Transpose a song without changing its tempo
Change the key of any recording and keep its speed: up to 12 semitones up or down, and fine tuning by cents. Pitch and speed are separate controls in SlowBird, so you can also slow a passage down and keep it in the key you chose.
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What transposing a recording is good for
- A key that suits your voice or instrument. Move a song down a tone to sing it, or into a key that sits better under your fingers, and it plays at the same tempo.
- Records that are not at A=440. Older recordings often run a little sharp or flat. Adjust them by cents until the record is in tune with your instrument, then play along.
- Guitar tuned down. A record played in half-step-down tuning comes out in standard tuning when you transpose it up one semitone.
- A lick in every key. Loop a phrase you have learned and move it up a semitone at a time to hear it, and play it, and learn it in all twelve keys.
Hearing a record at your horn’s written pitch
Records sound at concert pitch, and horn parts are written in another key. Transpose the record up 2 semitones and you hear it at the written pitch of a B♭ instrument: tenor or soprano saxophone, trumpet or clarinet (the tenor sounds an octave lower again, which does not change the note names). Transpose it down 3 for an E♭ instrument: alto or baritone saxophone.
How to transpose a song in SlowBird
- Bring the recording in. Drop an audio file on the window, open a video, paste a link, or record whatever your computer is playing.
- Set the pitch. Move it up or down in semitones, and by cents if the record is off A=440. The tempo does not change.
- Slow it down if you need to. Set any speed from 25% to 200% and the new key holds. See slowing down without changing the pitch.
Questions
Does transposing a song change its speed?
Not in SlowBird. Pitch and speed are separate controls: move a recording up or down in semitones and it plays at the same tempo, or slow it down and it stays in the same key. Set both at once to learn a passage slowly in the key you need.
How far can SlowBird transpose?
Up to 12 semitones (an octave) up or down, plus fine tuning by up to 100 cents either way for records that are not quite at A=440. SlowBird remembers the setting for each track.
Can it transpose for saxophone, trumpet or clarinet?
Yes, by ear. Transpose a record up 2 semitones and you hear it at the written pitch of a B♭ instrument (tenor or soprano sax, trumpet, clarinet), or down 3 for an E♭ instrument (alto or baritone sax). It changes the sound, not sheet music: SlowBird does not name the notes or write out a part.
Free 7-day trial · macOS 14 or later · Windows 10 or later · £19.99 once, both platforms