This might be a bit off topic, but I know there is a wealth of knowledge here.
I’ve been tasked with transcribing a cassette tape of a live rock performance (nothing copyrighted, all originals) from around 35 years ago – note for note. I used to do this for fun (not note for note, rather charts and riffs for the band to use as scaffolding), so I was wondering a few things
In the 30 some-odd years since I last dabbled with this, are there any common, modern tools used in this field?
As with orchestral sample libraries, are there any rock band libraries that are self-contained (most if not all instruments)? I have random guitars, basses and drums, but a complete, self-contained library is more of what I’m after.
From Dorico’s perspective, the only thing I need to learn, I believe, is chord diagrams (haven’t needed them until now). But how do people here efficiently input drums? The few times I needed to, it was painful ENTERarrow4y etc… you get the idea.
I use Transcribe all the time. Really great program! I know Amazing Slow Downer is popular too. One really cool feature of Transcribe is that you can program it to be controlled with MIDI foot pedals, so I can use it with it in the background, rewind and play using my feet, and write directly into Dorico. It’s a pretty fast workflow!
Obviously it can slow things down to make them easier to hear. It can guess at pitches and chord symbols, but I find those features mostly worthless. I certainly never even bother to display the chord symbols as they are almost always wrong. The pitch guessing isn’t useful 99% of the time, but on occasion it’s helped me figure out a part in the middle of a voicing that I was struggling with. It also has pitch controls (probably useful if the original is from a tape) so you can get it in tune with your MIDI keyboard. Playing back up an octave can sometimes pop the bass notes out of the mud too.
Things have changed very greatly recently with advances in machine learning.
The first step in transcribing a recording nowadays is usually to run the track through source separation software. The basic tools (most people regard Demucs as the best at the moment) are free but can be difficult to configure. You could try online services that will process files you upload but for ease of use (as well as quality), I recommend Steinberg’s SpectraLayers (which apparently uses Demucs). Simply load a file and ‘Unmix’ the ‘Song’ (this can take some time).
The software will try to isolate specific instruments (usually vocals, drums, guitar, piano, and bass). Vocals, drums and bass are usually separated most effectively but piano accompaniments can sometimes be extracted almost perfectly. In SpectraLayers, the individual drums and cymbals can be isolated (which can make transcription much easier).
With a good quality recording, the results can be absolutely astounding. I’m an expert musician but the software can sometimes separate things that my ears can’t.
I load the resulting files into Reaper (but any other DAW would do) and add a marker for each bar. I solo tracks and loop a bar or two at a time (Reaper makes it easy to move back and forth through the markers and shrink or extend a selection). SpectraLayers could also be used as a plug-in.
I slow the playback down as necessary (and might loop a single chord or indistinct note) and often use a pitch shifting plug-in to listen to bass parts up an octave (or two). I used to use a lot of other plug-ins to isolate details but with the instruments separated, it’s often no longer necessary.
If the live recordings you have aren’t of good quality, this approach will be less helpful. I’ve also assumed you’ve digitized the recordings.
[Others have posted while I was typing but I’ll leave this message as it is anyway.]
… still churning