Convert WAVE to MIDI, MP3 to MIDI converter for live performance, making multi-track MIDI files, transcribing music, and finding chord names from multi-instrument WMA, WAVE and MP3 files.

Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about intelliScore. If you have a question that isn't answered below, feel free to ask us using the form below. You will receive a prompt, courteous response usually within one business day.

• Why are there two flavors of intelliScore?
• What's it good for?
• What does intelliScore not do?
• How accurate is it?
• Don't I need a supercomputer to run it?
• Do I need to be a rocket scientist to use it?
• How does it work?
• What else do I need to use intelliScore?
• How do I see the chord names detected by intelliScore?
• Does intelliScore run on a Macintosh computer?

Why are there two flavors of intelliScore?

IntelliScore comes in two editions: Ensemble Edition and Polyphonic Edition. IntelliScore Ensemble Edition is the only product in the world that can listen to a musical audio file (CD, WAV, MP3, or WMA) comprised of several different instruments and convert it to a MIDI file containing the notes played, broken down by instrument. It also provides all the features of intelliScore Polyphonic. Read the full Ensemble Edition FAQ.

If your music contains only one type of instrument, such as a piano solo, consider the bargain priced intelliScore Polyphonic. The performance can be polyphonic (playing several notes at the same time) or monophonic (one note at a time).  IntelliScore Polyphonic includes all the same advanced features as intelliScore Ensemble, except that it will not break down the MIDI file into multiple instrument tracks. If you choose the Polyphonic Edition and decide later you would like to upgrade to the Ensemble Edition, you will find that the transition will be easy, as the two editions work similarly.

What's it good for?

IntelliScore works in two modes: live and prerecorded. In prerecorded mode, intelliScore listens to MP3, WAVE, WMA, and CD files containing recordings of music and helps figure out the notes played, as well as their duration and dynamics, tempo changes, likely chord names, and the prominent key, and writes them to a MIDI file. This saves you much of the time and trouble required to figure out and write down the notes, so you can spend more time making music and pursuing other creative endeavors. Once your MP3, WAVE, WMA, and CD files are converted into MIDI, you can do things that are impossible with audio files, such as changing individual notes and swapping instruments. You can also play the MIDI file, notate it, and study it.

In live performance mode, intelliScore allows you to control a MIDI-enabled instrument or your computer's sound card in real-time while you play an acoustic instrument. In conjunction with the included Hubi's MIDI Loopback Device under Windows Me/98SE, you can record MIDI directly into your favorite sequencer, such as the included Anvil Studio. If your computer is running Windows Vista/XP/2000, we recommend using intelliScore in conjunction with LoopBe1 instead (which can be downloaded free of charge for non-commercial use). Traditionally, this capability would require an expensive, specialized MIDI pickup hardware for your acoustic instrument. IntelliScore can save you the expense of hardware MIDI pickups and additionally works with any instrument.

IntelliScore is particularly useful in helping you figure out the notes present in prerecorded MP3, WAVE, WMA, and CD files, especially when you don't know (or don't remember) how to play it. The music could come from live performance, an audio CD, a tape recording, an existing MP3, WAVE, or WMA file, or another source. When the audio is monophonic, intelliScore has the additional capability of accurately tracking expressive changes in volume and pitch while notes are being held, faithfully recreating effects such as pitch bend, vibrato, tremolo, and portamento.

What does intelliScore not do?

To give you a fair representation of intelliScore's capabilities, we want to tell you a few things that it cannot do (yet). First, it is important to understand that MIDI cannot store as much information as audio. MIDI data can indicate which notes to play, but not the sound of the notes or all the possible nuances of expression. MIDI merely tells sound cards and synthesizers what notes to play, when to play them, and some basic instructions on how to play them. It is up to the sound card or synthesizer to create the sounds, which may sound different from the instruments used to create the original music. MIDI is not capable of recreating sung words, although it can represent the pitches that were sung.

Because intelliScore listens for notes being played, it "hears" only those instruments that have a strong pitch. Therefore, it cannot recognize most drums and percussion (nor can any other software).

Finally, intelliScore can convert MP3, WAVE, and CD files to MIDI files, but not the other way around. To convert MIDI to WAVE, we recommend WAVmaker.

Also see the FAQ on accuracy.

How accurate is it?

