How To Change Pitch
in After Effects
After Effects has no Pitch Shifter effect, but you can still raise or lower pitch. Here are the methods that work, with the exact numbers for each semitone.
To change pitch in After Effects, select the audio layer and go to Layer → Time → Time Stretch. After Effects has no Pitch Shifter effect, so pitch follows playback speed: a Stretch Factor below 100% raises the pitch and one above 100% lowers it. 50% is +12 semitones (an octave up) and 200% is −12 (an octave down). To change pitch without changing the length, shift it in Adobe Audition or another audio editor.
- Select the audio layer — duplicate it first if the picture must keep its timing
- Open
Layer → Time → Time Stretch - Higher voice — Stretch Factor below 100% (
74.9%is +5 semitones) - Deeper voice — Stretch Factor above 100% (
133.5%is −5 semitones) - Pitch that moves —
Layer → Time → Enable Time Remapping, then add keyframes - Same length required — shift the pitch in Audition, then bring it back
The Honest Answer
If you've followed a tutorial that says to go to Effect → Time → Pitch Shifter, you'll have found nothing there. After Effects doesn't include a pitch shifter in its audio effects. Premiere Pro does have a Pitch Shifter effect, and some tutorials describe it as if it were in After Effects.
What After Effects does is change pitch the way a record player does: pitch follows playback speed. Play audio faster and it goes up, play it slower and it goes down. That gives you two built-in methods, Time Stretch and Time Remapping. For changing pitch while keeping the original speed, you need an audio editor, and Audition is the closest fit if you have it.
Adobe's reference on time-stretching and time-remapping covers the dialogs used here.
Stretch Factor below 100% = faster = higher pitch. Above 100% = slower = lower pitch. It feels backwards, because the factor describes length rather than speed. A short way to remember it: 50% is chipmunk and 200% is demon.
Which Method To Use
| You want | Use | Length changes? |
|---|---|---|
| A fixed pitch shift and the speed change is fine | Time Stretch | Yes |
| Pitch that moves, like a tape-stop | Time Remapping | Yes |
| A different pitch at the same speed | Audition or another audio editor | No |
Semitone to Stretch Factor: The Exact Numbers
Each semitone changes the speed by a factor of about 1.0595, which gives the formula Stretch Factor = 100 ÷ 2^(semitones ÷ 12). Here are the common values worked out for you.
| Pitch shift | Stretch Factor | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| +12 (octave up) | 50% | Double speed, full chipmunk |
| +7 | 66.7% | Strong comedic lift |
| +5 | 74.9% | Noticeably higher voice |
| +2 | 89.1% | Subtle brightening |
| +1 | 94.4% | One step up |
| −1 | 106% | One step down |
| −2 | 112.2% | Subtle deepening |
| −5 | 133.5% | Deeper, more serious voice |
| −7 | 149.8% | Trailer-style depth, clearly slowed |
| −12 (octave down) | 200% | Half speed, demon voice |
Time Stretch: Pitch and Speed Together
This is the quickest way to change pitch in After Effects, with no plugins or extra apps. It's good for chipmunk voices, deep trailer reads and shifting a music cue. The trade-off is that the length changes along with the pitch.
If only the sound should change, duplicate the layer (Ctrl/⌘ + D). On one copy turn off the video (the eye), and on the other turn off the audio (the speaker). You'll stretch only the audio copy.
Select the audio layer and go to Layer → Time → Time Stretch.
Type the percentage from the cheat sheet, for example 89.1 for two semitones up or 112.2 for two down, then click OK.
Preview the audio and fine-tune the percentage until the pitch sounds right.
A 30-second voiceover stretched to 150% becomes a 45-second one. The pitch drop and the slow-down are one change. If you need the original timing, use Method 3 instead.
Time Remapping: Pitch That Moves
Time Stretch applies one fixed speed. Time Remapping lets you keyframe the speed, and because pitch follows speed, you're effectively keyframing the pitch. It suits tape-stops, slow-motion ramps and risers.
Select the layer and choose Layer → Time → Enable Time Remapping. A Time Remap property appears with a keyframe at each end.
