Converting Audio To Midi In Cakewalk

[Starise 882]

I know most veterans here already know this. I made a  video for a violin forum to show them how to convert a recorded track. I am posting this here for newbs.

You don't really need to make a separate midi track. I mainly do this so I have a spare midi always on hand to work with. As you will hear, the track is pretty badly recorded

and the conversion still picked up over 95% of the notes accurately. The rest could be edited in midi for correction. For anyone who needs to convert to notation, this is WAY easier than  typing in entire scores to a notation program if you can play fairly accurately.

If you know of alternate ways to do this or shortcuts to the process please chime in. Thanks.

 

[Creative Sauce 266]

Nice tutorial Tim! I have sometimes used this method to adlib instrument solos. I kind of sing an improvised melody just with "la" or something, then use Melodyne to make the MIDI for the virtual instrument. As you say - a little bit of tidying to do, but I've found this makes really fluid solos for parts like trumpets or sax.

[Starise 882]

Thanks! 

I am always open to any new ideas on how to best utilize this. The ability to do this is an amazing thing!  Humming would work just as well. I like that I can take my very bad sounding violin signal and make it presentable with a few minor tweaks. The sky is the limit on what can be done really. I didn't add any additional expression into this or tweak any of the VSTi . TBH I'm probably not the best person for that subject. Maybe a subject you could cover in a later video?  I usually stop at velocity and the mod wheel. Most of the time it sounds fairly realistic without any additional added tweaking.

[Jim Fogle 527]

@Starise, Thanks for creating and sharing the video.  For one I didn't realize how easy it is to convert from monophonic audio to midi using Melodyne.  I know ARA 2 lets Melodyne integrate with Cakewalk but that's the first video where what that means really sinks in.

Another user informed me the Assistant, Editor and editions of Melodyne can transform a monophonic audio track to midi.  Cakewalk by BandLab offers the demo edition of Melodyne through the add on Cakewalk app button in BandLab Assistant.

PG Music's Band-in-a-Box program includes a feature that can convert a monophonic audio track to an audio track but the method is MUCH more complex than the method you demonstrated.  Some people may not be aware but all Band-in-a-Box for Windows packages include the identical Band-in-a-Box program.  So all have midi from monophonic audio capability.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Jim Fogle
Edited to remove Melodyne editions question @starise answers below.

[Starise 882]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for bringing this up. I would not want to mislead anyone.

Unfortunately it looks like Audio to MIDI begins with the Assistant version according to this MELODYNE VERSIONS

I recently updated my Melodyne and the upgrade was only 49.95. I'm not making any promises here, but if you add your email to their mailing list 

you could possibly get a sweeter deal or can at least be on the list for promotions. I use the Editor edition that I bought on sale originally awhile back.

I think the studio version of the program will allow multiple tracks. I would love to have it but the asking price is a little steep for me right now.

FYI- If you right click on a stereo recorded audio track in Cakewalk there is a "convert to mono" choice.

I always had an interest to try out Band in A Box. I hear it's a great program to work in. Just been too busy to look at it

Edited February 4, 2020 by Starise

[sjoens 146]

With CbB 2020.11 and Melodyne Editor 4.2.4 all I get is flat lined midi notes. Every note is A4.

[JoeGBradford 530]

Hi Starise - nice to see the face behind the name - and great that you chose Sally Gardens as your melody - one of my favourite folk songs 🙂

[michheld 24]

On 11/26/2020 at 2:17 PM, sjoens said:

With CbB 2020.11 and Melodyne Editor 4.2.4 all I get is flat lined midi notes. Every note is A4.

Oh, this is what Cakewalk built in for the Melodyne5-Integration: "Selection of the algorithm".

If you get all the same note the used algorithm is "percussion". You should use "melodic" instead, I guess...

 

[sjoens 146]

If I simply drag an audio clip to a MIDI track, like demonstrated by the OP, it flat lines all the notes.

Seems I have to create a Melodyne Region FX clip first. Then it works. I don't see where the OP did that.

 

[Bruno de Souza Lino 290]

V Vocal also does pitch to midi.

[Starise 882]

On 11/30/2020 at 2:37 AM, sjoens said:

If I simply drag an audio clip to a MIDI track, like demonstrated by the OP, it flat lines all the notes.

Seems I have to create a Melodyne Region FX clip first. Then it works. I don't see where the OP did that.

 

 If Melodyne settings are not set to percussion you should be able to drag and drop the track if in mono. Are you using a recent version of Cakewalk and Melodyne?

[sjoens 146]

Latest CbB. Melodyne 4 Editor.

Funny I just tried it again in my latest project and it worked w/o creating a Region FX clip so the setting must have been  percussive before.

Edited January 12 by sjoens

[pbognar 86]

On 2/4/2020 at 2:15 PM, Starise said:

Unfortunately it looks like Audio to MIDI begins with the Assistant version according to this MELODYNE VERSIONS 

That version comparison may be inaccurate.  I know for sure I was able to convert audio to MIDI in Mixcraft 9 Pro Studio once I upgraded the included Melodyne Essential to version 5.  I have since upgraded to Editor version 5 - Editor and Studio should both be able to convert polyphonic audio to MIDI.

[John Vere 636]

I’ve been converting real bass tracks to midi for a long time now. You could even do this with Home Studio. So it’s been built in to the core program I think since X3 

The process seems to work much better in the last few years for me and now with M5 it asks you which algorithm you want to use before proceeding.  
There’s always some editing to do but much faster way to create a realistic midi track than standard keyboard entry if you’re not an ace keyboard player. 
 

 

[Hatstand 224]

For those of you with previous versions of Melodyne, it is worth checking your user page on the Celemony site. I was pleasantly surprised to find I had a free upgrade from 4 to 5 when I logged in. Can't guarantee it mind.

[Jim Fogle 527]

Somewhere on this forum there is a post by one of the Cakewalk folks that mentions the Melodyne trial downloaded through the BandLab Assistant link differs from the Melodyne trial download available through Celemony.

The key difference is the Cakewalk by BandLab Melodyne application continues to offer monophonic audio to midi conversion once the trial period is over.

In the same thread I believe someone discovered that when Melodyne moved from version 4 to version 5 the Cakewalk by BandLab Melodyne application also changed versions and the custom to Cakewalk audio to midi conversion was lost.

I believe the folks at Cakewalk was not aware the functionality was lost until the subject was mentioned in the discussion.

Perhaps someone from Cakewalk could confirm how the Cakewalk provided Melodyne application works once the trial period is over.