Tutorial: Converting a Single Instrument Audio File
Included in the Samples subdirectory is an MP3 file representing a portion of the 2nd movement of Ludwig von Beethoven's 8th Piano Sonata in C Minor called Pathetique. The audio file was recorded using the recommended settings described in the manual. We will use this music as we use the New Project Wizard to give you practice at adjusting recognition settings. You can compare your work to the project and MIDI files we came up with. Feel free to experiment, however. That is the best way to learn how to use all the features of intelliScore to their maximum potential. To preserve the original files, back them up to a different folder or rename them, or else you will be prompted to replace them as you follow the tutorial. You can also preserve and compare the results of your experiments using different filenames. This tutorial assumes you are using the default settings in the Options window and that you installed intelliScore at the default path of C:\Program Files\IntelliScore Ensemble (or C:\Program Files\IntelliScore Polyphonic if you have the Polyphonic Edition of intelliScore).
1. Click the Blank Document Icon in the Tool Bar to start the New Project Wizard.
2. You are asked where the audio will be obtained from. Choose the first option at the top next to the folder icon, since an audio file for this tutorial already exists. Click the Next button to continue.
3. You are asked to specify the name of the audio file. In the Select Audio File dialog box, change to the folder in which you installed intelliScore. Select the file Samples\Pathetique Sonata.mp3. Click the OK button to remove the message and the Next button to continue to the next step.
4. Select I know what instruments comprise the original audio. Click the Next button to continue.
5. Since the audio file contains a single type of instrument, a piano, choose the Single option and click Next to continue. (If you have the Polyphonic Edition of intelliScore, you won't see the step in the New Project Wizard.)
6. Now select the instrument from the list box. Choose 0 - Acoustic Grand Piano. You can click the speaker button to hear what the instrument sounds like through your sound card. Click Next to continue.
7. You are asked to enter the polyphony level. This section of Pathetique Sonata only contains four notes at the same time, so type or use the spinner to enter the value 4 and click Next to continue.
8. Now you are asked if you want easy or notation timing settings. For this tutorial, you want to look at the generated MIDI file as notation, so you need to select the Notation radio button. Click Next to continue.
9. It is time to tap in the tempo so intelliScore knows where the beats fall. Start the audio file playing by pressing the Play button. Tap the <SPACE BAR> in time with the music until the audio file finishes playing. If you tapped the same way we did, the tap count should finish at 31 with a tempo of 50 beats per minute. The Tap Extender window appears. Since we tapped the entire time span of the audio file, we do not need to extend the taps, so click the Cancel button to close the window. Click Next to continue.
10. For the Timing Resolution, select Eighth, since we tapped on the quarter notes and there are two notes per tap. Click Next to continue.
11. Accept the suggested MIDI filename of Pathetique Sonata.mid and click Next to continue.
12. Click the Finish button to close the New Project Wizard and start the recognizer.
13. When it is finished, the Music Player will open and play the MP3 and MIDI file synchronously so you can listen to the conversion results. (If the Auto Sync Play feature in the Options window is disabled, your MIDI editor will open instead.) If you have Anvil Studio or another notation program configured as your MIDI editor, you can now view the notation. After listening to it, click on the button with the music notes on it to open your MIDI editor. Note that intelliScore detected the names of the chords present in the audio file. Play the MIDI file that intelliScore has just created and listen to the range between the high notes and low notes being played. Also listen to determine if the faster notes were detected. Note that intelliScore determined that Pathetique Sonata is in the key of A-flat Major, which seems correct. Now close the MIDI editor.
14. The MIDI file turned out pretty well, but if you want to adjust it further, you can reopen the project editor and make some changes. When you are finished, click the OK button to close the window and restart the recognizer with these optimized settings.
15. When it is finished, the Music Player will play the MP3 file and the new MIDI file together. You may want to open the MIDI editor again and edit notes individually as desired in the editor. Be sure to save the final touched-up version of your MIDI file. You can also save your project settings if you desire.