reason you can load a sample into the NNXT and then use the NNXT's right click menu to find the pitch.

Hearing the pitch for yourself is a hard thing to get the grasp of, it does take some time and plenty of practice to tune the ears to hear the tone. Playing a piano patch over a sample was how I used to try and figure out the key.
At first this can be a little hit and miss, especially with the low end frequencies, so always try and imitate the key in a higher octave, then shift the octave down for basses to get a more accurate result.


very good advice. @ the OP, of course you could always brush up on your music theory... lol but yeah it takes some time and ear training believe me you will get there. be patient and keep at it
 

LDB

Banned
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 73
You don't want to start relying on a plugin or program to learn pitch! Don't be in such a hurry to do a beat that you don't take the time to LEARN. C,D,E,F,G,A,B (7 NOTES) the wrong note will stick out like a soar thumb. Practice now will make you a better beat maker/producer later. If you're trying to play a bass line over a sample try and find the key with the black keys....there are only 5 per scale. It's really not as hard as you might think!

P.S. All black keys sound good together...it's hard to go wrong with them!
 
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 152
yep, learnin the pitch urself will b priceless later on
practice enough and u will kno the key str8 away.. also there are free games available (search google) that are ear pitch training.. it plays a note and u guess it... perhaps a more fun way to learn

also - music theory rly helps... becoz once u know the root of the scale, u will know wot fits without guessing

load up a sample as a loop and jus play over it w the keyboard til it sounds exact.. dont tell urself u dont hav the ear for it, thats bs, every1 has the ear u jus gotta listen carefully and the more u do it the easier it'll b
 

Relic

Voice of Illmuzik Radio
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 83
haha absolutely no dis nonie, but how do you do music if you cant hear pitch?
are you saying that you cant hear when a note sounds sour?
I dont mean you hear something and know what the note is Im saying, can you not hear at all if something sounds "off"?
Thats a sincere question, because that would be like painting color blind.
You could do it, but the results would be wild in the results.
 

The Mastermind

This Illuminati Be Illin'
ill o.g.
There is a freeware program called Rapid Evolution that can figure out the key in samples.

http://www.mixshare.com/software.html

Or you could pay for Mixed In Key that uses a code for the Key that can then be used to figure out what matches with what.

Or you could learn it.

I feel what you are saying Relic, but if you are looking at a bunch of samples that you want to mash together it helps if you can suss out what will match before you start working.
 

eldiablo

KRACK HEAD
ill o.g.
another trick is to do the bassline however you want. then edit it to sound good. i have taking basslines that i have made for other beats and sped them up slowed them down pitched up, pitched down etc. to use on other beats.

another thing that can possibly be messing you up is, what kind of speakers and or monitors are you using. when im making basslines i have 3 different set-ups i listen to the beat on.
1. a 3000 watt amp running into 4 mtx aal speakers with 8 12's. (kinda like a home stereo set-up)
2. some pretty decent self powered studio monitors
3. good flat response headphones
 
Top