Midi Newbie Question

Cubase
1

Thank you for reading my question, i load an audio file into a new project that i want to convert to into midi , i then go into sample editor and using variaudio i extract midi,
i am trying to erase the main rhythm guitar work so that i can then mixdown the project without the guitar so that i can strum along using the new download project as a backing track, the problem i have is when in the sample editor i click a midi part to hear which i know to be the guitar, but i cannot delete the part as there is no eraser in the tools selection, can someone please tell me how i erase the midi part i click on?
any help is welcome
thank you

2

Hi and welcome,

VariAudio is working for monophonic signal only (vocal, flute, bass…). It doesn’t work with polyphony music and you cannot isolate (delete) only one instrument from the whole orchestration.

3

thank you for your reply,
is there anyway i can extract/convert the midi data from an audio file and delete seperate midi channels?

4

Audio does not contain MIDI data. There are programs, that can extract note information from audio. If at all, you might want to look into Melodyne from Celemony.

5

Hi,

Or if you really want to just delete the Guitar, you can use SpectraLayers.

6

Thank you Martin I’ll Do some research on your ideas,
i would have thought that cubase could have converted audio to midi :frowning:

7

Hi,

Cubase can do this for monophonic signal by using VariAudio.

8

Thank you

9

Hi Martin and thank you for your time, i have the 1 month free trial of melodyne, i will asses it before purchase to make sure its exactly what i require, i have also been learning the dissolve function in CB but as you know it gives out a lot of track/lanes with data, but you cannot identify the data unless you assign the correct instrument, this is quite time consuming and trial and error, in your experience, is there a way to separate an audio song into the same amount of midi instrument tracks that is contained in the audio? so that when separated you can assign the correct instrument?
i hope this makes sense but this is exactly what i am trying to do, i understand it’s like separating the yellow and blue from green, but is there a way?

10

Hi,

You cannot do this completely automatically. There are algorithms (in Melodyne, which is definitely the best for the polyphonic music) which try to separate the instruments and find out, what notes are playing. But it will not assign the instruments/sound. That’s another level.

11

Hi, martin, i think i have hit on exactly what i am looking for, i am looking for stems or multitracks , but as of yet i cannot find any software or vst to create them, are you aware of any software or vst insert that can create stems or multitracks? from a polyphonic audio file?
thank you

12

Hi,

As mentioned already, Melodyne is the only one choice here.

13

I am not Martin

There is no software that can do that (reasonably).

14

  1. You need Melodyne Studio which offers polyphonic conversion of AUDIO to MIDI but you still have to mess with it as it is not 100% accurate AND you will still have to take that MIDI file and put it into a Cubase midi track, do the dissolve thing and you are right where you started. You will have SEVERAL tracks with just ONE midi not assigned to it which you then have to figure out what instrument that is THEN put all those notes together on the same track. Complete MESS and totally non reality is what you are trying to do. I have Melodyne Studio here and it is NOT a push one button and ta da thing BTW.

  2. BUY Multitracks of these songs you are wanting to PLAY along with. Stemms wont necessarily work UNLESS that one part you want is NOT in the Stem. All GUITARS are usually in one Stem if you will , that includes Electric and Acoustic.

  3. Make your own multitrack of the song by picking out ALL the parts then recording them all. Thats what I do.

  4. Check the guys that do Karaoke tracks, they sometimes have individual tracks available

  5. StudioOne does polyphonic midi extraction from an Audio file. Problem is that is your starting point as I mentioned. Now you have to mess with ALL those tracks and figure out which midi notes go to which part then combine all those same midi notes to ONE track, total PITA

  6. Martins idea of Spectral Layers may work but it is going to be way tedious and another PITA to do

15

Hi,

Studio One is using Melodyne via ARA, right? So you can use it the very same way in Cubase too.

Btw, in Studio One itself, there is no Melodyne with the polyphonic option available. Only the monophonic one? So you have to buy an upgrade, right?

16

Correct Martin, you get the Essentials but would have to upgrade to the Melodyne Studio to get all that.

Melodyne is kinda of your option with S1. No VariAudio like function built in but the ARA works great.

VariAudio does the job for 90% of things IMO. What this guy is wanting does not exist

17

Sorry @svennilenni I do apologise :slight_smile:

18

@shanabit @Martin.Jirsak @svennilenni
Thank you for your replies, yes you are all correct, messy and a lot of work, the multitracks looks like the way to go, along with modern arranger, (i like the roland BK3 https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Roland-BK-3-Backing-Keyboard/art-KEY0003632-000?campaign=GShopping/UK&ProgramUUID=HADAqJarPzAAAAFlea9yjI.G&gclid=CjwKCAjwp-X0BRAFEiwAheRui0aWoGunaXJugDKF_PEw_sRONIh8KTP7ftsTs_edkEyqKADxFfdDmBoC0a4QAvD_BwE )

i say this because back in the day i used to load a SMF into an workstation and change each individual instrument FX etc inside the workstation until i got the track exactly as i wanted it, i would then play the file through the workstation outputs into CB, create and record an audio track and save as mp3, i feel this way, along with multitracks
would be the way forward.
Thank you