Songwriters
Play the riff on guitar, convert it and hear it on synth, piano or strings before you commit to a sound.
Free Guitar to MIDI Converter for Riffs, Solos and Bass Lines
ToMIDI is a free guitar to MIDI converter that runs in your browser: record or upload a riff, a solo or a bass line, and Spotify's open-source Basic Pitch model writes the notes into an editable MIDI file. No MIDI pickup, no plugin, no sign-up, and the audio never leaves your device.
- No MIDI Pickup Needed
- Free, No Sign-up
- Nothing Uploaded
- Built on Basic Pitch
Free · runs in your browser
Drop audio here to convert it to MIDI
MP3 · WAV · M4A · FLAC · OGG · AAC · MP4 · WEBMup to 300 MB, first 10 minutes analysed
Drag a file anywhere on this card, or press U to pick one. Conversion starts right away.
Try a real sample
Each result is this engine's actual output, not a mock-up.
Runs in your browserFree to convertNo sign-up to listenFull .mid with a free account
Only convert audio you have the right to use. Your file stays on this device.
What a Guitar to MIDI Converter Does
A guitar to MIDI converter listens to a guitar recording and writes down the notes: the pitch of each one, when you picked it and how long it rang. The result is MIDI, so a riff you played on a cheap acoustic can drive a synth, a string section or a different guitar sound, and every note can be moved, deleted or quantized. The converter above opens with the Guitar preset: it covers standard tuning from low E2 up to E6, listens for clear pick attacks and writes a steel guitar sound into the file. For other instruments, start from the audio to MIDI converter.
Convert a Guitar RecordingWhy Use ToMIDI for Guitar to MIDI
A free guitar transcriber in your browser, with the controls guitarists ask for.
A Guitar preset
Set to the guitar range, low E2 to E6, with an overtone filter that drops quiet ghost notes stacked on loud ones.
No hardware
No hex pickup and no MIDI interface: this guitar MIDI converter works from a phone recording, a mic on the amp or a DI track.
Stays on your device
Your recording is decoded and converted in the browser and never uploaded, so unreleased riffs stay yours.
Riffs, solos and bass lines
Guitar for leads and riffs, Bass for low lines, Solo melody for one-note melodies. Presets switch instantly, with no second run of the model.
Fix before export
Quantize to 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32, fix a half or double tempo, snap to key, drop uncertain notes and edit single notes with undo.
MIDI and notation
Download a .mid quantized or as played, MusicXML for notation and tab apps, or the score as PNG, SVG or a printed PDF.
How to Convert Guitar to MIDI
Four steps from a recorded riff to MIDI in your DAW.
Record a riff from the microphone, up to 60 seconds, or upload an MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG or AAC file, or the sound of an MP4 or WEBM video. A clean DI track gives the clearest notes.
Guitar is preselected. For a bass line choose Bass; for a one-note melody, Solo melody. The guitar to MIDI result updates the moment you switch.
Play the original and the MIDI together with the Mix control. Dashed notes are the ones the model was unsure about: keep them or drop them.
Set the tempo, quantize if you want the riff tight, then download the MIDI file or export MusicXML.
Step 1 · Record or upload the guitar
Guitar Transcription Tools Built In
Getting guitar to MIDI is only half the job. These controls handle the other half.
One recording, three presets
The model listens once; presets only change how its output is read. Guitar keeps chords and leads inside the guitar range, Bass follows one low note at a time, and Solo melody keeps a single clean line. That is why the walking bass sample in the converter, played on a guitar, reads cleanly with the Bass preset. Playing a real bass? The bass tab generator lays it out on four strings.
Try the PresetsQuantize a riff without losing the feel
Human picking drifts around the beat, and a guitar to MIDI converter writes that drift down faithfully. Choose As played to keep that feel, or Quantized to snap every note to 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32, with faint outlines showing where each note sat before. If the tempo reads twice too fast, the ½× button fixes it, and Tap lets you set it by ear. Need the tempo of a whole song first? Try the BPM finder.
