Drums to MIDI, with the whole kit
Most drum converters hear three things: kick, snare and hi-hat. Midify transcribes nine kit pieces and maps them to General MIDI, so the toms stay toms and the ride does not turn into a hi-hat. Use it on a drum loop, a drum stem or a full song.
3 songs a month free, with full MIDI export.
How to convert drums to MIDI
- 1
Upload the drums or the song
A drum loop or stem goes straight to transcription. A full song is separated first and the drum stem is used.
- 2
Hits become notes
Every hit is detected, classified as one of nine kit pieces, and given a velocity from how hard it was played.
- 3
Check the groove
Play the MIDI against the drum stem. Move or delete a hit in the piano roll, or change a snare to a rim shot.
- 4
Export to your drum rack
Export on channel 10 with GM note numbers, ready for any drum sampler.
The nine kit pieces
Each hit is mapped to a General MIDI drum note, so it plays the right sound in any GM-compatible kit:
- Kick: note 36
- Snare: note 38
- Low, mid and high toms: notes 45, 47 and 50
- Closed and open hi-hat: notes 42 and 46
- Crash: note 49
- Ride: note 51
Drum transcription is in beta
Our dedicated nine-class drum model is still being trained, and until it ships drum transcription is labelled beta. Kick, snare and hi-hats are the most dependable; toms and cymbals are where you are most likely to fix a hit or two. We would rather tell you that than promise a perfect kit.
Drum notes are written with a fixed short length (a 1/32 note by default), which is how drum samplers expect them, and velocities come from the strength of each hit.
Getting the best drum MIDI
Drums are the most rewarding thing to convert, because a groove you can re-sample is so useful. A few things help:
- An isolated drum loop or stem beats a full mix every time.
- Heavy room reverb and compression smear the hits together; a drier recording gives cleaner timing.
- Keep quantize strength below 100% to keep the feel, and turn on swing so the grid follows the groove.
- Using Ableton, FL Studio or Logic? Pick that drum map in the export panel and the notes land on the right pads.
Drums to MIDI: questions people ask
Can I convert a drum loop to MIDI?
Yes. Upload the loop and turn off the other stems; it goes straight to drum transcription. Short loops also work in quick mode in your browser.
Does it separate toms and cymbals, or only kick, snare and hats?
It classifies nine pieces: kick, snare, three toms, closed and open hi-hat, crash and ride. Drum transcription is in beta, so check toms and cymbals against the audio.
Will the drum MIDI keep the groove?
Yes. By default notes are pulled 75% of the way to a 1/16 grid, so the feel survives, and a swing option quantizes to a swung grid. Set quantize to 0% to keep the exact timing.
Which drum notes does the MIDI use?
General MIDI on channel 10: kick 36, snare 38, toms 45, 47 and 50, hi-hats 42 and 46, crash 49, ride 51.
Try it on your own track
Three songs a month are free, with every export option. Upload one and see what comes back.