MP4 to MIDI: turn a performance into editable notes

A good source makes a bigger difference than a sharper video. Choose a recording where a singer, guitar or keyboard carries an obvious musical line. Listen for the beginning and end of the phrase before selecting the file. A close, steady recording gives you a useful reference when you compare the detected notes later. Higher picture resolution does not make the sound easier to transcribe.

The MP4 to MIDI converter accepts local MP4 files up to 50 MB and two minutes long. For a longer performance, prepare a shorter excerpt before uploading; this page does not include a video trimming tool. Keep a little space around the phrase so that its first attack and final release are audible. You can use the result as a starting point for an arrangement or a practice exercise.

An MP4 is a container that can hold pictures and recorded sound. MIDI describes musical events such as note pitch, timing and strength. The converter analyzes the video's audio track to estimate these events. It does not inspect a musician's fingers, read sheet music shown on screen or extract an existing score hidden inside the video. A silent performance video has no usable musical input here.

Because the output is a performance description, importing it with a different instrument changes the sound. A sung line can become a keyboard phrase, for example. Room acoustics, the singer's voice and the original recording's tone are not preserved as MIDI audio. The preview helps you judge the notes before choosing a sound in your own music software; it is not a promise of an exact reproduction.

Use the upload area at the top of this page to choose a video. After the duration check, you can review the source and choose an output mode. Polyphonic mode is useful when you want overlapping notes such as piano chords. Melody mode offers a simpler interpretation for a lead line. Choose a cleanup preset as an initial preference, then start conversion and wait for analysis to finish.

Open the result to inspect the piano roll and play the detected MIDI. Compare the pitch direction and rhythm against the video audio rather than judging only the number of notes. Check the start of the phrase, the longest sustained tone and the final cadence. These landmarks often reveal an octave error or missing note faster than listening to the whole clip repeatedly. You can change the preview instrument without changing the underlying notes.

Extra notes are common when the recording includes harmonics, breath, reverb or accompaniment. Switch between Polyphonic and Melody to hear whether the simpler version better represents the part you need. The cleanup controls can filter by note length, strength and pitch range. Raise one threshold at a time so that you can hear what disappears. A very strict filter may remove quiet or intentionally short notes.

Use the original detected count and the retained count as context, not as a quality score. A smaller result is not automatically more accurate. For a bass phrase, restricting the pitch range may remove unrelated upper notes. For a delicate melody, a low strength threshold can keep expressive details. If cleanup removes an important passage, relax that setting and compare again before downloading the current MIDI.

A short recording can become a rough musical sketch without requiring you to enter every note manually. You might capture a hummed idea, compare a guitar phrase with a keyboard voicing, or rebuild the outline of a rehearsal take. Start with the section you understand best. Once the MIDI is in an editor, correct the notes against your source and choose an instrument that makes the phrase easy to assess.

Dense songs need a different expectation. The model may mix together a lead, backing chords and overtones, particularly when several instruments occupy similar ranges. This tool does not label every instrument or guarantee separate tracks for each performer. If you need one part from a full mix, prepare an isolated audio source and use Audio to MIDI. That gives you a more focused input for a second attempt.

MP4 support depends on the audio and video codecs inside the file. AAC audio is a practical option to try when another encoding fails. Renaming an unsupported file to end in .mp4 does not convert it. If the video cannot be read, export a compatible MP4 from your recording application or save the audio separately. A clip without an audio track cannot produce notes, even when its picture plays correctly.

Analysis runs in the browser on your device. Keep the tab open while conversion is working, especially with a longer clip. The same file can take different amounts of time on different computers and phones, so there is no fixed completion time. If a phone struggles, try a short excerpt or continue on a computer. Start with a small file to check that its audio track can be read before preparing a longer excerpt.

The workbench downloads the MIDI produced by your current cleanup choices as a .mid file. Play the opening phrase again before saving so that you know which version you are keeping. Then open the file in a MIDI editor or your digital audio workstation. Choose an instrument and review timing, note lengths and velocities in the context of your project. The source tempo and musical structure may still require manual interpretation.

Local history can reopen saved MIDI and conversion information on this browser. It does not preserve the source video or its audio preview. Signed-in account history also saves MIDI and metadata rather than uploading the original video. Download a separate copy for work you want to keep: browser storage can be cleared, and a history entry is not a substitute for a file in your project folder.