Quantize Your RiffExport MIDI for your DAW or tab software
The .mid carries tempo, time signature, key signature and a steel guitar program, so it opens in FL Studio, Ableton Live or Logic Pro sounding like a guitar. Import the MIDI or MusicXML into Guitar Pro or MuseScore to view it as tab, or let the guitar tab generator work out the fingering for you.
Export Your RiffHear a Real Guitar to MIDI Result
This guitar solo is one of the samples in the converter above. Here are the first nine seconds of the 217 notes it found, as played or quantized. Press play to hear the notes.
Guitar solo · Guitar preset
First 9 s · 78 notes shown · 120 BPM · B minor
E2A2D3G3B3
note uncertainReal output · recording by Leechfoot (CC0)
What you are looking at
Real guitar to MIDI output with the Guitar preset, detected at 120 BPM in B minor. Dashed notes are the ones the model was unsure about, mostly very short or very high blips that one switch removes. Open the sample in the converter to edit every note yourself.
Single Notes vs Chords: Guitar to MIDI Accuracy
Guitar is polyphonic, so how well a guitar to MIDI converter does depends on what you play. Single-note riffs, leads and bass lines usually come through well; strummed chords come out approximate. We quote no accuracy percentages until we have measured real recordings. These are the cases to check:
- Strummed chords: six strings start a few milliseconds apart, so notes go missing, double an octave up or smear in time.
- Distortion and fuzz add harmonics that turn into extra notes. Record a clean or DI track and add the drive later.
- Bends, slides and vibrato are not written as pitch bends; they become separate notes or round to the nearest one.
- Palm mutes and dead notes are very short and may vanish or show up as stray pitches.
- Drop tunings below E2 fall outside the Guitar preset; move Lowest down in the detection settings.
- No string or fret data: MIDI holds pitches, not where you played them on the neck.
Tone Tips for Guitar to MIDI
A few minutes of setup leaves you far fewer notes to fix.
Record clean or DI
Plug into an interface and record the dry signal. Amp sims and pedals can go on the audio later; the converter wants the plain notes.
Tune up first
A guitar a few cents flat pushes notes toward the wrong pitch. Check every string with the online tuner before you record.
Play to a click
Recording to a metronome means the MIDI quantizes cleanly and matches your project tempo.
Clear starts, clear stops
Give each note a firm attack and a clean release. Sloppy releases and string noise turn into short uncertain notes.
Software vs Hardware Guitar MIDI Converter
There are two ways to get guitar to MIDI: convert a recording afterwards, or fit a MIDI pickup that tracks the strings while you play. Checked on vendor sites in November 2026.
| This siteToMIDI | Basic Pitch (web demo) | Eldoraudio Guitar | MIDI guitar pickup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, no sign-up | Free and open source | First 30 seconds free; paid plans up to 30 minutes per file | Pickup and converter unit, bought separately |
| What you need | A recording and a browser | A recording and a browser | A recording, uploaded to their servers | A pickup fitted to your guitar |
| When it works | After you record | After you record | After you record | Live, while you play |
| Distorted guitar | Rough: drive adds extra notes | Rough: drive adds extra notes | Clean guitar model now; distorted model planned (vendor) | Reads the strings before any effects |
| Pitch bends | Not written; bends round to notes | Detects pitch bends | No, by design (vendor) | Usually tracked live |
| Exports | MIDI, MusicXML, PNG, SVG, PDF (print) | MIDI | MIDI only for now (vendor) | Live MIDI into your DAW or synth |
Who Uses a Guitar to MIDI Converter
Guitarists who think on the fretboard but finish their music in a DAW.
Producers
Run a guitar hook through guitar to MIDI to layer it with a synth, or swap a rough demo take for a better instrument.
Guitarists without a bass
Play the bass line on guitar, switch to the Bass preset and send the MIDI to a bass plugin.
Teachers and students
Turn a recorded lick into notation for a lesson, then put it next to the student's version.
