FL Studio 
Pitcher is FL Studio's pitch-correction and harmony plugin for one voice at a time. Put it first on the vocal's Mixer insert, set Key, Scale and the allowed notes, then set Correction Speed and Minimum Frequency for the take. For exact targets, switch it to MIDI mode, link MIDI Out on a matching Port and write the notes slightly ahead of the vocal, or play a chord to generate harmony voices.
Pitcher corrects and harmonizes audio as it passes through the Mixer, and in MIDI mode a keyboard or the Piano roll picks the target notes. It is the wrong tool for note-by-note edits after recording, and it does not work on chords, choirs or a finished mix, because its detector follows a single note.
Start with the source Pitcher can track
Feed Pitcher a monophonic source, such as a lead vocal or a single instrument line. Layered doubles, stacked backing vocals, polyphonic instruments and full mixes carry several pitches at once, so the detector cannot tell which one should steer the correction. Image-Line adds two habits for the singer: avoid pitches on the boundary between two scale notes, with the Input Pitch indicator as a guide, and avoid excessive vibrato.
Send the vocal to its own Mixer insert. I put Pitcher in the first insert slot, because the plugin needs a non-effected input, and phasing, chorus or reverb in front of it hurts pitch detection. Keep it first in the effects chain, put those effects after it and build the rest of the chain with the vocal-mixing guide.
On a stereo input, the REF switch picks the channel Pitcher tracks: L, R or Independent, which tunes the left and right channels separately. A vocal recorded on one side of a stereo track needs REF set to that side.
Record a dry take at a steady level, and follow the FL Studio vocal-recording workflow for the input chain. Pitch correction does not repair clipping, room echo or a badly placed microphone.
Set Key, Scale and allowed notes before Correction Speed
The automatic section starts with Key and Scale. Key sets the root note and Scale picks Major or Minor, which lights the matching pattern on the C to B note buttons. A lit note is a target. A switched-off note is avoided, and Pitcher moves the input to the nearest lit note.
The note buttons override Scale, so you can add a borrowed note or build a mode outside Major and Minor. Each note also has a Bypass switch that passes pitches in its capture zone uncorrected, so a bent note stays as sung. A wrong scale with a faster Correction Speed only lands the wrong note harder.
I set the note buttons by ear when the key is unclear, because the manual's route for an unknown key is to watch the pitch indicator and deselect the detected notes you do not want. Watch several phrases against the instrumental, since one phrase can skip the note that exposes a wrong scale. For one stubborn note, the pitch detector names it in Hz and cents.
Correction Speed controls the character
Correction Speed sets how fast Pitcher pulls the detected pitch to the target. Fast settings sound more artificial and slow settings more natural. I start Correction Speed slower on legato lines, because slower settings keep legato phrases and glissando sounding natural.
No single position gives a natural vocal. Start slow and speed up until unsteady notes settle without flattening every slide and onset. For a hard-tune sound, go fast once the scale is right.
Listen to the transitions as well as the held notes. If every transition snaps, slow down. If the middle of a held note wanders, speed up in small steps.
Use Minimum Frequency to reject low interference
Minimum Frequency sets the lowest frequency Pitcher detects. I raise Minimum Frequency until the tracking breaks and then step back, because the highest value that still tracks the take gives both gains Image-Line names: spurious low frequencies such as rumble, breath pops and background noise stop interfering with detection, and the detectors below the setting switch off, which lowers CPU load.
The manual suggests 80-170 Hz for male vocals and 170-220 Hz for female vocals. Treat them as starting ranges, not presets, because the lowest sung note in the take decides the setting.
If the pitch indicator drops out on low notes, the setting is too high. If it jumps to low noise between phrases, raise the setting, or clean the path with a high-pass filter and better gain staging.
Formant, Gender and Fine Tune solve different problems
A formant is a resonance created by the vocal tract. The Formant option keeps the formant constant while the pitch moves, which Image-Line calls particularly useful in MIDI mode. I keep Formant on for MIDI shifts of more than a few notes, because with it off the voice takes on the helium or sulfur hexafluoride sound the manual describes. Image-Line adds that vocals sound more natural with formant correction.
Gender overrides the formants. Treat it as a tone control for the shifted voice, not a statement about the singer, and move it only when the result sounds too small or too dark. Big moves read as an effect, and small ones blend.
Fine Tune shifts the output by up to 100 cents up or down, which is one semitone. A3 (Hz) sets the tuning reference, starting at 440 Hz. Set A3 first, then use Fine Tune for a known offset, never to cover a wrong Key or note map. The Pitcher manual lists both controls.