Add keyframes where the pitch should start and stop changing. A shallower slope between keyframes plays slower (pitch drops), and a steeper one plays faster (pitch rises). For a tape-stop, make the last keyframe's value barely advance from the one before it so the sound slows to a stop.
Select the keyframes and press F9 for Easy Ease, then fine-tune the curve in the Graph Editor. An ease-out gives a more natural power-down than a straight line.
Audition: Pitch Without Changing Speed
Changing pitch while keeping the same duration needs a proper pitch shifter, which After Effects doesn't have. If you have Adobe Audition, After Effects can send the audio there and bring the result back.
Select the audio layer and use Edit → Edit in Adobe Audition. Check whether it edits a copy or your original file before you save.
In Audition, go to Effects → Time and Pitch → Pitch Shifter. Set Semitones for the shift and Cents for fine-tuning (100 cents is one semitone), preview it, then apply. Adobe's time and pitch reference covers the options. For large shifts on voice, try the Stretch and Pitch process in the same menu, which is built for bigger changes.
Save in Audition, then switch back to After Effects. The layer should now play the shifted audio at its original length. Check that it's still in sync.
Free Alternatives: Audacity & Premiere
If you don't have Audition, any audio editor with a pitch effect works. Process the file outside After Effects, then import the result.
Open the audio in Audacity, select it all, and go to Effect → Pitch and Tempo → Change Pitch. Export it with File → Export Audio, then bring the new file into your After Effects project and use it in place of the original.
Premiere has a Pitch Shifter audio effect with Semitones and Cents controls. Its Speed/Duration dialog also has a Maintain Audio Pitch option for changing speed without changing pitch. Process the audio there, then use it in After Effects.
Premiere's tools are covered in our guide to resizing video in Premiere Pro.
When It Goes Wrong
I can't find the Pitch Shifter effect
Nothing is broken, because After Effects doesn't include one. Use Time Stretch (Method 1) for a pitch and speed change together, or shift the pitch in an audio editor (Methods 3 and 4).
The video slowed down along with the audio
Time Stretch works on the whole layer. Duplicate the layer, turn off the audio on one copy and the video on the other, and stretch only the audio copy. Its length will differ from the picture, so trim it to fit.
The shifted audio sounds grainy or robotic
Time Stretch resamples the audio, so very large changes can sound rough. For big shifts, especially on voice, use an audio editor's pitch tools such as Audition's Stretch and Pitch instead.
I need the pitch to change but the timing to stay the same
That means a proper pitch shifter outside After Effects. Use Method 3 or 4, and bring the shifted audio back in.
Decide first whether a speed change is acceptable. If it is (chipmunk voices, trailer voices, tape-stops), stay in After Effects with Time Stretch or Time Remapping. If the length must not change, use an external pitch shifter.
FAQ
Does After Effects have a Pitch Shifter effect?
No. Its audio effects include tools such as Bass & Treble, Delay, Flange & Chorus, Modulator, Parametric EQ, Reverb, Stereo Mixer and Tone, but not a pitch shifter. Premiere Pro does have one.
How do I make a voice deeper?
Use Time Stretch with a Stretch Factor above 100%. Around 112% lowers the voice by two semitones, and about 150% lowers it by seven. The audio also slows down. For a deeper voice at the original speed, use Audition.
How do I get the chipmunk effect?
Use Time Stretch with a Stretch Factor below 100%. About 75% raises the pitch by five semitones, and 50% raises it by a full octave. The clip plays faster too.
What Stretch Factor equals one semitone?
About 94.4% for one semitone up and about 106% for one semitone down, using Stretch Factor = 100 ÷ 2^(semitones ÷ 12).
Can the Modulator effect change pitch?
Not as a steady transposition. Modulator (Effect → Audio → Modulator) wobbles the pitch back and forth for vibrato-style effects. It can't hold a fixed shift like +2 semitones.
Video Walkthrough
[One line saying what the video shows.]
Recap
After Effects has no Pitch Shifter, but pitch follows speed. Use Time Stretch for a fixed shift (below 100% raises it, above 100% lowers it), Time Remapping for pitch that moves, and Audition or another audio editor when the length must stay the same.
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