• About Sloud UB Composer
• Sloud UB Composer specifications
• System requirements
• Installing Sloud UB Composer
• Settings
• General settings
• Setting input and output audio devices
• Adjusting audio devices
• Adjusting microphone input
• Adjusting output volume
• Voice to MIDI conversion using microphone
• Tips on singing into microphone
• Voice to MIDI conversion from audio files
• Supported audio file formats
• Solutions to possible problems
• Playback
• Playback of voice recorded in WAVE
• Playback of voice converted into MIDI data
• Playback of recognized MIDI score
• Editing recognized notes
• Saving files
• Exporting recognized melody to MIDI score

Sloud UB Composer: convert wave audio to MIDI

UB Composer converts human singing or humming (TA-TA-TA) or a recorded melody into timbres of any MIDI instruments.

A live voice or a recorded performance is converted into MIDI in real time. UB Composer is a veritable musical instrument containing a great selection of musical timbres. For instance, when singing a tune into a microphone you can simultaneously hear it blown by the trumpet or the sax, performed by the electric guitar or even beaten by drums! UB Composer "feels", recognizes and then plays back all the nuances of voice motion, all the mistakes and false notes. All those facts make the program extremely useful for vocal education. You can also convert an audio file into MIDI sequence.

UB Composer also identifies notes of the sung tune. The generated MIDI file can be edited in sequencers, the melody mixed with other musical pieces.

Sloud UB Composer specifications

• Converts a live or recorded vocal solo to MIDI in real-time
• Records and plays back the vocal in WAVE and MIDI
• Recognizes notes of the sung tune
• Plays back the vocal melody according to the recognized notes
• Converts singing to ring tones for mobile phones

System requirements

• Pentium PII processor (or higher)
• RAM no less than 128 MB
• 3 MB free space on HDD
• Microsoft Windows 98 or later version
• Sound card or embedded sound device, that supports recording of 16-bit wave files and plays MIDI files
• PC compatible microphone
• PC Speakers or headphone

Installing Sloud UB Composer

1. Download or copy Sloud UB Composer program on hard disk.
2. Click the wav2midi.exe file.
3. Follow the Setup Instruction on the screen.

Settings

General settings

Disable Voice Diagram
Don’t display the colored image of converted voice in the indicator window.

Double Voice Diagram Columns
Set double width of the columns.

Don’t Remind of Saving
Don’t display the warning window before overwriting unsaved data.

Merge Short Pitch Deviations
Eliminate all short deviations of recognized pitches when notes are recognized.

Metronome
Adjusting the metronome click settings. Set metronome to sound on singing.

Setting input and output audio devices

Click the SETTINGS button, and select the WAV tab. Select input and output sound devices installed on your computer in appropriate list boxes

Select the MIDI tab. The following settings will open:

Output Device
The list of synthesizers where you can select one and set it as output. Auto mode is set by default.

MIDI Instrument
The list of MIDI instruments (patches) where you can select one and assign it as output. Operates both in the real time and MIDI playback modes. The trumpet’s patch is set by default.

Octave Shift
Setting the octave shift of the output MIDI according to the octave you are singing in. You can shift within +-3 octaves. Operates both in real-time and MIDI playback modes. Null shift is set by default.

Volume
Setting the MIDI output volume. Operates both in real-time and MIDI playback modes. Range: 0…127. 100 value is set by default.

Tempo
Adjusting speed of MIDI file playback. Operates in MIDI playback mode only. Range 10…250 beats per minute. 120 value is set by default

Ticks per quarter-note
Adjusting the number of ticks per quarter note. Used as a parameter on MIDI file recording.

Adjusting audio devices

Adjusting microphone input

1. Make sure the microphone is plugged-in to MICROPHONE INPUT jack of your PC’s sound card.
2. Click the IN button. RECORD LEVEL pane will open.
3. Make sure the microphone is switched on, but the MIDI is switched off in the checkbox of RECORD LEVEL pane.
4. Adjust microphone LEVEL control slider in the mid position.

Note:
By a normal microphone sensitivity level and a reasonable vocal volume the altitude of columns of voice diagram will be displayed reaching the middle of the indicator window. If not, click the IN button and readjust the microphone LEVEL slider position.

