How to Convert Audio to MIDI in Logic Pro: Two Ways That Work

There are two ways to turn audio into MIDI for Logic Pro. You can use Logic's own Flex Pitch, which reads a single melody and builds a MIDI track from it. Or you can convert the file with Audio to MIDI in your browser, which is free, then drag the .mid file into your project. Both give you notes you can edit in the piano roll.

Which method should you use?

Flex Pitch is built to follow one note at a time. That is why it suits a vocal line or a bass line. Chords are the weak spot, because it is looking for a single pitch.

Method 1: Flex Pitch in Logic Pro

Flex Pitch lets you edit the pitch of audio note by note. It also has a command that creates a MIDI track from what it finds. The exact menu spot can differ between versions, so search the Logic help for the command name if you cannot see it.

1. Put the audio on an audio track. Use one clean take of a voice or a single instrument.
2. Turn on Flex for that track and choose Flex Pitch as the mode. Logic analyzes the audio and draws the notes it finds.
3. Look at the notes. Fix any that look wrong, such as notes split in two or a note placed in the wrong octave.
4. Run the command called Create MIDI Track from Flex Pitch Data.
5. Pick a software instrument for the new MIDI track and press play.

A quiet, dry recording works best. Background noise, reverb and doubled voices lead to notes in the wrong places, and Logic cannot guess what you meant.

Method 2: Make the MIDI in your browser, then import it

This one is handy when the audio is a chord instrument, a file from a friend, or something you have not brought into Logic yet. It also works for any DAW, not just Logic.

1. Open Audio to MIDI. If your file is a WAV, the WAV to MIDI page does the same job and explains why WAV tends to read a little better.
2. Drop in your file, or press Record and sing, hum or play.
3. Choose what it is: Vocals / humming, Piano / keys, Guitar, Bass or Full song.
4. Press Convert to MIDI. You see the notes fall on an 88-key piano, and you can switch between Audio and MIDI to compare.
5. Adjust Note sensitivity and Shortest note until it matches. The result changes right away, so there is no need to convert again.
6. Download the .mid file.
7. Drag the file into your Logic Pro project. Logic usually puts the notes on a new software instrument track.

The conversion is free and needs no sign-up. It runs in your browser, so the audio is not uploaded.

Settings worth knowing

• Snap to beat moves notes onto the grid, so they sit cleanly against your other tracks.
• Keep pitch bends keeps the slides in a sung or guitar line. Turn it off for plain notes.
• Transpose shifts every note up or down in semitones, which saves time if the recording is in the wrong key for your song.

What about a full song?

Both methods struggle with a whole mix. The converter hears the vocals, drums, bass and guitars as one block of sound, and you get a crowd of extra notes.

The fix is to split the song first. Logic Pro 11 has its own Stem Splitter. You can also use the Unmix Studio stem splitter, which has 5 free credits for new accounts. In our test, a 4-minute-44-second song became six tracks in 56 seconds. Download the part you want as an MP3, then convert that part.

Two pages make this quicker for common jobs. The Acapella Extractor pulls out vocals for a melody. The Piano Extractor pulls out keys.

Only do this with music you own, have a license for, or are studying for private practice. Releasing something built on another person's song needs permission.

After you have the MIDI in Logic

Expect to edit. Open the piano roll and look for these problems:

• Stray short notes. Select and delete them.
• Notes that start a little early or late. Use quantize on the region.
• Two notes where there should be one. Join them.
• Notes an octave off. Move them, or use Transpose on the region.

Then pick an instrument. The same notes can drive a piano, a synth pad or a string patch. This is the main reason to want MIDI in the first place.

FAQ

Can Logic Pro convert audio to MIDI?

Yes, for single-note audio. Flex Pitch can create a MIDI track from the notes it finds in a monophonic part, such as a vocal line or a bass line. For chords or full songs, a browser converter followed by import gives more options.

How do I convert audio to MIDI in Logic Pro for free?

Use Audio to MIDI in your browser. It needs no sign-up and does not upload the file. Download the .mid file and drag it into Logic.

Does Flex Pitch work on chords?

It is made for one note at a time, so chords do not convert well. For piano or guitar, convert with the browser tool, which keeps chords for those instrument types.

Why does my MIDI have so many extra notes?

The audio probably has more than one sound in it. Split the part you want out first, then convert it. Lowering Note sensitivity also removes stray notes.