Pitch control

This article is about audio device controls. For aircraft controls, see Pitch (aviation).

A variable speed pitch control (or vari-speed) is a control on an audio device such as a turntable, tape recorder, or CD player that allows the operator to deviate from a standard speed (such as 33, 45 or even 78 rpm on a turntable), resulting in adjustments in pitch.^[1] The latter term "vari-speed" is more commonly used for tape decks, particularly in the UK. Analog pitch controls vary the voltage being used by the playback device; digital controls use digital signal processing to change the playback speed or pitch. A typical DJ deck allows the pitch to be increased or reduced by up to 8%, which is achieved by increasing or reducing the speed at which the platter rotates.

Technics SL-1210MK2 turntable pitch control slider

Turntable or CD playing speed may be changed for beatmatching and other DJ techniques, while pitch shift using a pitch control has myriad uses in sound recording.

Vari-speed in consumer cassette decks

Superscope, Inc. of Sun Valley added vari-speed as a feature of portable cassette decks in 1975. The C-104 and C-105 models incorporated this feature.^[2][3]

Superscope trademarked the name Vari-Speed in 1974. The trademark category was Computer & Software Products & Electrical & Scientific Products. The trademark goods and Services use was Magnetic tape recorders and reproducers. The trademark expired in 1995.^[4][5]

DJing

Pitch adjustment and beatmatching on a Technics SL-1210MK2 turntable

Pitch control is fundamental for DJing. By changing pitch, a DJ can alter the speed of an upcoming track to match its tempo to that of the currently playing track so that the beats are synchronized, a technique called beatmatching. Through beatmatching, a DJ can create smooth transitions between tracks in a DJ set.

Turntables, CDJs, DJ controllers, and DJ software allow DJs to change the speed at which a track is played for this purpose. Technics SL-1200 turntables allow pitch changes to +/− 8% or 16%, depending on the model, and modern DJ gear often allows a range of +/- 100% (from pausing the track to playing the track twice as fast).

Modern DJ equipment also features time stretching, which allows the speed of a track to be changed without affecting its pitch, a feature often called "Master Tempo" or "Key Lock". Some equipment also features pitch shifting, allowing pitch to be adjusted independently of tempo; this allows changing the musical key of tracks so that transitions between them sound more pleasing to the listener, a practice called harmonic mixing.

Reset button

On Technics SL-1200 turntables, pressing the Reset button returns the pitch to a fixed preset value of +/−0% regardless of the pitch control position.^[6][7]

See also

• Audio time stretching and pitch scaling
• Beatmatching