Adjusting output volume

1. Click the OUT button. VOLUME pane will open.
2. If you are converting voice to WAVE, make sure WAVE is switched on in the checkbox of VOLUME pane, and adjust its control slider position.
3. If you are converting voice to MIDI, make sure MIDI is switched on in the checkbox of VOLUME pane, and adjust its control slider position.

Note:
MIDI volume level is adjusted regardless of the overall volume level.

Voice to MIDI conversion using microphone

1. Click the FILE button under the START button. To hear real-time voice to MIDI conversion, click the MIDI button under the PLAY button.
2. Click the START button, and select a vocal audio file. Conversion starts immediately after opening file.
3. Press the STOP button to cancel conversion.

Note:
Once conversion is started, the voice columns (raw MIDI data) will be displayed in the indicator window. The higher signal level is the higher diagram columns are. The diagram color depends on the recognized voice pitch. Different notes will be displayed by various colors in real-time

Tips on singing into microphone

• Use a special studio microphone or cover a microphone with a foam rubber cap not to impede conversion. Use a microphone cap made of any foam rubber or foam plastic.
• Don’t pshaw into microphone and don’t sing words. Try to sing “aah” or “da-da-da”. Avoid singing “la-la-la”.
• Nestle the microphone in your palm. The microphone should be treated carefully, avoid shocks or vibration during the vocal to MIDI conversion.

Voice to MIDI conversion from audio files

1. Click the FILE button under the START button.
2. To hear instant voice to MIDI conversion, click the MIDI button under the PLAY button. Click the START button, and select a vocal audio file. Conversion starts immediately after opening file.
3. Press the STOP button to cancel conversion.

Note:
Once conversion is started, the voice columns (raw MIDI data) will be displayed in the indicator window. The higher signal level is the higher diagram columns are. The diagram color depends on the recognized voice pitch. Different notes will be displayed by various colors in real-time.

Supported audio file formats

• sampling rate 8000 … 192000 Hz,
• resolution 8 or 16 bits per sample,
• mono.

Solutions to possible problems

Playback

Playback of voice recorded in WAVE

To hear original voice from audio file, or recorded using a microphone:

1. Click the WAV button under the PLAY button.
2. Click the PLAY button. The record will be played back from start to the end.

Playback of voice converted into MIDI data

1. Click the MIDI button under the PLAY button.
2. Click the MIDI Raw selector in the bottom left corner of the indicator window, or make sure it is selected and is green.
3. Click the PLAY button. The record will be played back from the beginning till the end.
4. To cancel playback, click the STOP button.

Playback of recognized MIDI score

1. Click the MIDI button under the PLAY button.
2. Click the MIDI Notes selector in the upper left corner of the indicator window, or make sure it is selected and is green.
3. Click the PLAY button.
4. To cancel playing back, click the STOP button.

Editing recognized notes

Click the EDIT button and open the Edit window. In this window, you can correct singing inaccuracy, delete or edit separate recognized notes.

To point out the note for editing, click its image in the upper side of the Indicator window. The image of selected note will being marked in the Edit window. You can also select note that you want to edit direct in the Edit window.

Open the Edit Note panel by right-clicking the selected note image in the Edit window:

Note Properties

• Time - start time of note in ticks (bar:beat:tick)
• Pitch – note pitch in semitones*
• Duration – note length in ticks (00:beat:tick)
• Velocity (0..127)

Merge Note With
Allows to merge selected note with previous or next one. To do this, click appropriate button Prev or Next. Merged note inherits pitch and velocity of previous or next note respectively.

Split Note
Allows to divide selected note into two parts that are set by splitter position. Choose splitting proportion by slider, and then click the Split button.

Delete Note
To delete selected note, press the Delete button.

* also the pitch of selected note can be changed by dragging note image.

Saving files

Exporting recognized melody to MIDI score

1. Click the EXPORT button.
2. Set appropriate time signature in the Set Meter field.
3. If your melody begins from the off-beat, activate the Off Beat checkbox and set required pause.
4. Click the EXPORT button at the bottom of panel, and save the score as MIDI

Note:
It is strongly recommended to use metronome to reach high-quality voice to score conversion. Also you can edit singing inaccuracy after recognition of notes.