Convert audio to notes

Right-click one audio clip and choose Convert to notes…. A waveform and note preview show what was detected. Adjust the controls, compare the recording with Hear notes, then choose Add to new track. A new instrument track appears beside the source, with an editable clip at the same song position. Your audio stays in place. Undo removes the new track and clip together.

To reuse an instrument track, open the arrow beside Add to new track and choose it under Add to existing track. The converted clip is added at the audio’s song position. The track keeps its instrument, effects and existing clips. Each conversion is one Undo step, so several phrases can go to the same track. Frozen tracks are unavailable until unfrozen.

When to use it

Start with a hummed phrase, a solo voice, a bass line or another melody with one note sounding at a time. Chords, drums and full mixes are not supported. Detection runs locally on your computer.

The preview reads the clip’s visible region, including trims, repeats and reversed audio. It uses the source before clip gain, fades and effects. To transcribe processed audio, render the clip with effects first. Unfreeze a frozen track before converting its clips.

Controls

Comp clips use the takes you selected, including silent passages and the joins between recordings. Clip-level gain and outer fades stay out of detection, as do track effects. The original takes remain available after adding the notes.

Sensitivity

Raise it to include quieter or less certain pitches. Lower it when noise becomes extra notes. Start at 83%, then adjust for the recording.

Shortest note

Sets how brief a detected note may be. Start at 30 ms; reduce toward 10 ms for fast ornaments, or increase it to remove small fragments. Drag the control or click its value to type.

Pitch settling

Joins brief, unstable pitch approaches to a nearby held note. Start at 120 ms for humming and singing. Reduce it for deliberate quick pitch changes; Off keeps the uncorrected transitions. Pitch steadiness and changes in amplitude help distinguish transitions from separate notes, but listening is still the best check.

Snap

Choose Natural timing to preserve the detected rhythm, or 1/32 or 1/16 notes to align it to the project’s beat grid and tempo. Very short notes can collide on the grid, so use Natural timing when they matter.

Bypass settling

Temporarily turns off Pitch settling so you can see and hear what its cleanup changes. Click again to restore your setting. The notes shown and heard are exactly the notes that will be added. Changing a control ends the comparison. Hover over or tap the question mark beside the button for an explanation.

Hear audio / Hear notes

Compare the source with a simple tone playing the detected notes. Audition pauses song playback. Stop, Cancel and Escape stop the preview. Opening the dialog and adjusting the controls leave song playback running until you audition.

Tips

• The starting settings are 83% sensitivity, 30 ms shortest note, 120 ms settling and 1/32 timing. Your adjustments stay available for the next conversion while this editor is open.
• Split long recordings into phrases. A conversion accepts up to three minutes, with a smaller limit for high-rate or multichannel audio.
• Detection estimates note velocity from the recording. Repeated notes without a clear gap and expressive glides may need editing in the piano roll.
• The new track starts with the default synth. Choose another instrument or preset after adding it.
• Adding to an existing track uses that track’s sound and playback settings. Existing clips are preserved, including any that overlap the converted phrase.