Start with the chorus

The chorus is where most songs climb to their highest note, so it is the part to test. Play the song up to the chorus, click the icon, and press − once. Sing the chorus again. If you still strain at the top, press − again. Each press lowers the whole recording by one semitone, and you hear the result straight away.

How far is far enough

Most singers land between one and four semitones lower. Stop at the first setting where the top note is comfortable, not the first one where it is merely possible: you want to sing the whole song, not just survive the chorus. If the verses start to feel muddy and low, you have gone one step too far, so press + once.

Singing instead of the singer

PitchShed lowers the recording as it is, including the original vocal. It does not remove the voice. To sing the lead yourself, search for a karaoke or instrumental version of the song and lower that one instead; the key control works the same way.

Keep the number

Once you have found the right key, note it down. PitchShed also remembers it for you: open the same video next time, click the icon, and the lowered key is back. The page on saving key and speed for each song explains how that works.

A short example

Say the chorus climbs to a high A and you can reach an F comfortably. A down to F is four semitones, so press − four times. The verse that felt fine before now sits four semitones lower, so check that it has not dropped out of reach. If it has, settle on −3 and sing the top of the chorus a little lighter.