About MelodyTrace
What MelodyTrace does
MelodyTrace converts between the two languages of music on your computer: the sound you recorded and the notes a musician reads. Audio files become editable MIDI; MIDI becomes MP3 through real instrument samples; scores move between MIDI and MusicXML. Twenty-five small converters share one engine, and every one of them runs entirely in your browser.
The project started from a simple frustration: getting a hummed melody into a DAW took either an expensive suite or an upload to somebody's server. It shouldn't cost more than a drag and a drop.
How the transcription works
The transcription model is Basic Pitch — an open neural network for pitch estimation. When you convert a file, the model's weights are fetched to your browser once and inference runs on your own machine, powered by WebGL. Nothing about your audio is transmitted, stored or logged anywhere.
After inference, detected notes land on a piano roll where you can fix, transpose or delete them before exporting standard MIDI, MusicXML or a SoundFont-rendered MP3.
Who's behind this
MelodyTrace is built and maintained by a small team of musicians and engineers who got tired of converting files by hand. We run on the shoulders of open source: Basic Pitch for transcription, and a stack of open audio libraries for decoding, synthesis and encoding.
Privacy
The privacy model is the simplest possible: your files are processed in the tab and never leave your device. Closing the tab erases everything. See the privacy policy for the fine print.
Contact
Questions, bug reports, or just a transcription that came out weird — write to us.