Music Transcription

Important Notice: We have received more requests for transcription work than we can handle until next year. That's our fault for being so popular! Transcription is our most popular service.

If you have a large or complex transcription job, we're sorry to say that we may not be able to make a start work on it until February or March 2009. We may be able to squeeze in simple jobs (such as a simple melody, or a short recording), but we simply don't have the resources to transcribe entire arrangements, complete CDs, or complex performances in hte next few months. Of course, you're welcome to send your jobs if you are happy to wait, but there are just not enough hours in the day to get to them immediately!

We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience, and hope will be able to keep up with demand in 2009.

Perhaps you aren’t comfortable with putting pen to paper when it comes to music. No need to be embarrassed. Audio Graffiti understands that many excellent musicians cannot read and write music notation.

Or, are you having trouble learning music from a recording? Maybe you are producing a CD but don't have the time to transcribe ideas from demo or scratch tapes yourself but need to provide them to session musicians.

Audio Graffiti can help you!

We have many years of experience in transcribing music from audio sources, and have gained a reputation for detail and accuracy. We can transcribe anything from a single melody line through to a full band arrangement.

All you need to do is provide us with the audio recording on CD or as an MP3 or WAV file, tell us which voices or instruments you need notated, and how precisely you want it transcribed. And we'll do the rest.

The Product You Receive

When we have finished engraving your music, you will receive a high resolution PDF (ready for commercial or personal printing) of the work via email. We can also send you a printed copy with a CD containg the PDF together with any working files used to create the document. You will be able to select a style sheet for the final product if you wish.

For projects like song books, we can also assist you in doing the page layout work, or even help you find a graphics designer for cover art work or illustrations. We can also arrange for high-volume printing if you require it.

We specialise in guitar tabulature notation, and will include TAB in addition to standard "dots on lines" for guitar recordings.

Check out our samples page to see how the level of detail we go to in our transcriptions.

How to Order
Ordering is a simple as sending us a copy of your music, either by email or mail. We will provide you with a quote for the cost of the job based on its size, note density and complexity.

We begin work on your music when you accept the quote and formalise your order. When the work is complete, we will notify you so you can pay the balance. We will then send you a draft copy for you to check. You will have the opportunity to make corrections or comment on the overall layout. When you are happy with the draft we will produce the final version and send it to you via mail or email.

Transcription Accuracy

Accuracy is determined by a number of factors:

• Clarity of the recording and quality of the sample provided
• The way the recording is mixed (ie whether the instruments and voices are well separated in the stereo field or layered)
• Complexity of the music
• Harmonic structure of the arrangement
• Style of the performer
• Number of instruments in the recording
• Whether performance notes are available (for example, information about an alternate guitar tuning being used or whether the trombone was fitted with an F-attachment)

Having said that, we endeavour to get every nuance that we can from the recording...unless you don't need that much detail! If you just want a basic transcription (for example, without ornaments and fine detail), just let us know your requirements.