I have been having better success with pitch to midi processes lately. The process that I am using relies on a number of programs and resources that I already use. I realize that most folks won’t want to try to acquire all this, or can’t acquire it all. But, I want to document the process so that others might be able further refine it, possibly at a lower cost.
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I can find most songs that I’d want to have in BB form on Ultimate Guitar. I have a Pro subscription that gives access to backing tracks that can be manipulated into single instrument playback. With any given song, I can record the bass track, and other auxiliary instruments such as keyboards and bass. I have not had success transferring drum track to midi, but i can print out the drum sheet music and then create a midi from it.
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I generally use Audio Hijack to record the mp3s of the desired instrument tracks. Alternatively, on Mac, Quicktime can be used.
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Once I have the mp3 tracks, I set up a project in Logic Pro at the correct bpm, which I get from the Ultimate Guitar transcription. I load the mp3 files into the project on individual tracks, and then use the bounce in place feature, with the output set to normalize the track. This gives me a track with a good strong signal, which helps the midi conversion be more accurate. I have found that track with a low recording level produce erratic results.
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Next, with the strong track waveforms in place, I add an instance of the Melodyne plug-in to each track. Melodyne will produce midi output from polyphonic files. Logic’s built-in converter, Flex Pitch, is not recommended for polyphonic sources, but does work well on monophonic sources, such as bass or individual horns. Ableton also has a pitch to midi converter, which I have seen work well. To use Melodyne select “Transfer” in the tracks with Melodyne and play back the song. The lets Melodyne create an image of the file. Then, from Settings, select Save as Midi, and Melodyne creates the midi track.
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I intend to try the process with stems created from mp3 stem splitters, but I suspect that the best results will be achieved from multi-track sources, like the material available on Ultimate Guitar.
