Intro to using audio to create midi?

I have an audio bass track with a nice melody and I'd like to develop a midi track from it and use it's melody to add strings.
Assuming it's do-able, (I think I read somewhere about it) what's the best way to approach this?
I have X1 Power but don't know where to look.
Thanks
Glenn

Hi Glenn,

Check out the AudioSnap section on pages 169 to 174. Specifically, on page 174 there are step-by-step instructions on using AudioSnap to extract a groove from audio to MIDI. But you may want to read the whole section since some of the steps may mention things that were talked about earlier.

Thanks again for reading my book!

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://digifreq.com/?DigiFreq
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview

It would probably take less time and give better results to just transcribe the parts into the staff view. (Sacrilege, I know. )

If you can afford Melodyne...it does polyphonic/mono waves and converts them very nicely to MIDI..also allows you to correct pitch... add harmony...
all with their own fantastic priority software method.
Melodyne:
http://www.celemony.com/cms/

It is amazing!!
jonny3d

Yes Melodyne looks promising and nice to hear so many positives on it.
The $700 price tag is hard to get my head around I admit. I'm not doing this professionally.
I can buy some nice second hand MIDI gear for a lot less than that.
The main thing is I don't really know what I'm getting into with MIDI so don't know what to buy. 
I have that familiar feeling I'm going to get something and wished I got something else soon after. It feels like a bit of a minefield.
No carrot, all stick at this point as it seems complicated compared with audio.

You have a GR-20 and it is very good for midi. I like mine
more than the GI-20.
IMO your latency issue is not with the unit (while I look at your PC specs)
 
edit- sorry Glen, I realized I have the GR-30. I don't know about the GR-20. My bad.

M_Glenn_M


I do have a guitar synth (GR20) but never been able to figure out input to midi with an acceptable latency so I just use that as audio tracking too.
It does mean I can't use the soft synths at all.

Thanks guys

I do not understand this.  Are you attempting to listen to the guitar synth audio echoing from Sonar?
 
I can use a synth-keyboard to play dimension pro without being sad.
 
While I do, so I record the midi, and the audio from my synth.
 
What is not working correctly?
 
I will pay for the postage for you to send me the GR before you hurt it.

jm24

M_Glenn_M


I do have a guitar synth (GR20) but never been able to figure out input to midi with an acceptable latency so I just use that as audio tracking too.
It does mean I can't use the soft synths at all.

Thanks guys

I do not understand this.  Are you attempting to listen to the guitar synth audio echoing from Sonar?
 
I can use a synth-keyboard to play dimension pro without being sad.
 
While I do, so I record the midi, and the audio from my synth.
 
What is not working correctly?
 
I will pay for the postage for you to send me the GR before you hurt it.

At Christmas I got a cheap MIDI interface to see if I could input midi from my GR20.

Yes I was echoing from sonar and trying to play along with existing tracks.

There was simply way too much latency tho I posted for help and got several suggestions.

At least a couple of folks said the cheap interface was to blame, so I took it back and have not tried to buy one since.

A few folks said to simply use the sounds in the GR20 to record to audio which works great of course, but it eliminates any midi instrument options in Sonar.

But surely you need to hear the playback of the other tracks with the GR input to be able to play along?
Am I missing something very basic about midi input?
Could be. As Sgt. Shultz said "I know nothing."

Thanks for that, I'll buy another USB/midi device and give it a try.
So just switch off the "Echo" on the recording tracks?
I do use the BR800 as my sound card and controller so monitoring from the master comes thru it.
So the GR20 midi out would go to the Midi/USB device, then to Sonar to both an audio and a midi track?
Then the headphone out to an amp?
I could then hear the existing tracks playback thru the monitors along with the amp?

And then adjust the position of the clips for timing alignment.

I have been using Sonar for at least 10 years and I have never had to realign a clip after I've recorded it. When I multitrack, I monitor through an external mixer and everything is in sync. I play along to the playback of recorded tracks (audio and midi) using mics, guitars, keyboards, external synths, softsynths, etc. It should all be in sync unless you have something setup incorrectly. It should be just like using a multitrack tape recorder.