From a musician, for musicians

Chord Transcriber

Upload an audio file, analyze chords in real time, and follow the detected progression. Export in multiple formats.

Launch Transcriber

๐Ÿ†• What's New

  • Search by title/artist in public catalog (public/open-license only, mainstream tracks may be missing)
  • Save analyzed/transcribed songs to your local library
  • Create and manage local setlists, then switch save target quickly
  • Re-analyze or re-transcribe songs loaded from the library directly
  • "Set bar 1" click mode in Current Chords: correct measure numbering when analysis includes intro bars

๐Ÿ“‹ Workflow

  • Step 1: Open Transcriber, upload file or paste URL
  • Step 2: Click Analyze chords
  • Step 3: (Optional) Click Transcribe
  • Step 4: (Optional) Use Transpose to change the audio key
  • Step 5: Review timeline, transcript, and tabs
  • Step 6: Export as TXT, PDF, iReal, tabs, or MIDI

โœจ Core Features (100% FREE)

All features below are available at no cost. This is the free version of Magic Chords. Premium features may be added in the future.

  • ๐Ÿค– Automatic Chord Detection: AI-powered analysis identifies chords with high accuracy. Choose between Madmom (more accurate) or Librosa (faster) models.
  • ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Automatic Transcription: Extract lyrics and vocal melody using OpenAI Whisper with support for 9+ languages.
  • ๐ŸŽต Real-time Playback: Listen to your audio with synchronized chord highlighting. Adjust playback speed from 0.5x to 2x.
  • โœ๏ธ Edit Chords & Lyrics: Click to edit detected chords and transcribed text. Full undo/redo support.
  • ๐ŸŽผ Key & Tempo Detection: Automatically detect the original key of your audio to understand chord progressions in context.
  • ๐ŸŽธ Audio Transpose: Change the audio key in real-time (ยฑ12 semitones) while keeping chord notation synchronized. Works in your browserโ€”no file upload needed.
  • ๐Ÿ“ฅ Export in 6 Formats: Download as Chord Sheet (TXT), iReal Pro, PDF, Guitar Tabs (TXT/PDF), or MIDI.
  • ๐Ÿ”Ž Public Catalog Search (Title/Artist): Search by song title or artist to find public-domain and open-licensed audio sources. Mainstream releases are often unavailable.
  • ๐Ÿ’พ Save to Local Library: Save analyzed/transcribed songs directly to folders on your computer for offline reuse.
  • ๐Ÿ“š Setlist Manager: Create, rename, and organize setlists in your local library, then quickly switch save targets from the Transcriber.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ Re-analyze from Library: Load a previously saved song and run a fresh analysis or transcription without losing your saved data.
  • ๐Ÿ”ข Bar Offset Correction: In Current Chords, use Set bar 1 to choose which chord starts measure 1, so the displayed bar numbers line up with where the song actually begins (for example, after an intro).
Show detailed guide

๐ŸŽธ Editing Detected Chords

Viewing & Clicking:

  • Chords appear in the timeline above the playback area
  • Click any chord block to select it, or use hover to preview timing
  • The current chord is highlighted in large text during playback

Making Changes:

  • Edit a chord: Click the chord block to open the editor and change the chord symbol (e.g., C โ†’ Cm)
  • Adjust timing: Drag chord blocks left/right to move them, or drag edges to resize
  • Add chords: Use the "+ Add Chord" button to insert chords at specific times
  • Delete chords: Right-click (or long-press on mobile) a chord to delete it
  • Undo/Redo: Press Ctrl+Z to undo or Ctrl+Shift+Z to redo any changes

Tips for Accuracy:

  • Slow down playback (0.5xโ€“0.75x) to verify chord changes at beat boundaries
  • Use visual alignment with the waveform to place chords at natural transitions
  • Choose Madmom model for jazz or complex progressions (slightly slower but more accurate)

๐Ÿ“ Editing Text & Transcription

Fixing Lyrics:

  • Click any word in the transcript section to edit it individually
  • A modal opens where you can correct the word or delete it entirely
  • Press Enter or click Save to confirm changes

About Transcription Quality:

  • Lyrics are auto-detected from vocal content and aligned with chords for you
  • If transcription is off, try uploading a cleaner audio file or using a higher-quality source
  • YouTube videos with captions often produce better results
  • For instrumental tracks, transcription will be skipped automatically

Saving Your Edits:

  • All text edits are saved locally as you make them
  • Both chord and lyric edits are included when you download your partition
  • Use undo/redo (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z) to revert unwanted changes

๐Ÿ“ฅ Export Formats & What's Included

Available Download Formats:

  • ๐Ÿ“„ Chord Sheet (TXT): Clean text format with chords above lyrics and measure numbers. Perfect for musicians or printing. Includes song metadata.
  • ๐ŸŽน iReal Pro (TXT): Specialized format for the iReal Pro app. Import to practice with AI-generated backing tracks and accompaniment.
  • ๐Ÿ“‹ PDF Partition: Professional lead sheet with chords, lyrics, and formatted layout. Print-ready with metadata embedded.
  • ๐ŸŽธ Guitar Tabs (TXT): ASCII tab notation with chord symbols aligned above. Great for guitarists who prefer text-based tabs.
  • ๐ŸŽธ Guitar Tabs (PDF): Formatted guitar tabs as a printable PDF with standard notation hints and chord boxes for reference.
  • ๐ŸŽต MIDI (MID): Digital musical notation. Import into your DAW (Ableton, Logic, Cubase) for editing, arrangement, or production.

What Every Download Includes:

  • โœ… Song Metadata: Title, artist, detected key, estimated tempo, duration
  • โœ… Chord Progression: All detected chords (or your edits) with precise timing
  • โœ… Lyrics: Full transcribed text (if transcription was enabled) with alignment to chords
  • โœ… Your Edits: All manual corrections to chords and lyrics are preserved
  • โœ… Quality Info: Confidence scores visible in some formats to show detection reliability

Download Tips:

  • Choose PDF to share with bandmates or for printing lead sheets
  • Choose iReal Pro if you want to practice with backing tracks in the iReal app
  • Choose MIDI to remix or arrange in your music production software
  • Choose TXT formats for portability and easy editing in any text editor

๐Ÿ’ก Tips & Best Practices

  • Use clear, high-quality audio for better results.
  • Choose Madmom for accuracy or Librosa for speed.
  • Use slower playback speeds to verify difficult sections.
  • If URL analysis is slow, download locally and upload the file.

๐ŸŽต Audio Transpose

Change the key of your audio in real-time while preserving chord notation and playback quality.

How to Use:

  • Step 1: Analyze your audio to detect the original key
  • Step 2: Select a target key from the Transpose dropdown (e.g., C, D, D#)
  • Step 3: Watch the progress indicator (0%-100%) as audio is processed
  • Step 4: When complete, play the high-quality transposed audio
  • Reset: Click the Reset button to return to the original key

Features:

  • โœ… Real-time progress: Track processing status with live percentage updates
  • โœ… High-quality audio: Optimized pitch shifting preserves rhythm and transients
  • โœ… Chord synchronization: All chord labels update automatically to match the new key
  • โœ… Key detection: Original key is auto-detected during analysis
  • โœ… Instant switching: Previously transposed keys are cached for quick re-selection

Technical Details:

  • Range: Transpose up to ยฑ12 semitones (one octave)
  • Processing time: ~10-20 seconds for a typical song (varies by length)
  • Quality: Uses librosa's advanced pitch shifting with optimized parameters
  • Caching: Transposed versions are stored temporarily for instant replay

๐Ÿ”ข Bar Offset Correction

If the bar labels start at 1 but your song has an intro before the main progression, use the "Set bar 1" button in Current Chords to visually pick where bar 1 should be.

How to Use:

  • Step 1: Analyze your audio โ€” the Current Chords strip shows nearby bars labeled from M1
  • Step 2: Use the Current Chords strip and look at the small bar labels above each chord
  • Step 3: Click the "Set bar 1" button in the Current Chords header โ€” the button highlights and the chord strip enters selection mode
  • Step 4: Click any chord chip in Current Chords โ€” that bar becomes M1 and all labels re-render immediately
  • The offset is saved when you save to the library, and restored when you load the song again

Notes:

  • The offset only affects displayed labels โ€” the audio timing and chord positions are unchanged
  • Measure headers with a resulting label of 0 or below are hidden from the timeline
  • Click "Set bar 1" again to cancel selection mode without changing the offset

From a musician, for musicians

Chord Transcriber

Upload an audio file, play it back in real time, and follow the detected chords.

โ† Home
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Supported playback formats: MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, AAC
Chord analysis works with: All formats including AIFF, FLAC, WMA
Max upload size: loading from server configuration...

Direct URL

Paste a direct media URL (YouTube or audio link) to analyze immediately.

Search Public Catalog

Type a song title or artist name to search public-domain and open-licensed audio (mainstream releases are often not listed).

Current Chords

Bar offset 0

Guitar Tabs

Chord timeline

Transcript

Local File Manager

Setlists Library

Store chord detection, transcription, and audio files directly in folders on your computer.

No folder selected yet.

Quick setup checklist

Completed 0/3 steps

  • Choose a root folder
  • Choose or create a setlist
  • Open Transcriber and analyze a song

Sharing tip: choose a folder inside Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud Drive to sync setlists automatically.

Saved songs