Basic Pitch is a free, open-source audio-to-MIDI converter built by Spotify's research and development team. It listens to a recording and returns a MIDI version, including detection of pitch bends so expressive slides and vibrato are preserved rather than rounded to the nearest note. Users can press record and sing into their computer, or drop in a file such as a WAV or MP3. The resulting MIDI can be previewed in the browser through a downloadable SoundFont and then saved for further work.
It is made for musicians, songwriters and producers who capture ideas by humming, singing or playing and want them in a form a digital audio workstation can edit. Bedroom producers without a keyboard can sketch melodies with their voice, and guitarists or pianists can transcribe a take. Developers and researchers also benefit from the open-source release on GitHub, which lets them examine or build on the model. Because the demo runs in a web page, no installation is required and nothing needs to be purchased.
A common workflow is humming a tune, downloading the MIDI file and loading it into a favorite DAW to fix notes and assign a virtual instrument. Another is dropping in a recording of a single instrument such as piano, guitar or xylophone and getting a note-level transcription to practice from or rearrange. Songwriters turn voice memos into scores, educators demonstrate pitch and melody visually, and hobbyists convert instrument samples into editable parts. It handles one voice or instrument at a time, so layered mixes call for separating parts first.
