Very often I hear some very nice, original and complicated melodies in some tracks. That makes me really curious and therefore I really would like to know how these melodies are exactly made and also to analyze or to study it. I think you can learn so much from it or even to get inspiration.

Some people could figure this out by ear totally and then even the most complicated melodies and songs. I tried to do that too, but I am really bad at it unfortunately. At least for now, haha. I have no idea how some people could do this or even how they know how to remake very complicated songs by ear very well. I have to say I have so much respect for that aswell, because I think it's a really hard skill to learn and it takes probably years before you maybe can do something like this.

I know there are already a lot of midi files available, but what to do if they aren't there of the songs that you're looking for and still would like to learn from it or want to try to learn this song on piano? Are there any good effective methods to still get midi files of a song in this situation? Is there for instance a program or something that could make midi files of a song for you and to make midi files of single tracks from a whole song? Or is this not possible?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Hi,

My DAW of choice has been Logic for around 20 years. There is a way to analyse audio and create MIDI files from the audio, and it's most simplest to use for capturing drum grooves. The higher the sensitivity, the more info you get in the file. This, as you can imagine with a mixed down tune which isn't just the drums, could get quite messy. But this has been doable for a long time.
Then tonal analysis came along, which is what you want. Again, as you can imagine, unless you have the melody soloed on it's own, your analyses will have lots of other info in it...
I've never used anything other than the former; the groove analyses type thing. And even then, not very often.
I am one of those people that can do it by ear, so I've never used this type of audio to MIDI analysis for melody lines, but it does exist for you.
You can find it on YT.
Re.your last question; I don't know of anything that could analyse a finished track and break it into separate tracks, no. That would be rather awesome and mind-blowing!

 

@Nick12

Use Celemony Melodyne.

How ? Check this on their home site - and a million tuts on YT - =>

http://helpcenter.celemony.com/hc-2/doc/melodyneStudio4/en/M4tour_SavingMIDI?env=standAlone

Again : Celemony Melodyne.

Example - not easy but can be done - :

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2019

What DAW are you using? Is it Fl Studio right? You have that option. Right click on audio track or drag into Edison. Once in Edison, right click and open Tools. On the new window at the right you will find Convert to score and dump to piano roll.
An alternative option is Melodyne. You analyze an audio track and then export it as MIDI. Good thing with melodyne is that depending on the source you can separate some of the tracks prior to exporting. It is even better when used in conjuction with Audionamix. The only thing that can beat that combination is the human ear.

 

I stand corrected. I have Celemony too! lol
But as mentioned, I have the skills built into me!
@DAW My sentence you quoted to look different started with "I don't know of anything" and finished with "no". You made it look like I was categorically stating!

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2019

There is one that can do it. https://audionamix.com/
I own a Mac just for it. Only con is that you need to be online with a superfast connection in order for it to work.

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2019

Yes, I did read your first post, y'know!

 

You were. Read what you wrote.

 

studio one + melodyne is the best way and if theres a lot going on in the song use izotope rx7 to remove vocals and drums.

 

Depending on the context, Cubases Variaudio works nicely too with little EQing

 

Another way is....simply search for the MIDI File.
There are some special search methods at google to find them.
If for example you are searching for "Enjoy the silence" of Depeche Mode you simply type:
?intitle:index.of? mid "enjoy the silence"
into the google search bar.

Now Google will list server directorys with the exactly the word combination "Enjoy the silence" (because of the quotation marks).
If you want to search for Depeche Mode's MIDI files in general simply type:
?intitle:index.of? mid "Depeche Mode"

BTW...Here is the result for the first search:
https://www.google.de/search?ei=oTq...47.1339.14j3......0....1..gws-wiz.9Cg9xtBnQG0

Now look for example at the 5th result..it looks promising:
http://bhs.minor9.com/midi/assortment/A-F/

Now you can download the MIDI file and analyze it.

BTW...at the site you also can navigate to the higher folder just by clicking to the "parent directory" button at the top.
http://bhs.minor9.com/midi/assortment/

I hope you understand the method. You also can search for MP3 with this method...simply replace the "mid" in the search with a "mp3"

 

@DAW

<sigh> I wasn't. I was saying "I don't know of anything", in direct answer to op's question.
Which doesn't mean that there isn't such a thing in existence.
Then you quoted me without the opening part of the sentence, which comes across differently.
I mark Eng.Lang exams. I know what I mean, even if you don't.

 

I used to do some all by ear Like this one
By listening very carefully and try to make out each individual instrument playing in the arrangement. It takes work and lots of concentration.

