Local MIDI

MP3 to MIDI pitch bend

Does MP3 to MIDI keep slides and vibrato?

Not automatically. MIDI notes hold fixed note numbers, while a slide or vibrato needs changing pitch between and around those notes. That motion is preserved only when the converter writes Pitch Bend events and the receiving instrument interprets them with the intended bend range.

If the file contains notes but no bend events, the motion may become a steady note, a staircase of nearby notes, or disappear. Inspect the MIDI data before trying to repair the sound.

Open the MP3 to MIDI tool

Three separate layers

The audio gesture, the MIDI message, and the instrument

1. The recording contains continuous motion

A singer's vibrato and a guitar slide move through pitch over time. The movement may cross no new note, one new note, or several notes. The audio does not tell a converter how you want that motion edited later.

2. MIDI stores notes and bends separately

The MIDI Association lists Note On, Note Off, and Pitch Bend Change as different Channel Voice messages. A note number chooses the pitch center; bend messages move the sounding channel above or below that center.

3. The instrument sets the bend range

A bend value has meaning only with the receiving instrument's pitch-bend sensitivity. The MIDI Association identifies pitch-bend sensitivity as a registered parameter. Do not assume that every synth maps the same bend data to the same interval.

Why the same file can sound different

Two instruments can receive identical notes and bend events yet travel different musical distances if their bend ranges differ. Match the receiving patch before redrawing the MIDI.

This tool's current scope

Detection support does not guarantee exported bend events

Spotify's official Basic Pitch documentation says its engine can generate MIDI with pitch bends. This site's browser tool uses Basic Pitch for analysis, but its current file-writing step exports note pitch, start time, duration, and velocity only. It does not add Pitch Bend Change events to the downloaded MIDI.

You can verify that behavior without trusting this paragraph: convert a short exposed slide, import the MIDI into a DAW, and open its pitch-bend lane. With this site's current export, expect note events but no bend events. Add the expression manually or use a workflow that explicitly exports pitch bends when the gesture matters.

Keep the distinction clear

A detector can analyze a pitch contour even when the final MIDI writer does not encode that contour. The model's capability and the downloaded file's contents are two different checkpoints.

A controlled DAW check

Find where the pitch motion was lost

  1. Choose one exposed gesture. Use a short vocal vibrato, guitar bend, or slide without competing instruments.
  2. Keep the audio beside the MIDI. Align both at the same start point so you can compare the motion by ear.
  3. Inspect the note blocks first. A row of adjacent notes means the converter represented continuous movement as discrete pitches.
  4. Open the pitch-bend lane. If it is empty, changing the instrument's bend range cannot restore data that is not present.
  5. If bend events exist, test the receiving range. Load a plain instrument, change only its pitch-bend sensitivity, and listen for the setting that follows the intended interval.
  6. Edit notes and expression separately. Correct the main note centers first, then draw or clean the bend curve while comparing it with the original audio.

Match the symptom to the data

What the piano roll is telling you

  1. One steady note replaces vibrato: the note center survived, but continuous expression was not encoded.
  2. Several short notes replace a slide: consolidate the intended note centers before drawing a bend curve.
  3. The bend lane moves, but the interval is too wide or narrow: check the receiving instrument's bend sensitivity.
  4. The bend works with one patch but not another: compare the patches' pitch-bend settings; the MIDI data may be unchanged.
  5. The pitch is wrong even with bends disabled: fix the detected note numbers before editing expression.

FAQ

MP3 to MIDI slide and vibrato questions

Why does vibrato become several MIDI notes?

A detector can interpret the moving pitch as new note centers instead of expression around one held note. Listen to the audio, keep the intended center note, and recreate the motion in the pitch-bend lane if needed.

Can MIDI velocity recreate a slide or vibrato?

No. Velocity belongs to a note event and commonly affects its attack or level. Continuous pitch movement requires pitch-bend data or instrument-specific expression, not different note velocities.

Why is a pitch bend the wrong size after import?

The MIDI bend values and the receiving instrument's bend sensitivity may not agree. Check the patch or synth setting before changing the bend curve itself.

Does this MP3 to MIDI tool export pitch bends?

No. The current download writes detected notes with pitch, timing, duration, and velocity, but it does not write Pitch Bend Change events. Inspecting the bend lane after import provides a direct check.

Sources

Public references and a reproducible check

Related pitch checks

If the note name looks wrong, test whether the problem is an accidental, key signature, or pitch remap. If the bend lane is crowded, read why continuous MP3-to-MIDI controller data can be hard to edit.