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Adjusting the Pitch on a Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that can produce myriad sounds at the push of a button. A synthesizer can emulate real-life sounds, such as a car horn, a dog's bark or a bird's chirp, by combining frequencies. The early 21st century synthesizer is a sophisticated piece of equipment employing computer technology with a significant number of buttons and controls. A synthesizer can stand alone as an instrument or can be integrated into a musical instrument, like a keyboard. Thus, adjusting the pitch, the note frequency measured in octaves, may not be readily apparent, and can involve a number of steps.

Things You'll Need

  • Owner's manual for your synthesizer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate the voltage controlled oscillator button, a standard control that determines the pitch of the sound. Depending on your model, your synthesizer may have a button or a sliding control. The control diagram in your owner’s manual will pinpoint exactly where this button is located on your synthesizer.

    • 2

      Move the VCO button up to a higher frequency, which will increase the pitch. Move the control button down, which will decrease the pitch. Most VCOs move up and down in octave segments. Frequency is measured in hertz, the vibrations or cycles per second. Hertz may range from 15 to 20,000 cycles per second in synthesizers. The higher the number of hertz , the higher the pitch. (Reference 3)

    • 3

      Find the frequency modulation controls on your synthesizer. Depending on your model, this control may range from one button to many buttons. If you own a simple or older model synthesizer, your synthesizer may not have any frequency modulation controls. The frequency modulation control buttons can adjust the vibrato, sweeps, bends and trills of a given pitch.

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Digital Music

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