Finding the Note or key in an Audio sample?

Jimmyprice · Post by **Jimmyprice** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 5:41 am

Hey I'm trying to find the note of a few Audio samples i have (there just basic synth samples) seeing as i lack any proper musical background I'm having a lot of trouble doing it by ear...

does anybody know nay programs or plug ins that would be able to help me??

cheers!

Rinsemeister · Post by **Rinsemeister** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:07 am

Try Spectrum in notes mode. Should give you a peak at different notes.

Jimmyprice · Post by **Jimmyprice** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:29 am

Rinsemeister wrote:Try Spectrum in notes mode. Should give you a peak at different notes.

Thanks but ive tried that and it doesn't really give specific key notes which is what im looking for

ollyb303 · Post by **ollyb303** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:10 am

Jimmyprice wrote:
Rinsemeister wrote:Try Spectrum in notes mode. Should give you a peak at different notes.
Thanks but ive tried that and it doesn't really give specific key notes which is what im looking for

It does exactly that. Mouse over the peak to read the exact note at the most prominent frequency.

Jimmyprice · Post by **Jimmyprice** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:39 am

ollyb303 wrote:
Jimmyprice wrote:
Rinsemeister wrote:Try Spectrum in notes mode. Should give you a peak at different notes.
Thanks but ive tried that and it doesn't really give specific key notes which is what im looking for
It does exactly that. Mouse over the peak to read the exact note at the most prominent frequency.

yea but its still not specific enough I played two different note samples through it and the peak didn't change at all

seattletruth · Post by **seattletruth** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:44 am

Jimmyprice wrote: yea but its still not specific enough I played two different note samples through it and the peak didn't change at all

then you're not doing it right.

Simbosan · Post by **Simbosan** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:48 am

Plug in your midi keyboard, and find notes that sound good. Make your ears work and try and guess which is the root note, or the main note.

Time to learn moosic!

S

Forge. · Post by **Forge.** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:13 am

Jimmyprice wrote: yea but its still not specific enough I played two different note samples through it and the peak didn't change at all

you can change the resolution in Spectrum to be more precise and to update more quickly

maybe you could post an example? if you're having trouble working it out by ear, maybe it is to do with other elements of the synth sound that is preventing you from working it out easily.

But that peak should at least get you close...

ollyb303 · Post by **ollyb303** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:46 am

Another technique I use is to generate a continous pure sine wave from Operator (1 bar long, looped) at middle C, then play this alongside your sample. Then you can move the midi note up and down the scale and use your ears... You should be able to tell when the notes match up.

dredd i knight · Post by **dredd i knight** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:37 pm

http://www.mixedinkey.com/

GHOST FX · Post by **GHOST FX** » Mon Jul 03, 2017 6:01 am

this is old Post but still relevant, and the first thing that comes up when you search "quickly find key of sample in Ableton"

I have a few different understandings that give an okay result and some news about devices that detect key.

it is possible, mostly what I have found though is post process plugins. Ableton doesn't support post process plugins.

there are other programs that can analyze the entire track for a key. /mixed in key is one, also different dj software like ni traktor can analyze the track.

A good easy way to get the key of any sample in real-time is autotune. unfortunately there is no autotune device native to Ableton (maybe some day), but there are 2 audio devices that can work that are from Ableton.

fist is the vocoder, which takes a bit longer to set up. works to adjust the pitch to midi notes.

the second is corpus, works to have the key ring into the sample by adjusting the dry/wet knob.

these work to find the key then disable them. unless you like the sound better when it's modulated.

there are great workarounds for finding the key also on the EQ eight in Ableton. filter out the frequencies to get a bolder peak on the sample.

ears work, but you have only one set of ears for the rest of your life. be gentle on your ears and don't overstrain them. it helps to know scales and recognize intervals when you hear them.

some samples may need tuning up or down in cents as well, for fine tuning always have a reference point.

just a reminder, rename the file to whatever key you find out the sample is. if it's a loop, name the sample with key and also bpm.

happy to help, now I'm going to go play more music.

jlgrimes · Post by **jlgrimes** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 5:07 pm

Jimmyprice wrote:Hey I'm trying to find the note of a few Audio samples i have (there just basic synth samples) seeing as i lack any proper musical background I'm having a lot of trouble doing it by ear...

does anybody know nay programs or plug ins that would be able to help me??

cheers!

Melodyne supposedly does this but it is expensive. It is supposed to be able to analyze whole songs and comeback with the original notes within chords. Can't tell you how well this works. For monophonic tracks Melodyne works like a charm however.

Ableton's Audo to midi somewhat crudely does this as well I think (never used that feature).

As others said doing it by ear isn't as hard as it sounds, you just have to figure out what is the root note the song seems to resolve to, and search for that note on the keyboard, once you find it, you have to key of the song.

I'll admit some songs are easier than others. Most stuff on the pop charts today is pretty easy to figure out as they usually tend to stay in one key the whole song and not really change much, and usually use either the major or minor scale.

Alot of older jazz songs can have you guessing for a while because of the complexity but usually after enough practice it gets easier.

DARKMENN1S · Post by **DARKMENN1S** » Sun Mar 24, 2019 12:41 am

ollyb303 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:46 am
Another technique I use is to generate a continous pure sine wave from Operator (1 bar long, looped) at middle C, then play this alongside your sample. Then you can move the midi note up and down the scale and use your ears... You should be able to tell when the notes match up.

Just seen this - ha! thank you. Actually works! Thank you 8 years on

Finding the Note or key in an Audio sample?

Finding the Note or key in an Audio sample?

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