What speed should I use for nightcore?

There is no official figure. Published accounts range from 25 to 35 percent faster, which is 1.25× to 1.35× here and a rise of 3.86 to 5.20 semitones. The default is 1.25×; go higher if the source is slow, and lower if the vocals start to sound strained.

Does this change the pitch or keep it?

It changes it, on purpose. The audio is resampled, so the pitch rises by 12 × log2(speed) semitones: 7.02 at 1.5×. To change the tempo and keep the pitch, use the Audio Speed Changer instead.

What is the difference between nightcore and a sped-up song?

The words are often used loosely. In this tool nightcore means tempo and pitch rise together. Many sped-up edits are made the same way, while a time-stretched version keeps the original key, which sounds less like a chipmunk and less like nightcore.

Can I post my nightcore version online?

Only if the music is yours or you have permission. A sped-up song is still based on the original, and the rights in it stay with its owners. This page makes the file; it does not clear the rights. Protected downloads will not open here.

Is my track uploaded?

No. The file is read and rendered in your browser and is not uploaded. It takes MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, WEBM and MP4 up to 100 MB and 60 minutes. Safari may not open OGG or Opus on older systems. The page sends ordinary analytics such as the speed you chose, never the file or its name.

Nightcore Maker

Speed a track up with the pitch rising along with it, like a record played too fast. See the rise in semitones, compare with the original, and save an MP3 or WAV. It runs in your browser.

Drop your track here or click to browse

MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, WEBM or MP4, up to 100 MB and 60 minutes.

The track is processed in your browser and is not uploaded.

How to make a nightcore version

1
Drop in the track
An audio file you have on your device, up to 100 MB and 60 minutes. It is read in your browser.
2
Set the speed
Slide from 1.1× to 1.5×. The panel shows the rise in semitones and the new length as you move it.
3
Compare
Play the preview and switch between Nightcore and Original. Tick the small bass lift if the result feels thin.
4
Save it
Press Make nightcore, listen to the finished file next to the original, and download the MP3 or WAV.

Want it faster with the pitch left alone? That is the Audio Speed Changer. Want it higher at the same tempo? That is the Audio Pitch Changer.

What nightcore is and where it came from

Nightcore is an existing track played faster, with the pitch rising along with the tempo, so voices turn bright and young and the beat gets urgent. Wikipedia compares the sound to a 33⅓ rpm record played at 45.

The name comes from two Norwegian students, Thomas S. Nilsen and Steffen Ojala Søderholm, who sped up trance and Eurodance tracks for a school project in the early 2000s. Wikipedia dates the name to 2001 and Dictionary.com dates the duo to 2002. They burned their albums to CD; fans later carried the idea to YouTube, where anyone's upload could be labeled nightcore and the style spread well past dance music.

Accounts of the usual speed differ. Wikipedia gives both about 35 percent and 25 to 30 percent faster, and it and Dictionary.com both put the result at 160 to 180 beats per minute. So there is no official setting: start at the 1.25× default here and trust your ears.

Which speed gives which pitch rise

The rise in semitones is 12 × log2(speed). The last two columns show a 130 BPM track that runs 3:30.

Speed	Semitones up	Closest interval	130 BPM becomes	3:30 becomes
1.1×	+1.65	major second	143	3:11
1.15×	+2.42	major second	150	3:03
1.2×	+3.16	minor third	156	2:55
1.25×	+3.86	major third	163	2:48
1.3×	+4.54	perfect fourth	169	2:42
1.35×	+5.2	perfect fourth	176	2:36
1.4×	+5.83	tritone	182	2:30
1.45×	+6.43	tritone	189	2:25
1.5×	+7.02	perfect fifth	195	2:20

The rise is rarely a whole number, so the result usually lands between the notes of a piano. That only matters if you plan to play or sing along.

What this page does and does not do

Resampling, not time-stretching
The audio is read back faster, so tempo and pitch move together by one fixed ratio. There is no setting that holds the pitch, because then it would not be nightcore.
It is a new encode
The result is written as a new MP3 or 16-bit WAV. From an MP3 source that is a second round of lossy compression, so pick a higher bitrate if the source is good.
Only audio, and only your file
It takes a file on your device, not a YouTube or Spotify link, and it makes no video or artwork. Protected downloads will not open.
The bass lift is small
It adds 3 dB below about 100 Hz and nothing more. For more control, finish the file in the Bass Booster.

Need to cut the intro first? Use the Audio Trimmer, or give it more low end with the Bass Booster.

Sharing a nightcore remix

Making a nightcore version does not make the song yours. The US Copyright Office lists musical arrangements among derivative works, and says the owner of a work has the right to prepare or authorize an adaptation of it. Rules differ by country and this is not legal advice, but the plain version is: use your own music or get permission before you post a remix of someone's song, and expect platforms to act on rights claims.

Working with spoken audio too?

If you also deal with meetings, interviews or lectures, the ParrotNotes app records them, transcribes them and summarizes them.

Get Started Free

Related tools

Nightcore Maker FAQ

Sources

Nightcore Maker

How to make a nightcore version

Drop in the track

Set the speed

Compare

Save it