AI-powered transcription software is on the rise: just a few months ago, we reported on the launch of Songscription, a platform that promises to convert any audio file into sheet music, tab or MIDI, with disappointingly mixed results.
The latest company to make a move into the field is Klang.io, an AI-focused music software brand based out of Karlsruhe, Germany. Last week, Klang.io launched Transcription Studio, a suite of AI music tools built for transcribing multi-instrument recordings.
Transcription Studio accepts audio files, microphone input and links from YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and its creators claim that it can detect and separate multiple instruments in any recording before analyzing these to produce an accurate transcription.
Transcriptions can be cleaned up in the software's Notation Editor before being exported in PDF or MusicXML formats as sheet music, GuitarPro files for guitar tablature, or MIDI to bring over to your DAW.
Transcription Studio is equipped with multiple modes targeted towards different purposes: Universal Mode is designed to cover a range of instrumentation that includes vocals, piano and guitar, and Single Instrument mode is built to produce detailed transcriptions of solo recordings.
Classic Mode is geared towards orchestral instruments like strings and woodwinds, while Rock Mode – still currently in beta – is aimed at bands hoping to transcribe complex, electric guitar-heavy arrangements.
Klang.io also offers a VST3/AU plugin that the company says is capable of detecting up to eight different instruments within a mixed audio recording and generating separate unquantized MIDI files for each.
While most of the major DAWs offer some level of audio-to-MIDI functionality, Klang.io's multi-instrument conversion – if it does what it says on the tin – could be a step above the capabilities offered by software like Ableton Live and Logic Pro.
“Transcription is an essential skill in music that, until recently, has only been accessible to those with traditional musical training,” Klang.io founder and CEO Sebastian Murgul said in a press release.
“Klang.io’s mission from the beginning has been to create AI-powered tools that can unlock this process for everyone, and provide a streamlined access point for music makers or performers of any educational background or genre to use it to learn, communicate, and collaborate more effectively.”
Klang.io's AI tools are available on a subscription basis: for $8.49/month billed annually or $19.99/month billed monthly, you get access to both the Transcription Plugin and Transcription Studio in your browser. You can also test Transcription Studio out for free on recordings of up to 20 seconds with no registration required.