Switch to MIDI when the melody needs exact targets
With every switch off, Pitcher runs in Automatic mode and moves pitches to the nearest active note. MIDI mode lets a keyboard or the Piano roll name the target instead. It fits a known melody, a chromatic note at one moment, or harmony played as a chord.
Load MIDI Out on a Channel Rack channel and set its Port, from 0 to 255, by dragging up or down, or hold the mouse button and type the number. Click the MIDI switch on Pitcher, and its Port display appears at the bottom left. It shows three dots until a port is set, so set the same number there. The MIDI Out manual describes each port as an independent link between MIDI Out and the target plugin.
I match the Port first when MIDI does nothing, because the Port number is the link between MIDI Out and Pitcher. The number itself does not matter, only that the two match. MIDI Out also has 16 MIDI Channels for separate note and controller connections, and a matching Channel alone does not connect the plugins.
Write the target notes in the MIDI Out Piano roll, or play them on a keyboard while the vocal runs through the Pitcher Mixer track. I start target notes slightly ahead of the vocal, because a note that arrives after the attack misses it and only the body of the note gets corrected.
Choose MIDI, Octaves or Harmonize deliberately
The mode switches change what an incoming MIDI note controls:
| Mode | What the MIDI note controls | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | No MIDI note. All switches off, pitches move to the active notes | Correction from the Key, Scale and note buttons |
| MIDI | The note, inside the detected octave | Melodic correction without an octave change |
| Octaves | The note and the octave played | Octave jumps and bigger pitch moves |
| Harmonize | Up to four notes, each with its octave | Chord voices from one monophonic source |
To play chords, switch Octaves and Harmonize to the down position, and up to four MIDI notes each pitch the vocal. Voice Panning sets a pan position for each of the 4 voices, with the highest chord note on the top slider, and Stereo Spread multiplies those positions. Replace swaps the input for the harmonized audio, and Mix blends the two. I use Mix for a lead with harmonies, because Replace drops the original voice.
Vel lets MIDI velocity set the volume of each harmony voice, and it works only with Octaves deselected. Check that switch before you rewrite the Piano roll.
Troubleshoot from input to target
| Symptom | Cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Indicator jumps or picks random notes | Polyphonic, wet or noisy input | Solo the dry source and move Pitcher to the first slot |
| Wrong note | Wrong Key, Scale or note buttons | Compare with the C to B buttons before changing speed |
| Low notes disappear | Minimum Frequency too high | Lower it until the lowest sung note tracks |
| Robotic sound | Correction Speed too fast | Slow it and listen to slides and attacks |
| Large shifts sound tiny or unnatural | Formant off or Gender pushed | Switch Formant on and bring Gender toward neutral |
| MIDI notes do not control Pitcher | MIDI mode off or the Ports differ | Select MIDI and match the Port, 0 to 255 |
| Pitcher's Port display shows three dots | No port set | Set it to the MIDI Out Port number |
| MIDI Channel matches but nothing happens | The Channel is not the link | Match the Port |
| MIDI notes ignored, or a note crashes Pitcher, on an FL Studio 21 build older than 21.0.3 | Bugs fixed in 21.0.2 and 21.0.3 | Update FL Studio, then test the Port |
| Attack not corrected | Target note starts late | Move the note slightly ahead of the attack |
| Velocity does nothing | Octaves selected | Deselect Octaves to use Vel |
| No harmony chord | Harmonize off or a polyphonic source | Select Octaves and Harmonize, feed one dry line |
| Lead vocal disappears under the harmonies | Replace selected | Switch to Mix |
If monitoring feels delayed, separate the plugin from the rest of the path: the audio interface, the buffer, the project load and any effects after Pitcher. The audio-settings guide covers the buffer and driver checks.
If the Ports match and MIDI still does nothing, check the FL Studio version. The FL Studio change log lists a crash when sending a MIDI note to Pitcher as fixed in 21.0.2, and MIDI notes sent to Pitcher not being received as fixed in 21.0.3. Update, then test the Port link again.