Transcribers
Get a first draft of a solo instead of having to transcribe guitar by ear from nothing, then correct it in a notation or tab app.
Guitarists moving to keys
Use it as a free guitar to piano converter online: the MIDI shows every note on a piano roll and a staff, ready to play on keys.
Guitar to MIDI FAQ
What guitarists ask before converting a recording, with straight answers about what does not work yet.
How do I convert guitar to MIDI?
Record a riff with the microphone or drop a guitar recording on the converter at the top of this page. The Guitar preset is already selected, so the notes appear in a piano roll and a score. Check them against the audio, quantize if you like, and download the .mid file.
Is this guitar to MIDI converter free?
Yes, with no sign-up: files up to 300 MB, the first 10 minutes analysed, and the full MIDI, MusicXML, PNG and SVG exports with no watermark.
Do I need a MIDI pickup?
No. A MIDI pickup tracks the strings live as you play, which suits playing synths from the guitar on stage. To get MIDI from a recording you already have, a software guitar MIDI converter like this one is enough: a phone recording, a mic on the amp or a DI track all work.
Can it convert strummed chords?
Approximately. A strum puts six notes down a few milliseconds apart, so expect missing notes, octave doubles and smeared timing. Single-note lines are far more reliable. For chord names, use the chord finder.
Does guitar to MIDI work with distortion?
Clean tones work best. Distortion adds harmonics that the model hears as extra notes. If you can, record a clean DI track alongside the amp and convert that one.
Will it make guitar tabs?
Not on this page. MIDI stores pitches, not strings and frets. Export the MIDI or MusicXML and open it in Guitar Pro or MuseScore, or use the guitar tab generator to get tabs from a recording.
Are bends and slides captured?
Not as pitch bends. The MIDI holds plain notes, so a bend comes out as the note you started on, the note you reached, or both. Draw pitch bend in your DAW if you need the exact movement.
What about drop D or seven-string guitars?
The Guitar preset starts at E2, so lower notes are left out. Open the detection settings and move Lowest down to the note you need before you export; the result updates without converting again.
Can I convert a bass guitar to MIDI?
Yes. Switch to the Bass preset, which follows one note at a time from B0 up to about C4 and writes a bass sound into the MIDI. The walking bass sample in the converter shows the result.
How accurate is guitar transcription to MIDI?
Good for clean single notes, approximate for strummed chords and rough for heavy distortion or a full band. We will publish measured results by source when testing is done and quote no percentages until then. Always play the MIDI against the original before you export.
Can I turn guitar to piano notes?
Yes. Every note shows on a piano roll and, in the score view, on a staff, so you can read a guitar part on keys or download the MIDI and play it with a piano sound in your DAW.
Can I convert the guitar part from a song?
Only roughly: in a full mix, vocals, bass and drums all add notes. For clean guitar transcriptions, use an isolated guitar track or your own recording.
Which DAWs can open the MIDI?
All of them. Drag the .mid into FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Cubase or Reaper and set the project tempo to the detected BPM so the bars line up. Choose the as played export if you want it to sit on your original audio from the first second.
Is my guitar recording uploaded?
No. Decoding, note detection and export all run in your browser. Only the note model, about 1 MB, downloads the first time you convert.
Can I record guitar to MIDI right on this page?
Yes. Switch to Record, allow the microphone and play; takes stop at 60 seconds and convert when you stop. A live pitch line and the nearest note show what the microphone hears while you play a single-note line.
More Ways to Make MIDI
Next Steps for Guitarists
- Guitar Tab GeneratorTurn guitar recordings into tabs.
- Bass Tab GeneratorTurn bass lines into tabs.
- MIDI to Guitar TabConvert MIDI parts into playable tabs.
- Online TunerTune guitar, bass, ukulele or violin.
- Chord FinderName any chord from notes or audio.
- Online MIDI EditorFix notes in a piano roll and export.
Convert Guitar to MIDI Now
Plug in, play the riff and let the guitar to MIDI converter at the top of the page write it down: free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.
or drop it anywhere on this box