# General Mandolin Topics > General Mandolin Discussions >  Software that converts audio to tablature

## WaltzingM

Does anyone know of any software that will listen to a mandolin solo part and convert it to tablature for mandolin?  I've heard of it for guitars, but not for mandolin.  I'm having a very hard time trying to decipher Sara Jarosz's "Come on Up the House" solo part on the mandolin --LOVE it, but the speed eludes me.

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## lukmanohnz

To my knowledge there's no software tool that will automagically convert audio to tab.  There are a few programs like this one that claim to convert audio to music notation. I have no experience with these programs, but I have had very good success with a program called Capo to slow down audio playback and let me hear the notes slowly and clearly enough to tab out fast solos and chord progressions.  I use the iOS version of Capo that is limited to slow down and looping functions, but the full desktop edition has tools to facilitate generating tab.  NFI, YMMV - good luck with your search!

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## WaltzingM

Thanks Mike! Ichecked out Capo, and it appears it would work great, except I have to have a Mac and I have Windows!!  :Frown:   Darn!  I will keep looking.......

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## WaltzingM

I found out that there is an iPhone App version of CAPO, for only $20, so I have downloaded it to my iPhone and I will let the group know how it is working for me, after I figure out how to work it!!   :Grin:

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## OldSausage

Other options are "The Amazing Slow Downer" for Mac and Windows, and "Transcribe!" for Windows, Mac and Linux. I use Transcribe! and really like it. Cost is $39. (As with Capo, these don't do the transcribing for you, you have to program your own brainbox to do that, but it is well worth it, because learning to transcribe makes you a much better musician, and is one of the main tools in learning how to improvise).

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Killian King

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## montana

You might find a program that converts audio to midi than I think tabedit converts midi to tab.

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## OldSausage

> You might find a program that converts audio to midi


I'd like to see such a program, if anyone knows of one. I've never seen one that does this.

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## lukmanohnz

> Thanks Mike! Ichecked out Capo, and it appears it would work great, except I have to have a Mac and I have Windows!!   Darn!  I will keep looking.......


That's the version I use - though I use it on an iPad.  The full desktop version has more features including tools to help generate tab, though I am not certain if mandolin is a supported tab format. I really like the iOS version of Capo. I think it's probably one of the top three apps I use. TablEdit is another great app for generating tab. There's an iOS version available.

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## Chip Booth

Somewhere there exists software that can covert (with moderate success) single note music to MIDI and possibly tab or notation, but not polyphonic music yet, at least not outside of the experimental stage.  The OP won't find what he is looking for.  If it was that easy every song everywhere would be available in full transcription form for free.

There are lots of freeware programs for PC and IOS to slow down music.

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## John McCoy

People started selling WAV-to-MIDI software, sometimes quite expensively, as early as 1996 (this was before the days of the MPx file formats).  None worked--None; period.

As Chip says, today there are a few programs that can convert a single monophonic line to a _more-or-less haphazardly approximately correct_  MIDI version (MIDI, of course, converts quite quickly and easily to standard notation with the proper software).  But even they work only if the audio source is in a lossless format (like WAV or CDA), *and* if the recording is clear and free of reverb, chorus, or sustain *and* if the single line is pretty well (read:  almost perfectly) in tune relative to A-440, *and* if the tempo and rhythm are essentially mathematically perfect, *and* if the instrument playing the line has a very mathematically simple harmonic profile, like clarinet.  

At present, any such program that's not absolutely free is, IMHO, overpriced.

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## BeginnerMandolinistTyler

Hey there is a free program called audacity in which you can slow down the music in.  I believe they have it for macs!

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## Ivan Kelsall

To convert music clips from one format to another,i use a freeware programme - "Switch Sound File Converter". It has an 'add-on',
NCH Toolbox. I've never used it,but one of the functions it has,is to _transcribe music files to notation._:-                   www.nch.com.au/toolbox/index.html  For anybody interested it might be worth checking out. The sound file converter itself is well worth having. I use it to convert MP3's to 'wav files' which are playable on  my CD players,all of which i bought before MP3's were ever heard of,
                  Ivan

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