Extract a melody from a song as MIDI

What you can realistically get

The converter listens for the most prominent pitched line. On a full mix, that means a rough outline of the melody, with wrong notes where the drums, bass and chords compete with it. It does not separate instruments: everything it hears lands on one track. That is enough to capture the shape of a tune — where it goes up, where it settles — and rarely enough to use untouched.

So the goal here is a sketch to replay, not a transcription. If you know that going in, the result is useful. The examples page includes a busy-mix clip so you can hear the ceiling before you spend any time.

Only convert audio you have the right to use

Pulling the melody out of your own recordings, stems and licensed material is a normal part of production. Converting someone else’s released track gives you notes, not permission to publish them. Converting here happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded, but what you do with the result is your responsibility.

Step 1: choose where in the song to convert

This matters more than any setting. Pick the stretch where the line you want is most exposed:

• An intro or breakdown where only the lead is playing.
• A verse where the vocal sits over sparse accompaniment.
• A solo, or a bar where the rhythm section drops out for a fill.

Avoid the biggest chorus, even though it is the part you are thinking of. Full arrangements are where the output is least reliable. Select fifteen to thirty seconds with the handles; the limit is sixty per run.

Step 2: if you have stems, use them

If you made the track, or have the multitrack, export the lead on its own and convert that. A dry vocal or lead synth gives a result of a different quality to the same part buried in a mix. Turn off reverb and delay on the export; tails smear the ends of notes.

Step 3: narrow the pitch range to the part

Bass and kick drum live below the melody, cymbals and harmonics above it. Open Pitch range in the settings and pull the handles in to cover only where the melody sits. For a typical lead vocal that is roughly C3 to C6; adjust by ear after a listen. This single change removes more wrong notes from a full mix than anything else.

Step 4: raise sensitivity, then clean up

1. Raise Sensitivity towards 0.6 to 0.7. On a dense source you want fewer, surer notes, not every note.
2. Set Remove short notes to about 120 to 150 ms. Short blips are mostly drums and consonants.
3. Turn on Merge repeated notes at 80 to 120 ms if sustained notes come out chopped.

The details of each are in removing extra notes after conversion.

Step 5: listen against the original

Loop the selection and flip Original and MIDI. Ask only whether the contour is right. Single wrong notes are cheap to fix in your DAW, and a missing phrase is not. If the contour is wrong in most bars, move the selection to a clearer section rather than adjusting further.

Step 6: export, then rebuild it

Set the tempo to the real one if you know it, download the .mid, and put it on an instrument track in your DAW — the steps are in the guides for FL Studio, Ableton, Logic Pro, GarageBand and REAPER. Then play it against the original and correct the notes that are off. Fixing a draft this way is usually faster than working the melody out by ear from nothing.

What will not work

• Chords and harmony. You will get fragments of them, mixed into the melody line.
• Drums and bass lines. Drums are not pitched, so there is nothing for the model to read; a bass line works only if it is the loudest pitched thing present.
• Two melodies at once. Call and response works. A duet does not.

To convert the whole thing, one part at a time, you need each part on its own. Separate the parts first, then convert each one.