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Avid Engineer Terron Darby demonstrates how to convert an audio recording into a MIDI file with Ableton Live and Pro Tools using ReWire. The process is simple, and there are a lot of applications in which you’d find this useful.
The first example in the video is useful for producers: capturing the groove of a drum loop as a MIDI file, which you can then use to trigger whichever drum sounds you want. It’s also an easy way to supplement an acoustic drum recording with electronic sounds: just convert the audio to MIDI, remove all the resulting notes except for the kick hits, and then use those to trigger a sub-bass sample. The timing will perfectly match the original drum audio, and you’ll have a huge-sounding drum kit.
Terron also shows how you can convert polyphonic audio, such as chords on a keyboard, into a MIDI performance. This is an easy way to add new instrumentation to your projects by taking a chord progression, converting it to MIDI, then using it to trigger synthesizers or samples.
Converting audio to MIDI is also great for analyzing musical passages to help you identify which notes and chords are being used. If you love the sound of a certain chord progression in a particular recording but are having trouble figuring out exactly what is being played, converting the audio to MIDI for further analysis could be a huge help.
These are just a few examples of how you could use audio to MIDI conversion when you’re producing music, and we’re sure you’ll discover many more creative applications. Thanks for watching – click the links above for even more on Ableton Live and Avid Pro Tools software!