ABLETON LIVE HANDOFF
For one clear melody, convert it here and import the downloaded .mid into Live. This browser tool follows one dominant pitch at a time. If your goal is chord extraction, drum-hit extraction, or playable slices of the original sound, use Live's separate Harmony, Drums, or Slice commands on the audio clip instead. A sliced sample track and a pitch-transcribed melody are different results.
TEST YOUR FILE
Convert one clear melody here, inspect the note preview, then import the download into Live.
INPUT MP3 / WAV / M4A / FLAC / OGG → OUTPUT .MID
or click to choose audio from your device
MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, or OGG · one file · up to 50 MB / 5 minutesRESULT
Your audio stays on your device. All processing happens in this browser. No file is uploaded to a server.
BROWSER PATH
Choose a short, isolated melody and keep the source audio as a reference. This site's shared detector returns one pitch or no pitch for each frame. Preview the piano roll, download the .mid, then in Live use its Browser or Create → Import MIDI File…. Ableton's Live 12 file manual confirms both import routes and explains that the MIDI data becomes part of the Live Set.
LIVE PATH
Live's audio-to-MIDI manual distinguishes Melody for one pitched line, Harmony for polyphonic pitches, Drums for percussion, and Slice for sample chunks. Select the audio clip in Live, then use the Create menu or clip context menu. These are Live features; this website does not reproduce their chord, drum, or slicing behavior.
| Source and goal | Use | Inspect afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Solo voice or single-note instrument; editable melody | This browser converter, then import the .mid into Live; or Live's Melody command | Pitch contour and note boundaries against the original audio |
| Chords or several pitches at once | Live's Harmony command, if available in your edition | Chord notes and unwanted additions |
| Unpitched drum rhythm | Live's Drums command, if available in your edition | Hit positions and kit mapping |
| Replay the original audio as separate pieces | Live's Slice command | Slice boundaries and sample playback; these notes trigger slices, not transcribed pitches |
This is an original decision sheet combining the documented Live command purposes with this site's code-checked one-pitch-per-frame limit. Check your Live edition for command availability; this page does not claim a universal edition list. Download the workflow checklist (.csv).
AFTER DOWNLOAD
In Arrangement View, Live's Import MIDI File command inserts at the Insert Marker. In Session View, it inserts in the selected clip slot, according to Ableton's manual. Put the marker or selection where you want the melody before importing. Keep the original audio nearby so you can compare timing and pitch after import.
AVOID A FALSE COMPARISON
An audio clip is recorded sound. This website's .mid contains detected note events and does not include the original sound. Live's Slice route creates MIDI notes that trigger pieces of the source audio; Live's Melody, Harmony, and Drums routes extract musical information. If a MIDI clip plays silently, check that its track has an instrument before judging the conversion. The DAW import checklist covers that general signal path.
QUICK ANSWERS
Convert the solo melody above, download the .mid, then use Live's Browser or Create → Import MIDI File…. Preview notes against the original audio before editing.
No. Ableton says Slice divides the audio into samples triggered by MIDI notes; it does not analyze the clip's musical pitches the way its Convert commands do.
No. Its detector chooses one dominant pitch per analysis frame. Live's separate Harmony command is designed for polyphonic input; check its result in Live.
MIDI notes need an instrument to make sound. Check the destination track and its instrument, then compare note events with the source recording.