How to use

Getting started

1. On the Home tab, press the record button and capture your sound (5 seconds minimum; recording stops automatically at 60 seconds).
2. When you stop recording, you're prompted for a title and the result is saved automatically.
3. Tap a card in the Library to open the piano roll, where you can play it back and review the notes.
4. Rename or delete a transcription from the three-dot menu in the Library.
5. On the piano roll, tap a note to edit or delete it, or tap an empty spot to add a new note.

Sounds that transcribe well — and sounds that don't

Under the hood, SonaSplit estimates the pitch of the incoming sound hundreds of times per second and maps it to the nearest of the piano's 88 keys (A0–C8). Because of this, it's best at sounds with a clear pitch and a distinct attack; sounds with a vague pitch or no clear onset may not become notes.

Sounds that transcribe well

• Piano and electronic keyboards (the timbres the engine knows best)
• Single notes on an acoustic guitar (the moment each string is plucked is clear)
• Xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba (sharp attacks, each note well separated)
• Recorder, whistling, melodica (steady-pitched single notes)

Sounds that don't transcribe, or get misread

• Singing voices — vibrato, consonants, and scooping make the pitch slide continuously
• The lowest range of bass and double bass — anything below A0 (about 27.5 Hz) is out of range
• Drums, tambourines, and other percussion with no definite pitch
• Distorted guitar and harsh synths — too many overtones to extract a pitch
• Dense chords of five or more notes — the sounds blend and can't be separated

Note: even singing can work when it's mostly long, sustained female vocals (that range, C3–C5, tends to fall in the piano's middle register). Male voices from tenor down are harder, because the fundamental is lower and the overtones are more crowded.

Tips for clean transcription

• Record in a room without constant noise, such as air conditioning or a fan
• Keep the mic about 30–50 cm from the instrument
• A slight gap between notes helps them separate cleanly
• Recording melody and chords separately makes them easier for the engine to interpret

If it isn't working well

First, try a quiet room with a single-note instrument like a piano. If you still get zero notes or obvious mistakes, adjusting the recording level, the pitch range, and the density of chords can often help.