How it works
- Upload your PDF. Sign in with Google and choose one PDF of up to 10 pages. Scores exported from notation software and clean scans work best.
- Let the bard read it. The pages are read one after another and you watch each one finish. A typical page takes well under a minute; a dense orchestral page can take a few.
- Check it, then download. The recognised score appears beside your original, with playback. When it sounds right, download the MIDI.
See it before you take it
A MIDI file is hard to proofread: a wrong note hides in a piano roll until it spoils your project. tunebard shows you the whole recognised score as notation, next to the page you uploaded, and plays it with a cursor that follows the music. Compare them bar by bar and slow the tempo down before you download anything.
What you get
- MIDI for the whole score, at sounding pitch, with the printed tempo where we could read it (Allegro, ♩ = 104 and the like).
- One MIDI file per part, handy for practice tracks or for giving each instrument its own track in a DAW.
- MusicXML as well, for MuseScore, Dorico, Sibelius or Finale, if you'd rather fix or arrange the music as notation.
What works best, honestly
Printed music converts best: PDFs exported from notation programs, and sharp scans of printed scores and parts. For a score with several instruments, tunebard guesses each part's instrument from the names printed in the margin, and you can correct any guess before you download. Transposing instruments such as the B♭ clarinet come out at the right pitch.
What it can't do: handwritten music isn't read, guitar tablature and drum staves aren't supported, and very faint or low-resolution scans lose notes. On a busy page, expect to fix the odd note.
Questions
Is the MIDI the same as what I hear on the page?
Yes. The player uses the same notes and instruments as the files you download.
Can I convert a PDF with several pages?
Yes: one PDF of up to 10 pages and 25 MB per score. The pages are joined into one score, and you see each page finish.
What if a note is wrong?
You'll spot it before you download, because the result sits next to your original. Open the MusicXML in your notation program to fix it, then export MIDI from there.
Does it work with a scanned PDF?
Yes, if the scan is sharp and straight. A PDF made of phone photos works too. If your music is on paper rather than in a PDF, see sheet music to MIDI from a photo.
Do I need to install anything?
No. tunebard runs in the browser on a phone or a computer. You sign in with Google so your scores stay together, private to your account.