Getting background songs in tune

[Ken Lang]

I'm using some background tunes to play along with that I get
from various places off the net. Some are out of tune and I've been trying to tune them up with Audacity and the like. There
are sites that give the frequency for notes, but they don't seem to work. If I set a tune at a given correct frequency,
it still is not in tune. It is hard getting it correct by just listening. You know, change the pitch, listen to a good reference note, find it off, change it a little, listen again, etc.

Anyone got a better method?

[Joey Ace]

Find a single note, usually the tonic at the end of a chorus, and loop on it.

Determine how many "cents" it is off using a tuner.

Select the entire track and apply the pitch correction.


You might find some old tracks that have been transferred from tape that have a pitch problem that changes with time, due to tape drag. Not much can be done with those.

[Ken Lang]

Never thought of using the end note and looping. Good idea.
Been using Audacity and a net site that gives true pitch. Doesn't concur with real life.
I have been using a net site with a guitar tuner. Some of those notes are off by 10 or 12 cents. Be interesting to see how close my own tuner is.
Thanks for he tip Joey. I will give it a try.
Ken