28
votes
Why is automatic key detection hard?
There's a few factors at play here:
Let's assume that we have a magical piece of software, which can listen to audio and tell us exactly what notes are being played. Even given this software, ...
- 9,509
26
votes
What music notation software allows you to code the notation?
There is LilyPond which does what you are looking for. It was first released in 1996, but it still gets updates.
LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving.
One of LilyPond's ...
- 30.8k
26
votes
Accepted
Free software to create a score from scratch
Since you're looking for software to input a score that is still under construction, MuseScore (found at musescore.org) would be my go-to application. It's a GNU-licensed graphical score editor that ...
- 1,083
22
votes
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How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?
There are at least two options:
Option 1: You can slow down the video by changing the Playback Speed setting
Browser instructions (this link for further alternatives)
Click on the Settings menu icon.
...
- 62.3k
20
votes
Is Lilypond actively developed? Will the format become obsolete?
There are no commercial developers listed for LilyPond right now. That means that you cannot reliably throw money at a particular problem in order to make it go away while relying on the expertise of ...
- 201
20
votes
How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?
I'd probably recommend starting with the built-in YouTube controls. But for the sake of completeness here's another workflow that makes use of 3rd party software called a "phrase trainer" or ...
- 834
18
votes
Treble Clef with optional 8 va bassa?
This is used in vocal music where the line can be sung either at normal treble-clef pitch (usually by a soprano), or at a pitch an octave below that (usually by a tenor or baritone).
It's very often ...
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16
votes
Accepted
Tips for increasing loudness while mastering in Ableton Live
What you are trying to achieve is not a trivial task. If you want a good master it'll take more than some tips. I'll try to do some quick observations on some possibilities. There's nothing specific ...
- 15.9k
16
votes
Accepted
How to choose drum pitches?
Drums have pitches, but by the time they are in the track, then unless it is for very specific purposes, to complement a melodic line etc, then those actual pitches should not be truly apparent to the ...
- 24k
16
votes
Does piano tuning software actually work?
Answering the original question: yes, the most widely used professional tuning software works very well for both high level and routine tuning as well as for learning and instructional tool use.
Some ...
- 852
15
votes
Is today's (popular) music recorded or synthesized?
No doubt both are used, depending on circumstances.
Having done some recording in both styles (sequenced/synthesized and live-performance) even with my mediocre performance skills and low-quality ...
- 20.3k
15
votes
Accepted
Emulating human performance in orchestral software
I just watched a series of videos of film composer Hans Zimmer who mocks up all his soundtracks using software and virtual instruments so the directors can hear what it's going to sound like before ...
- 52.2k
14
votes
Accepted
Making all elements clearly audible in the mix
Making everything audible in the mix is not always possible. Elements that share frequencies will mask each other.
The most crucial part of the mix is not actually in the mixing phase itself, but in ...
- 15.9k
14
votes
Accepted
8 quarter notes in 4/4 time?! And how do I insert this into Guitar Pro?
There are 3 separate voices. Voice 1 is the high D-F#-A-G, voice 2 is the middle [eighth rest]-D-A-E-A, and voice 3 is the half notes.
- 21.4k
14
votes
Accepted
How do I notate sharps in ABC notation?
Sharp - ^
Flat - _
Natural - =
From The abc music standard 2.1 (Dec 2011)
The symbols ^, = and _ are used (before a note) to notate respectively a sharp, natural or flat. Double sharps and flats ...
- 30.8k
13
votes
File formats for sheet music
Several people advise MusicXML here but I don't see that making sense. That is an exchange format, not a format to write music in. In practice, MusicXML export/import works rather tepidly between ...
- 131
13
votes
Is it possible to have a note that is both dotted and a triplet?
Yes it is possible to have a note that is part of a triplet and dotted for example:
In this we're using quarter note triplets. Instead of having them all be 3 even quarter note triplets the first ...
Dom♦
- 46.5k
12
votes
Why does software-synthesized MIDI music sound so bad?
MIDI is not sound. The MIDI specification does not dictate what any instrument sounds like, it's up to the synthesizer to generate the sound. Free synths sound like crap, but good ones can sound as ...
- 21.4k
12
votes
How do I notate sharps in ABC notation?
A simple google(*) finds the following tutorial:
http://www.lesession.co.uk/abc/abc_notation.htm#sharps
sharp: ^f
flat: _b
natural: =c
Note that the accidental precedes the note.
(*) When googling ...
- 20.3k
12
votes
Can you record several individual string instruments and put them together to sound like a real orchestra?
This is a great idea and as long as you record to some type of reference like a click and make sure everyone records their individual tracks at the same sample and bit rate you can mix all the ...
- 18.7k
11
votes
Does piano tuning software actually work?
I am a professionnal piano technician who started out as an aural tuner and then switched to EDT devices and softwares. The simple answer to the original question is yes: professionnal piano tuning ...
- 111
11
votes
Accepted
Did people use DAWs or Trackers first in the 90s?
People did use DAWs in the 90s, but in the early to mid 90s, the few DAWs that existed were generally only used by professionals. That is because the processing power of computers was not enough to ...
- 52.2k
10
votes
How to make ASIO work with multiple programs simultaneously : how can I listen to Guitar Rig plus something else through the same interface?
I found ASIO Link and it lets you listen to windows audio as well and send audio over the network.
The price $39.95 AUD on Nov 10, 2016 so please ignore the price information in the below comment by ...
- 101
10
votes
Accepted
Why does software-synthesized MIDI music sound so bad?
MIDI is only a specification for what instrument (patch) to use, what notes to play, how long and loud to play a note and other things like tempo, time signature and text lyrics. The concept is very ...
- 456
10
votes
Where can I find machine-readable music scores?
there's the .abc format and lilypond format. Those are about the only widely used text only score formats. But geared for making graphical notation, not analyzing scores. There's musicxml, too. ...
- 6,083
9
votes
Replacing words in the vocals of a recorded song
I'm afraid the short answer is no.
It may be possible if you could find an instrumental version
Load both the completed track and the instrumental into a DAW and make sure they line up (I.e. listen ...
- 2,317
9
votes
Accepted
Writing sheet music on your smartphone
I don't know if this fits all the criteria you are looking for, but there is NotateMe which is available on Google Play and App Store. It allows you to write music sheets with your finger (or a pen) ...
- 30.8k
9
votes
Does REAPER support a 4K display?
Reaper 5.40 released on 2017-03-24 introduces initial support for HiDPI (High-DPI) modes via the beta theme oriented to the zoom of 200%. The feature was previously available in prerelease versions (5....
- 191
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible