Convert Audio to MIDI Online: A Beginner's Guide

To convert audio to MIDI online, upload a recording, let a transcription tool detect the notes, inspect the result and download MIDI for your DAW or notation editor. A solo piano recording is a straightforward starting point. A full song adds another step: separating instrument parts before detecting their notes.

This guide covers both workflows using Pianolyze, including what its multi-track export contains and what you need to correct afterward.

Audio and MIDI are different kinds of data

An MP3 or WAV file stores recorded sound. MIDI stores musical events: pitches, when notes begin and end, and other performance data. A virtual instrument turns those events back into sound.

Converting audio to MIDI is therefore transcription, not changing a file extension. The model estimates the notes; it does not preserve the original singer's voice, guitar tone or room sound.

MIDI is useful when you want to:

• Edit notes, timing or durations in a DAW.
• Assign a different virtual instrument to a part.
• Transpose or rearrange a passage.
• Import notes into a notation editor to start a score.
• Compare detected pitches with what you hear while learning.

Choose a source recording

Pianolyze accepts these common formats:

Converting an already compressed MP3 to WAV does not restore lost detail. Prefer the original recording when available. Avoid clipping, heavy effects and unnecessary background noise, but expect to inspect the output even with a good source.

Upload recordings you are permitted to use. If the material must stay on your device, choose a locally run transcription model instead of an online service.

Convert a recording to MIDI in Pianolyze

1. Upload and preview

Open Pianolyze, sign in with an email code and upload your recording. A short preview of your own recording is free. Full analysis and MIDI export use a Song Pass or monthly plan; see the pricing explanation.

2. Let the parts be analyzed

Pianolyze uploads audio for server-side analysis. It separates vocals, bass, drums, guitar, piano and other sounds, then transcribes the pitched parts. Processing time depends on the recording and the parts being analyzed; follow progress in the workspace.

The piano part uses piano-specific transcription. Other pitched parts use a separate transcription path. Drums are available for playback, not note transcription.

3. Listen before trusting the notes

Select a part, solo it and compare the piano roll with what you hear. Loop a short phrase and slow playback if necessary. Check missing notes, false notes, incorrect octaves and note lengths.

For a solo piano recording, concentrate on dense chords, sustain and quiet inner voices. For a full song, check whether the target instrument is audible in its stem and whether another instrument has leaked into it. Our instrument-isolation guide explains that distinction.

4. Download MIDI after full analysis

Use Export MIDI when the full analysis is available. The download contains instrument tracks from the pitched-part transcriptions. It is not a set of audio stems, and it does not include a drum-note transcription.

You do not need to manually export each pitched instrument into a separate file. The MIDI contains tracks that a DAW can import; exactly how your DAW presents them depends on its MIDI import settings.

Import a full song's MIDI into a DAW

Open or import the .mid file in Logic Pro, Ableton Live, GarageBand, FL Studio or another MIDI-capable DAW. If the import offers a choice, preserve separate tracks rather than merging everything onto one instrument.

Then:

1. Inspect the track names. Identify piano, bass, guitar, vocals and any other transcribed part present in the file.
2. Assign virtual instruments. MIDI does not carry the original sounds. Choose patches that make each part easy to check.
3. Compare with the recording. Import the original audio alongside the MIDI if your DAW supports it. Check alignment and timing before editing.
4. Correct notes first. Remove false notes and fix pitches before quantizing everything.
5. Quantize selectively. Preserve intentional timing if you want the feel of the performance, or tighten it if you are building a new arrangement.

Detected tempo is a starting point, not a guarantee that an expressive or changing-tempo performance matches a rigid grid. Listen for drift across the whole song.

What separate tracks do—and do not—mean

A track represents a transcription associated with a broad instrument part. It is not proof that every sound in the recording has been individually recovered.

Two guitars may share one guitar stem. Strings or horns may remain grouped in the other stem. Separation artifacts can create missing or extra notes. Do not expect automatic orchestral score extraction, individual trumpet and trombone parts, or a drum transcription from this workflow.

If you need one melody rather than the whole arrangement, inspect that part first. A usable bass line can still be valuable even when another track needs extensive correction.

Turn the MIDI into sheet music

Import the MIDI into MuseScore or another notation editor. Check rhythm spelling, meter, voices, clefs and layout before printing. MIDI note durations from a live performance do not necessarily translate into readable notation without cleanup.

Pianolyze does not export PDF, MusicXML or guitar tab directly. See turning a recording into printable sheet music for that workflow, or why MuseScore needs MIDI rather than an MP3.

Free alternatives and when to use them

Basic Pitch is a free, open-source option across pitched instruments. Its documentation recommends one instrument at a time. Transkun is a free piano-specific model you can run yourself.

Neither model alone provides the entire separation, practice and export workspace described above. They are worth considering if local processing or a scripted workflow matters more than convenience.

Compare AI music transcription tools or AnthemScore alternatives before choosing. For more learning and notation workflows, browse the Pianolyze blog.