Voice-to-MIDI

[versions]

Over the years of my youth, I played the saxophone, the bassoon, classical acoustic guitar and even an electric guitar. But I'm now old and arthritis has made playing all of those impossible. However, I DO still have a voice, and have waited years for someone who could design an app that would let me hum a few bars and accept that info as MIDI input and then let me nuance the pitch and timing and play my notes back as any instrument. Is there a way to do this in Numerology?

[john brennan]

Em sounds like your talking about Melodyne plug in
http://www.celemony.com/cms/

[jim]

Pitch detection in an audio signal is quite difficult -- one of the most difficult tasks of all for Music DSP. If you really want to do that, you should use a tool dedicated for that purpose, such as Melodyne, as John mentioned.

Best,
Jim

[versions]

John and Jim: Thanks for the advice and the link. I'll give it a try.

[john brennan]

Over the years of my youth, I played the saxophone, the bassoon, classical acoustic guitar and even an electric guitar. But I'm now old and arthritis has made playing all of those impossible. However, I DO still have a voice, and have waited years for someone who could design an app that would let me hum a few bars and accept that info as MIDI input and then let me nuance the pitch and timing and play my notes back as any instrument. Is there a way to do this in Numerology?

Ive been thinking about your predicament and I really think N2 is quite usable for people with limited mobility in their hands . If your able to use a computer keyboard ( I assume you can since you wrote the above post ) then its possible to use N2 to compose pieces and sing along If you so wished and its certainly cheaper than buying melodyne
Hope you solider on sounds like youve plenty of experience to offer

[jim]

Another option to consider is that you can use a MIDI keyboard and sequence recording to enter the melody either in step mode, or in realtime, but with the sequencer running very slowly. That way you can work as slowly as you want. I'll be working on a tutorial for sequence recording in the next few weeks (gotta edit the ones I have recorded already first....)

Jim

[theau]

Prodipe does a fine product with mic included
I'll try to find the references
Theau

[Sjoerd]

Maybe this quick & dirty hack (http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/08/26/how-to-turn-theremin-into-midi-free-with-pd/) is of any use (Pure data is free/open source, btw):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2795172467_c179ccc7fb.jpg

[Per Boysen]

Hi Versions,

I was just thinking about this old feature in Logic where the application creates a midi file out of any monophonic audio you have recorded. I tried it and works well, but only once your "humming" is recorded - not while you are humming.

Another funny third-party plug-in is Oomingmac from Expert Sleepers. It is a real-time pitch follower that makes up a synth signal and tone out of any audio input. I just tried it on flute and was able to create 303 style synth bass lines from playing flute into a mic. Oomingmac uses subtractive sound synthesis. This plug-in won't give you a MIDI file though.

I have also tested the Melodyne plug-in and used it, like Logic, to create a MIDI file from an audio recording. It seems difficult to create a real-time pitch-to-MIDI gadget so although I have been wanting that for a long time I have now stopped looking for in order to focus audio for real-time work (live looping related stuff).