Skip to content

How to make a vocal pitch synth for catchy hooks

One of the most used sounds in today’s music are pitched vocal samples. They are easy to create and can bring an unique and catchy element to your productions. All you need are samples and a sampler like NI Kontakt or logic’s EXS24.

So at first, get yourself some vocal samples. Check out the internet (e.g. YouTube). Keep in mind that you have to make your own sounds out of the vocal samples. That is the only way to avoid copyright infringements! Edit the acapella and cut out one tone of the vocal sequence. Make sure the acapella is without clipping. Otherwise the pitch shifted sound messes up.

After you have chosen a vocal sequence. Load the sound to your sampler. In EXS24 you have to go to Edit/Zone/Load Multiple Samples. Take out ‘one shot’.

Expand the sample so you can trigger the sound with more than one key. If your are using NI Kontakt, you have to enable Tracking, so the sound is pitched in key.

Now play around with the pitch shift. Increase the pitch bend interval to get slided sounds. Check out the Slide function in EXS24.


Voice example with pads and pitch bend