Okay, i know a DAW exists that can do this. and i think it's probably something like Logic or Pro Tools or something else i just can't afford. But does anybody know a separate program that can convert the tones from an audio file into midi notes? i use Ableton Live 6, so anything that would work in that environment would be awesome. or, of course, any stand alone program would be just fine. any suggestions?

Google is your friend.

http://www.music-notation.info/en/compmus/audio2midi.html

Hi, Have look at this site, it may help

http://www.mp3towav.org/TS-AudioToMIDI/

okay, thanks for the ATTEMPT, but this is a post on MACmusic.com. therefore a program that is windows only really doesn't help at all. but hey, at least you tried. now is there anyone out there that knows a program for autio to midi on MAC?

Melodyne Studio version has this facility. Can use the resulting file in Logic. Don't know aqbout other DAWz.

Try www.widisoft.com

I have the VST version and it works fine in real time. There is also a standalone version which looks very capable.

With most Daws, the process is to record the audio from a midi device, then render a stero file of the complete mix.

Be aware that MIDI doesn't make any sound, it's digital data that describes a performance. the sound is dependent on the midi device being triggered by the data.

That is the way that live operates you have to bouce a track to create an audio file, it is explained fully in the Live lessons that come with the software.

thank you jeffcloke. now, as far as midi not making sound, NO KIDDING. i've been doing midi-based music for 15-ish years now. i just wanted something that will "listen" to the notes on some sort of audio file, like a piano arpeggio, and be able to say, HEY... here are the notes that were just played, and i'll go ahead and assign them to midi nites. it SEEMS like jeffcloke had it right.

From your post it looks like you are not a logic user, but just to add my 2pc, logic has the Audio-to-Score function which I have used with reasonable results. It is in the sample editor under the factory menu.

To Mr. Jason E. Lectric. Thanks for the thanks, but please don't associate me with your aggresive comments on other people's attempts to help.

yeah, sorry about that. it came out substantially more aggressive than it was supposed to. i really do love how helpful people are here at this site. i was just being a bit grumpy sorry!!

I have used Logic for many years and have had partial but not very satisfactory success with its audio-to-midi function. (Just mentioning this - you said you didn't want an expensive DAW...)

Melodyne is far better, but it isn't cheap either.

Bear in mind that any conversion of this kind relies on how clean the original audio is, and will only work on monophonic material. A piano with its sustain may well confuse the software.

I think there's a demo of Melodyne - why don't you try it (www.celemony.com)

Yes - this is difficult to do. Logic does OK, but what annoys me is that u dont get to hear it and see if you set it correctly until all the processing is done. So I would do it using Max/MSP. However, MaxMSP is expensive if u dont already own it, and you wanted free - so try using Max's open-source cousin, PD.


Here's a free, though somewhat involved way:

one could pretty easily build a patch in PD

http://crca.ucsd.edu/%7Emsp/software.html

that you feed audio using jack

http://www.jackosx.com/

or soundflower

http://www.cycling74.com/downloads/soundflower

and that spits out MIDI notes to an IAC bus that u set up in AudioMIDI Setup back to whatever MIDI sequencer u are using in realtime. I this case u would also have full control over conditioning the input audio and output MIDI data using pd and get the results as it was happening.

The realtime pitch estimation object in pd is "fiddle~". (Create an new file, put an object, type "fiddle~" into it, then right-click it for help and a functioning patch will open showing how fiddle~ works. You can play with and even copy and paste from this patch into yours.)

A non-interactive version could also use soundfile playback and do MIDI file recording all within PD and u could import the MIDI file into your sequencer.

best,
Arvid