Recording or importing audio with ScoreCloud Studio

Recording or importing audio with ScoreCloud Studio

Voice Recording

Choose voice mode for single note melodies or basslines (monophonic), such as vocals, bass, flute etc.

Instrument recording

Choose instrument mode if the recording has more than one note at a time (polyphonic), for example guitar, piano, chords, multiple voices, etc.

Record with foot tapping

You can help the analysis by recording your foot tapping along while recording. Check the “Record with foot tapping” checkbox and make sure the tapping is audible in your recording, along with the instrument or voice. This is a more natural alternative to a click-track. Recording the pulse this way helps the analysis interpret rhythmically complex songs without having to record to a click-track.

Add a click-track after recording

After recording into a snippet in the listener, you can add a click-track to help the analysis interpret your recording. Click the Tap Beat button in the listener to add click-track markers to your recording.

Tips for better results:

  • About the analysis
    ScoreCloud does not know any songs – it attempts to analyze the musical structure like someone who never heard the song or musical style before. Singing or playing clearly and organically generally gives better results.
  • Slower tempo
    ScoreCloud does not know that your foot is tapping. If you play or sing something that really needs accompaniment you will probably get an unexpected score. Keeping a steady pulse helps.
  • No lyrics or ornaments
    You generally get better results from singing if you sing without lyrics since there can be unclear note onsets in vocal performance with lyrics. Singing with Da-da etc. is easier for ScoreCloud to understand.
  • Keep a steady tempo
    Sing or play fast songs a little slower and leave out ornamentation or ”wailing”. Short notes are generally not so clear in intonation and can be difficult to separate from slides and noise. Tap beat in snippet after recording to set tempo. See ”tap beat”
  • Try different microphone setups
    Experiment with the placement of the microphone and listen to your sound. You generally get better results if you do not sing, whistle or play very loud close to the microphone and soft far from the microphone, but it depends also on the background noise and the reverberation in the room.
  • Keep it simple
    If you want the notation to be rhythmically simple, try not to cut-off or prolong phrase endings too much; let the beat continue and keep the duration of the notes.

Video on how to use audio recording in ScoreCloud Studio:

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Learn more

Check out our other tutorial videos on how to use ScoreCloud Studio.