 

I personally don't believe a lot in such audio to midi amenities, though some could work to some extent, but only on monophonic sources (also polyphonic, but with a lot more uncertainty).
Of course while MIDI files help, one thing that I don't like (and score sheets too) is that at least sometimes they're not in the original tonality key, but a simplified one like C maj or F maj or A min or D min. Moreover it could be that you can't find at all, or it doesn't work properly.
I suggest to study ALL tonality scales (and chords), major, harmonic minor and melodic minor (there are tricks that help a lot in learning keys), even if at the beginning it's frustrating and painful, it will give you knowledge to snap immediately to the song key. After that, you better use a slow downer sw to find the melody, that is the EASIEST part in a song. Analysis of chords harmonization and modulations are the most difficult to get, it takes time and patience.

 

Thank you all for the answers! Very helpful and very much appreciated!

Yep, that's right. I use FL Studio. I also tried to do that with a wav file of a whole song, but then it will say computing segments and nothing happens anymore. I think it only works for single stems and not for whole songs unfortunately. Can Melodyne work with whole songs to turn it into a midi file? I will check out Melodyne anyway. I have read about it a lot here and it also looks useful and nice for other things and it looks like you can be really creative with it.

I never knew about these special search methods. Thank you very much for explaining that! Although, I think I am somehow not using it well. It doesn't find that much or it's harder if I will search for a known song like for instance Africa from Toto with that method compared to when I put straight into Google toto africa midi.

Do you know why they are sometimes not in the original key? I quess some keys are easier than others to play? Although, if something is not in the original key, then I quess you would hear that immediately. What do you mean with a slow downer sw to find the melody? Do you have any starting suggestions like books, websites, youtube channels, etc where you can learn all that stuff about scales and chords?

 

https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/
https://www.vamp-plugins.org/download.html

It's not an audio to MIDI converter but this program was developed with music analysis in mind. Load file, inspect spectrogram, add "Notes" layer and draw the notes you need. There are specialized plugins (VAMP). I think for analytical purposes this program is very useful. And it's free.

 

In general its not easier than directly type the file you're searching for. The only diffence is if you want to find more songs from one artist. And the fact that the results you get with my method are server directory listings where you can directly download and maybe find a lot of other interesting stuff...like in the link I posted. And last but not least you dont have to click through all these MIDI sites where you have to pay for the song you are searching for.

BTW...If you're really searching for Toto's Africa_
http://www.ossh.com/midi/sound/pop/
http://bhs.minor9.com/midi/assortment/R-Z/?C=M;O=A
http://artscene.textfiles.com/music/midi/t/
http://www.prinzy.com/mid/Toto/
They all have the MIDI file....Maybe you'll find a good one.

Also interesting if you like classics:
http://www.ossh.com/midi/sound/classic/

 

Last edited: Mar 17, 2019

"Do you know..."
Don't think that every pop song is in easy keys.
Think, you want to play along a favourite tune on the radio that you studied weeks following the tutorial "play it easy!" (g.e.), and then you discover that you learned in C maj, but instead is in D maj flat, what will you do? NOTHING. You just quit.
OF COURSE I KNOW that playng mostly on white keys is easier, but that doesn't mean you have to learn just the basic C, F, A keys.
I easily visualize chords and scales in any key, and that helps a lot in songs that can start in easy key but then modulates in an uncomfortable key.

"What do you mean with a slow downer sw..."
SW is standing for software, though app would have been more recognizable, but I personally think an app stands more for mobile.
However:
http://www.songsurgeon.com/
https://www.ronimusic.com/
Once there was also a winamp plugin that did the job.

"Do you have any starting suggestions..."
I learned the old way, Hanon scales, and Harmonization.
So, I would suggest to study all key scales at least with right hand in Hanon, after that, all triads of all scales, major, minore harmonic and melodic.
Then seventh and suspended chords.
That would give a major kick in recognizing songs "by ear".
As a tip (guess what!), when I listen to any song, I find the tonic, then the V (i.e C-G), that would give the proof you're in the right key (could be G the tonic in this case, easier to do than to say).
The III (third grade) will say it it's major or minor (g.e. play C-D-Eb fast if you think that's minor, you'll get immediately if it's wrong).

Of course there are billions of valid tutorials or books, I can't list them all, don't tell me you need a "google it" tutorial too.
Some of billions:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz0PmHG0RvQHazlEsFU-4uQ

 

Last edited: Mar 18, 2019

Thank you very much for your answer and for your suggestion! Free stuff always sounds interesting. I will check it out!

Oh, I see. So you can basically use an extra method right now. And if nothing comes up with that directory listings method, then you can always search for it directly. You make a good point, because I saw there are definitely a lot of interesting stuff in the links that you have posted. Yep, that's also true. A lot of midi sites are paid sites. Yeah, I like classics. You have posted great links! Thank you!

Thank you for your explanation! I will get myself into it