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How to convert audio to MIDI in Ableton Live 12
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Ableton Live can analyse an audio clip and turn it into MIDI notes you can edit and play with any instrument. Right-click an audio clip and choose Convert Harmony, Convert Melody or Convert Drums to New MIDI Track, or Slice to New MIDI Track. Live creates a new MIDI track with the notes and a ready-to-play instrument. Audio to MIDI is included in Live 12 Standard and Suite, but not in Intro.
This guide explains what each of the four commands is for, how to run them, and how to prepare your audio so the notes come out right the first time.
What you need
| Edition | Live 12 Standard or Suite. Not in Intro |
|---|---|
| Source | Any audio clip in your Set |
| Best input | Uncompressed WAV or AIFF, one instrument, clear note attacks |
| Result | A new MIDI track with a MIDI clip and an instrument already loaded |
The four convert commands
Each command is designed for one kind of material. Picking the right one matters more than any other setting.
| Command | Use it for | What Live loads |
|---|---|---|
| Convert Harmony to New MIDI Track | Chords and polyphonic parts: piano, guitar, pads, full loops | An Instrument Rack with a piano sound |
| Convert Melody to New MIDI Track | Single-note lines: vocals, whistling, bass, a solo instrument | An Instrument Rack with a synth sound and a Synth to Piano Macro |
| Convert Drums to New MIDI Track | Unpitched percussion, ideally a solo drum break | A Drum Rack with kick, snare and hi-hat sounds |
| Slice to New MIDI Track | Chopping any audio into playable pieces, with no pitch analysis | A Drum Rack with one Simpler per slice |
The first three transcribe: they detect pitches or drum hits and write the matching notes. Slice doesn't analyse the music at all. It cuts the audio into pieces and maps one piece to each pad, so you trigger the original sound rather than a new instrument.
How to convert audio to MIDI
- Pick a clean source. Drag the audio into your Set. The more isolated the part, the better the result (see the tips below).
- Right-click the audio clip. The four commands sit together in the context menu. They're also in the Create menu while the clip is selected.
- Choose the command that matches the material. Use Convert Harmony for chords, Convert Melody for a single line, and Convert Drums for a beat.
- Wait for the analysis. Live adds a new MIDI track holding the converted clip and a preloaded instrument.
- Solo it and listen. Play the new track on its own and compare it with the original. Expect some wrong or extra notes.
- Clean up the MIDI. Delete stray notes, join notes that should be one long note, and fix anything obviously out of key.
- Change the sound. The loaded instrument is only a starting point. Drop any instrument or preset onto the track.
In the video, the converted piano progression sounds odd on the default instrument. Once it's swapped for a pizzicato string ensemble, the same notes work, because a different timbre hides the detection mistakes. Try a few sounds before you decide the conversion failed.
Using Slice to New MIDI Track
Slice to New MIDI Track opens a dialog before it runs:
- Slicing division chooses where to cut: at a beat resolution (for example, every 1/16), at the clip's transients or at its Warp Markers.
- Slicing Preset chooses how the Drum Rack and its Simplers are set up.
- Preserve warped timing keeps any timing changes you made by warping.
Live won't create more than 128 slices, so choose a coarser division for long clips. The new clip plays the slices in order, one note per slice arranged chromatically, so pressing play reproduces the original audio. Rearrange the notes to make new patterns.
For quick chops you play from a keyboard, Simpler's Slice mode does a similar job on a single track. The vocal chop guide covers that workflow.
How to get accurate conversions
Most bad conversions come from the source audio, not from the command. Ableton's manual gives the same advice in its Converting Audio to MIDI chapter.
- Use uncompressed audio. WAV and AIFF convert predictably. MP3 and other lossy files can give unpredictable results.
- Isolate the part first. A solo recording converts far more cleanly than a full mix. If all you have is a finished track, pull the part out with Stem Separation (Live 12 Suite), then convert the stem: the vocal stem with Convert Melody, the drum stem with Convert Drums.
- Prefer sounds with clear attacks. Notes that fade or swell in may not be detected at all.
- Tune the transients before converting. Live places a note wherever it finds a transient. Add a missing one with Cmd+Shift+I (Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows) and delete a false one with Cmd+Shift+Delete (Ctrl+Shift+Backspace), then run the command again.
- Trim the clip. Convert only the bars you need. It's faster, and there's less to clean up.
What to do with the MIDI
Once the part is MIDI, every MIDI tool in Live applies to it:
- Find the key. In the video, the converted clip shows a scale, and cycling the scale root and mode until every note fits reveals the key (it turns out to be C# minor). Setting the right scale makes wrong notes easy to spot.
- Quantize, or don't. Quantizing tightens the timing but removes the human feel of the original. Keep the original timing when the part sits against the source audio.
- Layer it. Double a sampled bass line with a synth, or put a pad under a converted guitar part.
- Transform it. The video applies the Ornament MIDI Transformation to add small grace notes. Arpeggiate, Strum and the other transformations work just as well on converted parts.
- Try the wrong command. Running Convert Melody on a chord progression, or Convert Drums on a vocal, often produces usable rhythms and odd lines. The manual suggests it too.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ableton Live Intro have audio to MIDI?
No. Audio to MIDI conversion is included in Live 12 Standard and Suite. Live Intro doesn't include it.
How do I convert a vocal to MIDI in Ableton?
Use Convert Melody to New MIDI Track on a dry, solo vocal. If the vocal is part of a mixed track, isolate it first with Stem Separation in Live 12 Suite, then convert the vocal stem.
Can Ableton convert chords to MIDI?
Yes. Convert Harmony to New MIDI Track detects several simultaneous pitches, so it works on piano, guitar and pad chords. Expect to delete some extra notes afterwards.
Can I convert a drum loop to MIDI?
Yes. Convert Drums to New MIDI Track detects kicks, snares and hi-hats and loads a Drum Rack to play them. It works best on an unaccompanied drum break.
Why is my audio to MIDI conversion inaccurate?
Usually the source: a lossy file, a full mix instead of one instrument, or notes without clear attacks. Use a WAV or AIFF, isolate the part, and adjust the clip's transient markers before converting again.
What's the difference between Slice to New MIDI Track and the Convert commands?
The Convert commands detect notes and write MIDI for a new instrument. Slice to New MIDI Track cuts the original audio into pieces and plays them from a Drum Rack, so you hear the original sound, rearranged.
Where are the audio to MIDI commands in Live 12?
Right-click an audio clip to find all four in its context menu. They're also in the Create menu when the clip is selected.