Music transcription software that does the first draft for you
Music transcription software should save you the hours of play, pause, rewind that transcribing by ear takes. Midify does the first pass: every instrument written out as notation, in an editor with the original audio one key away, so your time goes into checking, not typing in notes.
Try it free: transcribe 3 songs a month and edit every score in the browser.
How music transcription works here
- 1
Upload
A WAV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF, M4A or OGG file or a video, up to 10 minutes. Nothing to install.
- 2
Get a first draft
Every instrument you choose is transcribed and written out, with the key, time signature, tempo and chords.
- 3
Review the doubtful notes
Notes the transcription was unsure of are marked. Step through them with the original audio playing under the cursor.
- 4
Hand it on
Export PDF for the players, MusicXML for your notation software, or MIDI.
Who it is for
- Teachers who need a part for a student by Thursday, in a key the student can play.
- Arrangers and band leaders writing charts for covers, worship sets or a wedding band.
- Students learning a solo, a riff or a drum groove note for note.
- Songwriters who play by ear and want their songs on paper.
- Anyone with a stack of old recordings and no sheet music for them.
Draft, check, polish
The first draft arrives in minutes. Checking it is where good transcription software earns its keep, so that is where the editor puts its effort. Each part plays back with the original audio, or with only that instrument separated from the mix, under a cursor that follows the score. Loop a bar, slow it down, and switch between the original and the written part until they match.
Notes the transcription was not sure of are tinted, and one key jumps to the next, so you review the 30 notes that need a look instead of all 3,000.
Built for the keyboard
Editing a score with a mouse is slow. Here most changes are one key: arrow keys move a note by a semitone, a step in the key, or an octave; number keys set its length; a key ties, dots or moves a note to the other hand. Every edit is played back as you make it, and undo has no limit. Bar tools change the key or time signature from any bar, or tell the score where beat one really is.
What it does not replace
An experienced transcriber still beats any software on dense jazz voicings, ornaments and rubato-heavy classical playing. Lyrics are not written yet, and very fast or heavily processed parts need more cleanup. Used as a first draft, though, it removes most of the typing and leaves you the musical decisions.
Works with the software you already use
It runs in the browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebooks, with nothing to install. When you want engraving tools it does not have, export MusicXML and carry on in MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, Finale or Flat with every part, key, time signature, tie and chord symbol intact.
As a music transcription app it also works on a tablet or phone browser for reviewing and playback; editing is quickest with a keyboard.
Two outputs from one transcription
Most music transcription tools give you one thing. Here the same transcription becomes notation for people to read, through the audio to sheet music converter, and MIDI for a DAW, through the audio to MIDI converter. Upload once and use whichever you need.
Music transcription software: questions people ask
Is there an app that converts audio to sheet music?
Yes, this one. It runs in your web browser on a computer, tablet or phone, so there is nothing to install: upload a recording and the score opens in the editor.
Can AI transcribe audio to sheet music accurately?
For clear recordings of one instrument it gets close; full mixes need more checking. Treat it as a fast first draft and use the editor, which marks doubtful notes and plays the original audio, to make it right.
Which notation programs can open the results?
Anything that imports MusicXML, including MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, Finale and Flat. MIDI is available too.
Is it useful for teaching?
Yes. Transcribe a recording a student is learning, simplify the rhythms with the readability setting, transpose a part for a B flat, E flat or F instrument, and print it.
How is it different from a MIDI converter?
MIDI is for playing parts back in a DAW. Sheet music is for people to read: it needs bars, note values, a key signature, clefs and readable rhythms, which is the extra work this does.
Try it on your own recording
Transcribe 3 songs a month for free and check every bar in the score editor. Upgrade when you want to download the scores.