WAV to MIDI
Choose a WAV file in Melody Lab, set the melody's pitch range, then select Convert to MIDI. Preview the detected notes and download the .mid file. Use a single-note melody; this tool does not separate chords or instruments.
One file · up to 25 MB and 3 minutes · local audio processing · no account
Start with the part you want to edit
A WAV recording stores sound. MIDI stores instructions for notes, so converting is a transcription step rather than changing a file extension. A WAV of an entire band does not become separate instrument tracks here. Start with an isolated melody when you have one, and listen to the result before using it.
The input can be lossless and still produce missing or unwanted notes. Silence, overlapping pitches and the way stereo channels combine matter. The following controlled example shows a specific failure that increasing audio quality settings would not solve.
Our test: the same melody, three WAV files
We generated a short melody specifically for this test, rather than using a commercial recording. Its source sequence is C4, D4, E4, G4, A4, G4, E4, C4. Each file lasts 6.40 seconds, uses 22,050 samples per second and stores 16-bit PCM audio. The stereo variants differ only in what the right channel contains.
On September 21, 2026, we selected each file in the live converter using desktop Chrome. We kept Lowest note at C3, Highest note at C6, Detection confidence at 0.85, Quiet-sound filter at −45 dB, Shortest note at 100 ms and Transpose at 0. These are the actual test settings, not suggested settings for every recording.
| Test input | Channels | Displayed result |
|---|---|---|
| Mono melody WAV | One | 8 notes, C4–A4 |
| Matched stereo WAV | Left and right identical | 8 notes, C4–A4 |
| Opposed stereo WAV | Right equals negative left | 0 notes, no MIDI download |
The mono run produced a downloadable MIDI file. The opposed run displayed “No notes detected. Try a clearer melody or lower the filters.” These are observations for these synthetic examples. They do not measure accuracy on voices, instruments or complete songs.
Why the difference? This site's direct PCM WAV reader averages the channels before pitch detection. With identical channels, (left + right) / 2 keeps the melody. With an exactly inverted right channel, (left + −left) / 2 is zero. In that test, lowering the filters cannot restore the cancelled waveform.
Replay the check before changing your recording
- Download the mono example above. Open the converter, choose the file and use the listed settings. Convert, inspect the displayed note count and select Preview MIDI. The preview is a synthesizer, not the original WAV.
- Choose the matched stereo example and convert again with the same settings. Then repeat with the opposed example. Compare the waveform and the status message as well as the note count.
- If your own stereo file plays but gives no notes, inspect it in an audio editor. Compare the channels separately with their mono combination. If cancellation is the issue, export the channel containing the desired melody as a mono WAV and try that copy. Melody Lab itself has no channel-selection control.
- If the waveform remains visible, cancellation has not explained the problem. Check the selected pitch range and the melody's clarity. Changing Lowest note or Highest note requires another conversion; the four filters below those controls update an existing result immediately.
You can compare your run with our downloaded mono MIDI and inspect the input specifications and file hashes. Our sample is an intentionally simple diagnostic. It does not establish how an arbitrary stereo recording will behave.
What do you get after conversion?
The download contains one melody track. Review its timing and pitch in your music software; it does not retain the WAV's instrument sound. This site does not export a score, MusicXML or a PDF. The converter also accepts MP3 and other supported media, but changing an MP3 into a WAV does not recover information already lost from the recording.
Does my WAV leave the browser?
Audio decoding and note detection happen on your device. The audio file is not uploaded. The website uses Google Analytics for visit statistics, and loading the site or its decoder requires ordinary web requests. Closing or reloading the converter clears its audio and results, so download the MIDI you want to keep.