How to Convert Audio to MIDI on iPhone
You can convert audio to MIDI on iPhone in a few minutes: split the song into parts, export the one you want as a MIDI file, and open it in GarageBand, Logic or a notation app. The trick to a usable result is converting a single isolated part, not the whole mix, and knowing what to tidy up afterwards.
In Song Practice, import the song, let it separate into vocals, drums, bass and other, then long-press the stem you want and export it as MIDI. Open the file in GarageBand or Logic, quantize it and clean up stray notes. Treat the MIDI as a very good first draft, not a finished transcription.
What audio to MIDI actually does
An MP3 or WAV is a recording of sound. A MIDI file is a list of instructions: which note, when it starts, how long it lasts and how hard it was played. Converting song to MIDI means software has to listen to the recording and guess those instructions. It works by tracking pitch and note onsets over time.
That guess is easy when one instrument plays one clear note at a time. It gets harder with every extra sound layered on top: reverb tails, overlapping chords, cymbals splashing across the whole frequency range. So any audio-to-MIDI result is an estimate. The good news is that you can make the estimate far better by giving the converter less to untangle.
Why you should separate stems first
Throwing a full mix at a converter tends to give you a wall of notes: the bass, kick drum, vocal and guitar chords all squashed into one track. Splitting the song first means each MIDI export only has to describe one part.
Song Practice separates stems on your iPhone or iPad into four parts: vocals, drums, bass and other. The "other" stem holds everything that is not voice, drums or bass, which usually means guitars, keys, synths and strings together. The same stems you use to isolate the bass or remove the vocals are the ones you export as MIDI.
Step by step: convert an MP3 to MIDI on iPhone
- Get Song Practice. Download it free from the App Store on iPhone or iPad (iOS 17 or later).
- Import the audio. Tap import and choose the file from Files, your iTunes file sharing library, Photos (video works too), cloud storage, or paste a link. DRM-protected tracks such as Apple Music downloads can't be imported.
- Separate the stems. Run stem separation. It happens on device, so the song doesn't leave your phone while it is split.
- Audition the part. Open the Mix sheet and pull the other faders down so you hear only the stem you want to convert. If it sounds clean on its own, it will convert more cleanly.
- Export the stem as MIDI. Long-press the stem and choose MIDI. Save it to Files or send it straight to another app with the share sheet.
- Open it in your music app. Import the .mid file into GarageBand, Logic Pro or a notation app. Most accept MIDI files from Files or the share sheet.
- Clean it up. Quantize, delete ghost notes and correct any wrong pitches. The tips below cover what to look for.
Which stems convert best?
| Stem | How the MIDI usually turns out |
|---|---|
| Bass | Usually the cleanest. One note at a time in a clear register. A great starting point for bass lines and root movement. |
| Vocals | Good for the melody line. Expect slides, vibrato and breaths to show up as extra short notes that need deleting. |
| Other | The messiest. Guitars, keys and pads are mixed together and often play chords, so notes overlap. Useful as a rough guide to harmony. |
| Drums | Drums are mostly unpitched, so the notes won't map neatly to kick, snare and hi-hat on a drum kit. Use the timing, not the note names. |
How to clean up the MIDI file
Budget a few minutes of editing for every minute of music. These fixes cover most of it:
- Set the tempo first. Song Practice shows the detected BPM and key under the song title. Set your project to the same tempo before quantizing, or the grid won't line up with the notes. See how to find the BPM and key of a song.
- Quantize gently. Snap to 1/16 notes at partial strength rather than 100%. Hard quantizing can pull a laid-back phrase onto the wrong beat.
- Delete ghost notes. Sort or select by velocity and remove the very quiet, very short notes. They are usually breath noise, fret squeaks, reverb or bleed from another instrument.
- Check octave jumps. A converter will sometimes pick up an overtone and place a note an octave too high. If one note leaps out of an otherwise smooth line, drop it an octave and listen.
- Merge chopped notes. A sustained note with vibrato can split into several short ones. Join them into a single long note.
- Constrain to the key. If your app can highlight a scale, set it to the detected key. Notes outside it aren't always wrong, but they are the first ones to check.
Using the MIDI for practice and writing
Once it is cleaned up, the file becomes genuinely useful. Load a bass line into a notation app to read along while you learn it. Drop a vocal melody onto a piano sound to check the intervals of a hard run. Rebuild a chord part with a new instrument for a cover or a practice arrangement. If you are working a part out by ear anyway, the MIDI gives you something to check your answers against; our guide to learning songs by ear covers that process.
Common questions
Can I convert a whole song to MIDI in one file?
Song Practice exports MIDI per separated stem, which gives far cleaner results than a full mix. Export each stem you need and load them onto separate tracks in your music app to rebuild the arrangement.
Is audio-to-MIDI conversion 100% accurate?
No converter is. Single-note parts like bass and lead vocals come out close; chords, distorted guitars and drums need more editing. Plan to listen through and correct the file.
Why does my guitar part come out messy?
There is no separate guitar stem. Guitars sit in the "other" stem alongside keys and anything else, and they often play chords. Expect overlapping notes and use it as a harmony guide. For learning a lead line, see how to learn a guitar solo.
Can I export the stem as audio too?
Yes. Any stem, the full mix or just your loop can be exported as lossless WAV or M4A as well as MIDI.
Turn your next song into MIDI
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