How to convert 3GP to MIDI for free

How to convert 3GP to MIDI for free How to convert 3GP to MIDI for free

You may easily find tons of different products that will allow you to convert a MIDI file to another audio format. But reverse conversion is a much more difficult task. The thing is that MIDI is not actually a sound file, but rather a set of notes. So converting a file to MIDI is much like writing down sheet music while someone is playing. The task gets even more challenging if the file you wish to convert is not even an audio file. As it is with 3GP. But there is nothing impossible as long as you know the required software. And now let's unscramble this complex puzzle.

The first thing we need to do is to extract the audio stream from your 3GP file. The best way to do it is simply convert the video to a WAV file which we will then convert to MIDI.

Tutorial assets

You will need to download the following software to follow along with this tutorial.

Part 1: Converting 3GP to WAV

This time I will be using Format Factory as it is probably the only freeware utility that provides such an impressive set of tools for conversion between audio, video and image formats. Actually I thought that it would allow me to convert 3GP directly to MIDI, but, unfortunately, it didn't.

If you wish to use Format Factory, mind that it will offer you to download some additional software during the installation process. If you don't want to install it, carefully read each installation window that pops up, select custom installation (the one that appears to be greyed out) and untick the additional soft.

Step 1

Run Format Factory, open the Audio tab on the left and select the output format. In our case it's WAV.

Choosing the output formatChoosing the output format

Step 2

Choose the file you would like to convert (either press “Add file” or drag and drop your file into the program window)

Step 3

I would also recommend that you go to Output Settings and set the maximum quality and Bit Rate. As we are going to convert the file once more, we will need maximum quality to get the desired result when converting to MIDI

Setting the output qualitySetting the output quality

Step 3.1
 

You can also set the start and end time of the video by clicking Set Range

Set RangeSet Range

Step 4

Set the output folder for the converted file and press ok

Step 5

Select the file and press the big "Click to Start" button

Now that we have successfuly extracted the audio stream from our 3GP video, we can convert the output WAV file to MIDI. Below are the pros and cons of the software we used in part one.

  • Ideal for cross format conversion
  • Fast and intuitive
  • Annoing “recommended software” during installation
  • A bit fussy interface

Part 2: Converting the WAV file to MIDI

If you've already tried to convert some of your tracks to MIDI, you surely know how it is difficult to find a piece of software, capable of doing the job. We tried out lots of programs, but the only one that gave a rather decent result was Amazing Midi.

Step 1

Run Amazing Midi. Press Tone File and select one of those provided by the developer. (Can be found in the folder where you installed the program)

Step 2

Select your converted WAV file as an input file

Step 3

Select the path to save your MIDI file in the Output File

Step 4

Press Transcribe. A dialogue with some settings will open, but I've left everything by default.

TranscribeTranscribe

Press OK.

Conclusion

That's it. You have successfully converted the audio stream of your video to MIDI. Though the algorithm of the freeware is not perfect, of course, Amazing Midi allows you to edit the sheet music to get the desired result. 

  • Freeware
  • Allows to adjust notes after the conversion
  • Can process only WAV files
  • May not work with a complicated audio with multiple instruments or background noise
  • Maximum audio length -17 minutes

Alternative downloads

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