Pitcher, NewTone and sample correction are different jobs
Pick the tool by when the decision happens. Pitcher corrects as audio passes through the Mixer. NewTone is the offline editor for recorded notes, timing and transitions, and the sample pitch-correction guide covers clips that must match the project key.
| Task | Use | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Hear correction while monitoring or playing | Pitcher | Processes the monophonic signal as it plays |
| Force exact targets from a Piano roll | Pitcher with MIDI Out | MIDI supplies the target notes and harmonies |
| Edit individual recorded notes and transitions | NewTone | Offline note-level editing |
| Match a prepared sample to the song | Audio Clip or sample pitch workflow | The source is a clip, not a live performance |
| Tune a vocal in FL Studio Mobile | The Mobile Pitcher module | Its own control set, separate from the desktop plugin |
Use both tools when each has a job. Pitcher fits when the corrected sound is part of the performance or the effect, and NewTone fits when you want visible control over recorded notes. Do not stack tools because both mention pitch.
For the hard-tuned vocal effect, the FL Studio autotune guide compares Pitcher with the other autotune routes in FL Studio.
FL Studio Mobile has its own Pitcher module with Basic and Advanced tabs. Pitch moves up to 12 semitones up or down and Fine tune up to 50 cents. Stability keeps notes from dithering between two pitches, F-Shift offsets the formant, and Mix between 30 and 60 percent gives a chorus effect. The FL Studio Mobile manual covers the whole module, and every step on this page is for the desktop plugin.
Check your FL Studio edition before building the workflow
Image-Line's editions comparison lists Pitcher for Signature Bundle and up, which means Signature Bundle and All Plugins Edition. Fruity Edition and Producer Edition do not include it. The Pitcher product page notes that the FL Plugin Demo installer comes with the FL Studio installer, so the demo version is available before you choose an edition.
Bundles change, so open the FL Studio editions comparison before you pay. The FL Studio editions guide weighs the whole bundle, so you do not choose an edition for one plugin.
A reliable Pitcher setup order
- Give Pitcher a dry monophonic source. Route the lead vocal to its own Mixer insert.
- Put Pitcher first. Place it ahead of chorus, phasing, reverb and other effects.
- Set Key, Scale and the note buttons. Light only the notes the melody uses, and Bypass any note that should pass as sung.
- Set Correction Speed. Start slow and speed up only as far as the sound calls for.
- Raise Minimum Frequency. Stop below the point where the lowest sung note drops out.
- Switch on Formant for bigger shifts. Move Gender only for a change in tone.
- Link MIDI Out for exact targets. Match the Port and start each note slightly ahead of the attack.
- Balance the harmonies. Use Harmonize on a single-note source, then set Voice Panning, Stereo Spread, Mix or Replace and Vel.
Mistakes that make Pitcher sound wrong
- Do not fix a wrong scale with speed. A faster Correction Speed lands the wrong note harder. Fix Key, Scale and the note buttons first.
- Do not feed Pitcher a reverb return. Reverb, chorus and phasing before Pitcher hurt detection, so it belongs on the dry insert.
- Do not match only the MIDI Channel. The Port number links MIDI Out and Pitcher.
- Do not leave Octaves on with Vel. Velocity control of the harmony voices works only with Octaves deselected.
- Do not run Harmonize on a stack of doubles. Pitcher tracks one note at a time, so a layered source confuses the detector.
- Do not set Minimum Frequency from the voice type alone. The lowest sung note in the take decides it.
- Do not read the Mobile controls into the desktop plugin. The FL Studio Mobile module has its own tabs and ranges.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pitcher included in every FL Studio edition?
No. Image-Line's editions comparison lists Pitcher for Signature Bundle and up, which means Signature Bundle and All Plugins Edition. Fruity Edition and Producer Edition do not include it.
Why does MIDI Out not control Pitcher?
Check three things: MIDI mode is selected on Pitcher, both plugins show the same Port number, and the Port display does not show three dots. A matching MIDI Channel alone does not link the two.
Which Minimum Frequency suits a vocal?
The manual suggests 80-170 Hz for male vocals and 170-220 Hz for female vocals as starting ranges. Use the highest value that still tracks the lowest sung note in the take.
Can Pitcher correct chords or a full mix?
No. Pitcher works on monophonic sources, so choirs, chords and complete mixes confuse its detector. Feed it one vocal or instrument line at a time.
How many harmony voices does Pitcher make?
Up to four. With Octaves and Harmonize selected, each MIDI note of a chord pitches the vocal to its own note and octave, and Voice Panning places each voice in the stereo field.
Should Correction Speed be fast or slow?
Fast settings sound more artificial and slow settings more natural. Start slow for legato lines and slides, and go fast for a hard-tune effect once the scale is right.
What does the Formant switch do?
Formant keeps the formant constant while Pitcher moves the pitch. With it off, shifts of more than a few notes give the voice a helium sound, so leave it on for bigger MIDI shifts.
