Description&Download | New Features | Quick Start Guide | Documentation Draft
Documentation Draft

Introduction
ScoreExtractor is an interactive wave to midi converter. The basic idea is to transfer transcribing work from your ears to you eyes. Program builds a spectrum of a source wave. After that you can draw notes over that picture, then build a spectrum using midi data and compare these two sonograms. If the sonograms will looks similar, sound will be also similar. But you also can check wave and midi, as before, by sounding.
Unlike automatic recognizers ScoreExtractor requires a lot of time to teaching of a program operating and a lot of time for each composition for transcribing. Especially it is hard for a man, who doesn't connect with music somehow. Anyway I recommend searching of a midi file using Internet first.

Settings
At the first launch you should to configure device first. Set midi input port to midikeyboard if you'd like to record using midikeys. Set midi output port to your preferable midi synthesizer. If you have more that one music device, select which one program should to use by selecting "Mixer" combobox. Select wave and midi volume parameter corresponding your wave and midi volume controllers.
At the Interface&Folders tab you can set a color of all controllers in the program, such as loop bounds & playing position. Increase "Mouse accuracy" parameter if you'd prefer hi screen resolution or you have some problems with mouse precise pointing. This is a "virtual" width of all controllers in the program. Use transparent feature to see a sonogram and the notes at the same time.
At the "Keyboard" tab there are six extra features (they are located at the bottom of the list). These features allow you to change current tool to some other by pressing a key. After a key will be released, ScoreExtractor returns to previous mode.

Input
Program support only uncompressed wave files. If you have a source at any another format, you need some additional software for conversion. To rip the audio tracks try useful CDex freeware. To convert wave from another format try popular WinAmp freeware (download 2.xx version, for converting to wave open options->preference, select plug-ins->output tab, then select a disk writer plug-in). To unsure about wave format right click on the file to invoke submenu, and choose a properties. Select summary tab and look at the format field. If you've got "PCM" value, file is ready for input.

New project
After you will select a source wave file, you should to select a project name. After sonogram calculation will be completed, project will automatically saved. At the same folder, also, will be saved sonogram bitmap and temporary midi file, which includes project midi data. At the "Sonogram setting" tab you can select sonogram settings. Basically, the quality of the sonograms depends on Frame/Note size. If will decrease "Frame size" and increase "Note size" parameter you will get better quality, but that requires more disk space and more calculation time. Frequency region parameter also affect on sonogram disk size and calculation time. If you have sharp source wave volume changes increase "Normalization" parameter.
Since sonogram calculation requires a lot of time for calculation, program have a sonogram preview feature. For that press "Preview" button. After first preview has calculated, you can select next preview region by mouse drag&drop. Next preview region will be bounded by dotted line controllers. While you are in preview mode, you are able to play source wave using player tool. Press a "Finish" button to calculate a sonogram and save a project.

Transcribing
After sonogram calculations will be complete you can draw the notes upon source wave sonogram, for that select editor tool. Use left button mouse drag&drop to draw the notes. Right button is for removing notes. Using player tool you can set a play meter position (by left click) and select a loop region, for that use mouse drag&drop. While you are playing composition, you can adjust wave to midi volume ration by volume slider. If you are using midikeyboard, you can play keys while you are in editor/player tool, or while you are playing composition. To record notes from midikeyboard press a "Record" button and play the keys.

Compare sonograms
To create sonogram, calculated by midi data, you should configure recording control first. For that, launch volume control from the task bar. Select a recording control, then set midi controller to the maximum and press a midi "Select" checkbox at the bottom of the controller. Now return to ScoreExtractor and press a "Compare" button, record some region and press a "Stop". You will get new midi sonogram over the source wave sonogram. Now you can compare wave and midi sonograms using "MIDI Sonogram" and "WAVE Sonogram" buttons. Press a "Difference" button to merge the sonograms. Probably you will get a delay between sonograms. To move midi sonogram use mouse drag&drop of the left edge of the midi sonogram. You can move midi sonogram only while you are in the player tool mode.

Tracks window
The number of midi tracks is 16. Each track represents a channel. You can't assign different channel to different tracks. While you are in the editor tool mode, you can draw notes at the selected channel. To change some property of the track use mouse double click on the tracks window. To set visible/mute state for all of the tracks, click on the header.

(c) Roman Yakimenko, Saratov, Russia, 2003