Seeking transcribing software

[firstbassman]

Frequently, like I’m sure many of you, I noodle on the guitar and think that I sometimes (seldom?) come up with brilliant ideas. However I know I will forget the next day what I played and I don’t wish to bother and stop every few seconds to write it down.

Does anyone know a way I could record on the computer while I’m noodling. And then have an application convert the sound file (WAV or MP3) into TAB and/or sheet music?

PS: I wasn't sure if this should go here in or in the Home Recording section.

[blueflamerick]

I believe the only way to do that is to play on a MIDI controller.

[gibsonlp]

You are looking for the holy grail of everyone who needs to get the chords out of a song he listens to.
Technically, for a single instrument - I believe this is doable, the problem is with more sophisticated parts where other instruments are playing, it is very hard for a software to distinguish between the instruments and to tell you which notes were played. You are basically asking to reverse engineer a music track.

[firstbassman]

No, Gil, sorry if I wasn’t clear but that is not what I’m asking.

I can certainly understand the difficulty for a software program to listen to ten instruments and two vocalists on a 1958 scratched LP and to tell exactly every note that was played. That would be great but I understand that is asking for the moon.

However, a $29 tuner can tell me exactly what note is being plucked on a guitar. It doesn’t seem too far fetched to assume that some application can’t listen to five notes (or a hundred) played individually in sequence and not come back and tell me what those five notes were. That would save me (and millions of others) from having to play a little, write it down, play a little more, write some down again, etc. etc. and thereby quickly lose the initial inspiration.

Maybe Mozart was able to remember whole symphonies in his head. I can’t.

Even Keith recorded the eight-note Satisfaction riff so he wouldn’t forget it.

I’ve seen the MIDI-to-Score systems. But that seems like an unnecessary intermediate step.

[blueflamerick]

Do a Google search on "music transcribing software".

1st result is this: http://www.nch.com.au/twelvekeys/index.html

[firstbassman]

I did. 12Keys did not show up for some reason. Others did. I was wondering if anyone had used or knew of any.
BTW, 12Keys keeps crashing. So much for Freeware.
I tried some others. Update coming soon.

[firstbassman]

Update:

I have not found one application that will do completely what I want (convert my brilliant playing ideas to the printed or electronic page). However, it does appear to be possible, after all, in a two-step process.

There are applications which will convert audio files to Midi. I have tested one very briefly. First test was horrible. Second test, with some tweaking, was much better. Still a work in progress.

Then, there are applications (such as Tab|Edit or G7) which will convert Midi to TAB and/or sheet music.

These tests also have been less than perfect. But at least the notes are there. G7 (and others) also have a graphical fretboard on the screen where one can just click on a particular spot and create the TAB that way. Not as quick or fluid and just playing it on a real guitar but might work.

Apparently there are a few Midi guitars and Midi converters which should allow one to play directly into a Midi file and have it be recorded for posterity. But they seem to be pretty expensive.

“The game’s afoot, Watson!”

[jdogric12]

Sorry I'm late to the party. Having trained with pencil and paper for about 10-15 years now, that is my method of choice, but I'm no purist. If you find something that works out great in the long term, I'm all ears! Good luck with the search.