IntelliScore employs three different conversion algorithms based on several new discoveries in psycho-acoustic physics and are very complex. For example, intelliScore uses data obtained by analyzing over ten thousand recordings of musical instruments to help convert polyphonic music. IntelliScore’s specialized monophonic algorithm is remarkably accurate on MP3, WAVE, CD, and live audio that contains only one note at a time, and even detects slight variations in pitch and volume. Nevertheless, some instruments and forms of music are converted better than others. Some MP3, WAVE, CD, and MP3 files may simply refuse to be converted. Conversion is best on audio files that are not too complex and contain only a few instruments and minimal drums and percussion. To find out if intelliScore will work for you, we recommend you download our free demo. You can also evaluate some of the unedited results from our own sample MP3 files.

Don't expect intelliScore to convert a CD to a finished MIDI file, but intelliScore can get you well on your way. Although after using intelliScore you may need to clean up the MIDI file, users say this saves them an average of 35% over having to figure out and enter the notes into a sequencer without intelliScore's help. You can use the time you save to pursue more creative endeavors than picking out notes.

Don't I need a supercomputer to run it?

Although intelliScore performs millions of calculations to generate a single MIDI file, all you need is a Pentium II class computer (or better) to handle the job. The faster the CPU, the faster the conversion speed. In fact, most computers today are fast enough to convert in real-time, so that each second of audio takes less than a second to process. See the system requirements for a full list of what your computer needs to run intelliScore.

Do I need to be a rocket scientist to use it?

No. IntelliScore is designed for use by musicians with average computer skills, not physicists. All program settings use familiar musical and MIDI terminology. You don't need to know how to read music to use intelliScore, although it would be helpful. Most musicians become comfortable using intelliScore and creating MIDI files in less than an hour, followed by learning the more advanced settings at a comfortable pace later on. In fact, intelliScore is so intuitive, many users start using intelliScore without ever using the help system or reading the manual. IntelliScore includes a wizard to guide you through the process of preparing intelliScore to convert your MP3, WAVE, CD, WMA, or live audio. IntelliScore also includes context-sensitive detailed descriptions of all settings, troubleshooting tips for error messages, examples of several conversion projects with settings, handy solutions to common problems and questions, and several tutorials.

How does it work?

It has been said that automated music conversion is the musical equivalent of speech recognition. If this is true, then polyphonic music conversion is like listening to several conversations going on at once and figuring out all the words spoken by everyone. Perhaps it is due to this extra complexity that the technology of automated music conversion has lagged behind speech recognition.

Conventional wisdom suggests that Fourier transformation and wavelet theory would be the best approaches to polyphonic music conversion and wavelength determination for monophonic conversion. If these methods really worked, however, there would be many more programs out there that claim to convert music.

Due to the inherent limitations of the above methods, intelliScore uses a combination of new, revolutionary approaches based upon several new discoveries in psycho-acoustic physics. The core technology is patented. IntelliScore is now in its sixth generation and combines additional proprietary capabilities.

What else do I need to use intelliScore?

It depends how you intend to use intelliScore. First, be sure you are using a Pentium II-class (or better) PC with 64MB of memory and a sound card. If you are recording from a microphone, connect the microphone to the "mic in" jack on your sound card. If you are recording from a CD, place the CD in your CD-ROM drive. After converting your recording to a MIDI file, you can use a sequencer program to edit and/or convert the MIDI file to notation and print it out. The full versions of intelliScore include the award-winning Anvil Studio program, but just about any sequencer will suffice. (Printing from the included Anvil Studio requires purchase of the optional Print Sheet accessory.)

If you want to use your analog instrument as a realtime MIDI controller, be sure you have a MIDI interface to connect your playback synthesizer to your computer's sound card. If you want to use your analog instrument to record directly into your sequencer, you will also need to install Hubi's MIDI Loopback Device (included with intelliScore) if your PC is running Windows Me/98SE. Alternately, if your computer is running Windows Vista/XP/2000, we recommend using intelliScore in conjunction with LoopBe1 instead (which can be downloaded without charge for non-commercial use).

How do I see the chord names detected by intelliScore?

Not only does intelliScore detect the notes present in prerecorded MP3, WAVE, WMA, and CD files; it also attempts to identify the names of 144 different chords and the prominent key. Even if your audio file is monophonic, intelliScore determines the names of implied chords based on the groupings of notes. These chord names are written to the MIDI file as marker events. The included Anvil Studio displays the chord names directly above the staff. Some other sequencers will show the chord names with the notes in the notation or piano roll views. If your sequencer can't do this, it should still be able to display the list of detected chords in an event list. Check your sequencer's documentation for instructions.

Does intelliScore run on a Macintosh computer?

We do not currently offer a native Mac version of intelliScore. However, people have claimed that intelliScore runs properly on a Mac if you are running Windows in conjunction with Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop, Virtual PC, or Fusion.

 

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