When you transcribe a song, the format you export decides what you can do with it next. The same piece of music can come out as a set of editable notes for your DAW, an editable score for a notation program, a tab file for a guitar app, or a fixed picture for printing, and choosing wrong means re-entering the music by hand later. A handful of formats cover almost everything: MIDI, MusicXML, PDF, and, for guitarists, Guitar Pro. This guide explains what each one holds, which Songscription export to choose for the job in front of you, and how to open the result in MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, Guitar Pro, or your DAW.
Pick a format by goal
Find what you want to do with the file, read the guide, and export the right format.
| Your goal | Format | Guide to read |
|---|---|---|
| Keep editing the score | MusicXML | MusicXML vs MIDI |
| Drop the notes into a DAW | MIDI | MusicXML vs MIDI |
| Read, print, or share | MusicXML vs MIDI vs PDF | |
| Edit guitar tab | Guitar Pro | What a Guitar Pro file is |
| See every Songscription export | All | Songscription export formats |
| Open it in your program | MusicXML | Open MusicXML in your software |
The core formats, explained
The quickest way to keep them straight is to ask what each one is actually storing.
- MIDI stores performance data, not a picture. It records which notes play, when each starts and stops, and how hard, but not how the music should look on a staff. That makes it ideal for a DAW, where you want the notes as editable data driving a sound, and weaker for notation, because the program has to guess the spelling and rhythm when it lays the file out.
- MusicXML stores the notation itself: note spelling, beaming, articulations, lyrics, multiple staves, and layout. It is an open, widely supported format whose purpose is moving a score between programs without retyping it. When you want the music to stay readable and editable as sheet music, this is the format to export.
- PDF stores a fixed image of the finished page. It is perfect for reading, printing, and sharing, and useless for editing: the notes are pixels, not data. Treat it as the final copy you hand out once the score is done.
- Guitar Pro stores guitar tab together with standard notation and playback in one editable file, which is why guitarists prefer it to a flat PDF of tab. Songscription exports a Guitar Pro file (a
.gp5) you can open in Guitar Pro or a free reader like TuxGuitar, then edit the fingering and tab. What a Guitar Pro file is covers what the format holds and how to open it.
For the two that get confused most, MusicXML vs MIDI goes deeper on why one carries the look of the score and the other does not, and MusicXML vs MIDI vs PDF compares all three side by side.
Which Songscription export to choose
Songscription transcribes a recording into an editable score, and you export it in whichever format your next step needs. Choose MusicXML to keep working on the notation, MIDI to send the notes into a DAW, PDF to print or share a finished page, and Guitar Pro when you want editable tab for a guitar app. What export formats Songscription supports lists the full set and what each is for, so you are not exporting a PDF when you still need to edit, or a MIDI file when you wanted clean sheet music.
Opening the files in your software
A file is only useful once it opens cleanly in the program you actually use. MusicXML is the bridge into notation software: how to open MusicXML in MuseScore, Sibelius, and Finale covers the import step in each, importing Songscription exports into MuseScore walks through the free option end to end, and importing into MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, and Logic adds the DAW path through MIDI.
One note on Finale: MakeMusic discontinued it in 2024, so it no longer receives updates and can no longer be purchased, though existing installations still open files. If you are moving off Finale, MusicXML is the practical exit: save the score as MusicXML and open it in a program that is still maintained, such as the free MuseScore, or Dorico, which MakeMusic has pointed Finale users toward. Sibelius and MuseScore remain the common destinations for MusicXML alongside it.
Get the format you actually need
Upload a recording, get an editable score, and export MusicXML, MIDI, or PDF depending on where the music is going next. The free tier is enough to try it on one song.
Related guides
- Compare the formats: MusicXML vs MIDI and MusicXML vs MIDI vs PDF.
- Export from Songscription: what export formats Songscription supports.
- For guitarists: what a Guitar Pro file is.
- Open and import: open MusicXML in your software, import into MuseScore, and import into MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, and Logic.
- Define the terms: the music notation glossary and what MIDI is.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between MIDI and MusicXML?
MIDI stores performance data: which notes play, when, how long, and how hard. It does not store how the music should look on a staff, so a program has to guess the notation when it opens a MIDI file. MusicXML stores the notation itself, including note spelling, beaming, articulations, lyrics, and layout, so a score opens in another program looking the way it was written. Use MIDI when the target is a DAW or a sound, and MusicXML when the target is readable sheet music.
Which Songscription export should I use?
Pick the export by where the file is going. Export MusicXML to keep editing the score in a notation program like MuseScore, Sibelius, or Dorico. Export MIDI to drop the notes into a DAW such as Logic, Ableton, or FL Studio. Export PDF when you only need to read, print, or share the finished page and no longer need to edit it. For guitar, export Guitar Pro to get editable tab you can open in Guitar Pro or TuxGuitar. MusicXML, MIDI, and Guitar Pro stay editable; a PDF is a fixed picture of the music.
Can I open a MusicXML file in MuseScore, Sibelius, or Dorico?
Yes. MusicXML is an open format that every major notation program reads and writes, which is the whole reason it exists: it moves a score between programs without re-entering the notes. MuseScore is free and opens MusicXML directly, and Sibelius and Dorico import it as well. It is also the practical migration path off Finale, which MakeMusic discontinued in 2024, since a Finale score saved as MusicXML can be opened in a program that is still being updated.
Is a PDF of sheet music editable?
No. A PDF is a fixed image of the page, made for reading and printing, not for changing the notes. If you want to edit the music, export MusicXML and open it in a notation program; if you want to change the sound or arrangement, export MIDI into a DAW. Keep the PDF as the final, shareable copy once you are done editing.
The fastest way to see the difference is to export the same song three ways. Upload a recording with Songscription and export it as MusicXML, MIDI, or PDF.
