Part of our guide to transcribing a full band.
To recreate a song in your DAW, transcribe the recording into multitrack MIDI, import it so each instrument lands on its own track, assign a sound to every track, and then fix and shape the parts. With Songscription's Multi-Instrument mode (beta), one upload gives you a MIDI track for each instrument it hears, so you start with the whole arrangement instead of an empty session.
If you only want one part, say a bass line to run through your own synth, our guide to how producers use audio-to-MIDI to recreate sounds covers that single-part move. This guide is the full-band version: rebuilding every part of a song as a session you can play, remix, and produce.
Step 1: Pick the right recording
Start with the cleanest version of the song you can find. A studio recording with a clear, balanced mix transcribes better than a live video, and a song where each instrument has its own space transcribes better than a dense wall of sound. You can upload an audio file (MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, or M4A) or a video (MP4, MOV, or WebM), or paste a YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram link.
If the song is your own and you still have the session, you probably do not need this workflow. It is for recreating something you only have as a finished mix.
Step 2: Transcribe with Multi-Instrument
Choose Multi-Instrument in the instrument picker and let it run. You get a multi-staff score and the matching multitrack MIDI. Every keyboard track comes split into left and right hands, which is handy in a DAW: you can give the left hand a bass-heavy piano and the right hand a brighter patch, or keep them on one instrument.
Before downloading, spend a few minutes in the editor. Play the transcription back against the recording and fix the obvious problems while they are easy to hear: a bass note in the wrong octave, a missing chord, a vocal line that drifts. Fixing in the editor first means the score-derived MIDI comes out cleaner. For a checklist of what to look for in each part, see how to get sheet music for every instrument in a song.
Step 3: Choose score MIDI or raw MIDI
The Download menu gives you two MIDI files, and the choice matters for producers.
| Score-derived MIDI | Raw transcription MIDI | |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Aligned to the beat grid, like the sheet music | Unquantized, keeps the original free timing |
| Velocities | Follow the score | Keep the performance's velocities |
| Includes your editor fixes | Yes | No, score edits do not apply |
| Best for | Tight, programmed parts and quick sketches | Keeping the human feel of the band |
A useful pattern: download both. Use the raw MIDI for parts where feel matters, like drums and a laid-back bass line, and the score MIDI for parts you want locked down. If you are unsure what quantizing actually does to a performance, what is MIDI quantization explains it.
Step 4: Import into your DAW
Every major DAW reads standard MIDI files. The details differ slightly:
- Ableton Live: drag the .mid file into the arrangement view. Each track in the file lands on its own MIDI track. See using Songscription with Ableton Live.
- Logic Pro: use File, then Import, or drag the file into the tracks area. Logic creates a software instrument track per MIDI track.
- FL Studio: use File, then Import, then MIDI file, and choose to keep the tracks separate so each instrument gets its own channel. Both Logic and FL are covered in Songscription with Logic Pro and FL Studio.
- GarageBand: drag the .mid file into the timeline to create software instrument tracks. See using Songscription with GarageBand.
Set your session tempo to match the song before or after importing, depending on how your DAW handles tempo in MIDI files. Our general walkthrough on how to import MIDI into a DAW covers silent tracks and other common snags.
Step 5: Assign an instrument to each track
MIDI has no sound, so this is where the song comes back to life. Work through the tracks in order of importance:
- Drums. Load a drum kit or drum rack. Check that the kick, snare, and hi-hat notes trigger the right sounds in your kit, since drum instruments do not always map notes the same way, and remap any that land on the wrong pad.
- Bass. A bass guitar sample for a faithful recreation, or a synth bass if you are reinterpreting the song.
- Guitar. An amp-modeled guitar instrument works for clean parts. Strummed chords often sound more convincing on a pad, keys, or a plucked synth than on a sampled guitar.
- Keys. Piano, electric piano, organ, or synth. Since the hands arrive split, you can layer or separate them.
- Strings, brass, and winds. Load section or solo patches that suit the part, and check the ranges, since a sampled instrument will happily play notes a real one cannot.
- Vocals. The vocal track is the melody as notes, not a voice. Put it on a lead synth or a piano as a guide, then sing over it or replace it with a recorded vocal.
This is the step where a recreation becomes yours. The same notes through different sounds give you a cover, a remix sketch, or a new arrangement.
Step 6: Quantize, humanize, and fix the parts
Now treat each track like a part you recorded yourself.
Quantize where it helps. If you started from raw MIDI, quantize the tracks that need to be tight, often the kick and snare, and leave the rest loose. Partial quantize settings (snapping notes most of the way toward the grid) keep some feel.
Humanize where it does not. If you started from score MIDI and the parts sound stiff, most DAWs can add small random variations to timing and velocity. Or swap in the raw MIDI for that track.
Fix wrong notes. Multi-Instrument is in beta, so expect some cleanup. Look for notes an octave off, ghost notes from a neighbouring instrument, and long notes that should be short. The piano roll makes these easy to spot. Our guide to cleaning up MIDI after conversion goes through each fix.
Rerun a weak part. If one track is too rough to fix by hand, transcribe that instrument again in single-instrument mode, where the model isolates just that part from the full mix, and swap the new MIDI in.
Step 7: Produce
From here it is your session. Change the key, rewrite the bridge, double the bass with a sub, replace the drums with your own pattern built around the original groove. The transcription gave you the arrangement; everything after that is production. If you want the difference between working from MIDI and working from separated audio, see multitrack MIDI vs stems.
Related guides
- The hub: the multi-instrument transcription guide.
- One part instead of the band: how producers use audio-to-MIDI to recreate sounds.
- The import step: how to import MIDI into a DAW.
- Timing: what is MIDI quantization.
- Audio or notes: multitrack MIDI vs stems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I recreate a song in my DAW?
Transcribe the recording into multitrack MIDI, import the file into your DAW, and assign an instrument to each track. In Songscription, upload the recording, choose Multi-Instrument (beta), and download the MIDI, which has a separate track for each instrument it hears. Then load a sound on each track, decide how tight you want the timing, and fix any wrong notes before you start producing.
Should I download the score MIDI or the raw MIDI?
Use the score-derived MIDI when you want clean, grid-aligned parts that match the sheet music and include your edits in the editor. Use the raw transcription MIDI when you want the feel of the original performance, because it keeps the free timing and velocities. The raw file is unquantized and is not tied to the score, so edits you make to the score do not appear in it. Many producers start from raw MIDI and quantize only the tracks that need it.
Why is my imported MIDI silent?
MIDI is note data with no sound of its own. Each track needs a virtual instrument assigned, such as a drum kit, a bass patch, or a piano. Until you load one, the track plays silently even though the notes are there. In some DAWs a multitrack MIDI file comes in with a default instrument on every track, which you will usually want to swap for something that suits the part.
Can I recreate an orchestral song this way?
Partly. Multi-Instrument recognizes strings, brass, woodwinds, harp, and timpani as well as band instruments, so an orchestral or cinematic track comes back with a MIDI track for each instrument it hears. It is in beta, and the more instruments overlap in the same range, the more cleanup to expect. For the part that matters most, rerun it in single-instrument mode and swap the cleaner MIDI into your session.
Ready to rebuild a track? Turn a recording into multitrack MIDI.
