»What
the press and musical sites say about Digital
Ear®
Only a few months after its initial
release, Digital Ear got some rave reviews from reputablemusic magazines,music professionals, and even academic researchers. Here is what they say about us:
Digital Ear® in
3DO™
Video Games
"I
can't tell you how valuable Digital Ear can be to a sound
designer. You have to hear what this software can do..."
"Charlie Parker* sounds pretty good as piccolo
player!" *Note:
Charlie Parker
is a famous Jazz legend. He was a saxophone player.
Digital Ear Real time: MIDI Realism
Digital Ear Real-Time is a welcome improvement to an addicting
program that transforms sound files to MIDI, converting not only
pitch but also volume and brightness to create a realistic sounding
MIDI file. This is a great program that gets better with each
release, and whose potential seems limitless. Digital Ear was
introduced several years ago and featured an innovative way to
convert sound (.WAV) files to MIDI by capturing the initial note and
then using the MIDI pitch wheel data and MIDI Sound Volume to
capture the rest of the pitch, pitch slur, vibrato and continuous
volume elements of a performance. The resulting file’s accuracy is
uncanny.
The program is
extremely easy to use with an intuitive workspace. Load up a .WAV
file, click “start” and you’re on your way. The program only accepts
16-bit mono format sampled at 44,100 Hz, and the samples should be
relative free of back-ground noise. Once you have such a file, press
the Start button and you’ll be prompted to enter a file name to save
the MIDI. That’s all that’s necessary to generate the MIDI file.
Every feature and command is right where you’d expect to be. The
interface controls are logically located, so you’re not searching
through menus and sub-menus to change settings. The program is not
tailor-made for any specific sound, so in order accurately recognize
each file you convert, it needs to be customized by adjusting things
like harmonic threshold (the internal engine can discriminate
between harmonic and non-harmonic sounds.) To get you familiar with
how to best adjust program prior to converting a recording, they
include a “Settings Wizard” that will analyze and scan a .WAV file
in order to estimate the ideal settings for the parameters you have
chosen. Review the settings a few times and you’ll be tweaking them
on your own in no time.
The resulting file
can be sent to any synthesizer or can be imported to sequencer or
notation software for mixing with other tracks or further
processing. Any vibrato, tremolo, pitch band or portamento effects
of the recorded will be converted and reproduced into any voice of
your synthesizer. You control how and what MIDI messages get created
and sent to the MIDI out, including selecting the MIDI out device.
It’s easy to select the GM instrument that you want to convert your
.WAV file using the “custom settings” box. I had a lot of fun
playing with the Charlie Parker breaks I recorded. He sounds pretty
good as piccolo player.
The most exciting
new feature in this release is its namesake, the Real-time mode.
Click the “Real-time start!” button and live audio will be converted
almost immediately into MIDI events, which are sent to the MIDI
output port of your choosing. The conversion delay is just about
imperceptible – Sing one end and come out as steel guitar at the
other. The possibilities are endless.
In a live setting,
it’s best to use headphones so the output signal does not interfere
with the input. With the correct noise-reducing microphone, one
could have a lot of fun on an otherwise uneventful gig.
Digital Ear runs on Windows XP/2000/Me/89/95.
By
Vince Clark
Rating 82%
Issue
#96, June 2000
Future Music magazine:
"So close
to the original sound that it is scary !"
"This clever little program from Greece is a rather
advanced sound-to-MIDI converter that not only understands pitch, but also understands
volume and brightness. And it's extremely simple to use. Load up a WAV file, click Start
and you're away. Chances you'll have to fiddle with scary settings as Harmonic Threshold
and Time Resolution a few time before you get the result you're looking for, but once
you've got it sussed the quality is superb [Note: Version 3.0 offers automatic
settings].
As long as the samples you are using are
clean enough (things like delay and background effects tend to get in the way somewhat)
the MIDI playback is so close to the original sound that it is scary. With cappella
samples it's almost as if your computer is singing to you. Really!
There are a few niggles though. The lack of
sample previewing is a pain in the butt [Note: Version 2.0 offers sample previewing]
and you can use only mono recordings, it would also be cool if you could play the sample
and the MIDI rendering at the same time to compare them. Plus you've got to know the exact
BPM of your sample if you want to use the MIDI file created in your own compositions.
In general Digital Ear is very useful to have
around"
by Tim Cant
November
25th, 2000
Audio Buyer's Guide:
"Produces
fantasticresults !"
"[...] So far, the best
audio-to-MIDI conversion software I have found is at: http://www.digital-ear.com. This software
comes closest to capturing the true expression found in singing, wind, string and
other continuously variable pitch instruments. And that, to me, is where it's
at! The product takes an original approach to conversion in that it captures the
initial note of each unbroken phrase and uses MIDI pitch wheel data to capture the rest of
the note, slur, and vibrato elements for that phrase. Marvelously, it also captures
the continuous volume of the performance on the MIDI sound volume control.
It also
has the option of capturing the "brightness" of the performance on any control #
of your choosing, defaulting to #74 (MIDI Sound Brightness?) [...]"
"EPINOISIS SOFTWARE
DIGITAL EAR: Converting digital-audio data to MIDI can be a thorny
undertaking; the ability to capture a performance accurately depends on
dynamics and articulation, and many audio-to-MIDI software programs fall
short in that regard. Epinoisis Software's Digital Ear ($79.95; Win) boasts
a number of features that enable accurate conversion of monophonic audio
files to MIDI data.
The program translates the audio file's vibrato into Pitch Bend data to
one-cent accuracy. The software's Pitch Quantize can resolve MIDI events to
the nearest semitone, or use Soft Quantization for a less rigid but more
in-tune performance. An In-Tune Wizard can automatically tune performances
that are below or above standard tuning.
To further ensure that a MIDI file follows the expressiveness of the audio
performance, Digital Ear can capture the amplitude envelope of the audio
file, converting the information into MIDI Volume messages. Dynamic control
of timbre is analyzed and can be changed into MIDI Control Change messages
for managing filter cutoff. You can edit the resulting pitch, volume, and
brightness contours of the MIDI performance using an onscreen keyboard,
chart, and sliders.
Digital Ear supports General MIDI- and XG-compatible synthesizers, but you
can remap MIDI controller messages to support synths that don't comply with
those standards. Digital Ear requires at least a 100 MHz Pentium with 32 MB
RAM and Windows 95/98/ME/2000. Epinoisis Software; e-mail info@digital-ear.com;
Web www.digital-ear.com.
Note: This article was published in "What's new" section. Not a review.
by Marty Cutler
Issue #65, November
2001
Hi
Tech magazine (Greek):
"It
has earned the global
acceptance
of music experts"
(Translated from Greek
language)
"Just
before month ago, we had presented Melodyne from Celemony, software that gave us
the ability to convert monophonic Audio into MIDI. Melodyne gives good
results, but there is only a Mac version and its cost is extremely high for
the majority of users. The solution of all that problems comes from a Greek
company named Epinoisis Software. The company’s software is called Digital
Ear which runs under Windows 95/98/Me/2000. It costs only $79.95 (just the
one twelfth of Melodyne) and it has a big number of innovative capabilities.
A unique feature of Digital Ear, is that the it does not "simply" translate
pitch and volume, but it analyzes the timbre of the sound and tracks the
evolution of the signal's waveform. As a result, it produces extremely
detailed MIDI data for the change of pitch, volume and timbre of the audio,
converting performance details like vibrato, tremolo pitch-bend and
portamento. Digital Ear adapts in every kind of sound using various
settings. Its effectiveness has earned the global acceptance of music
creation experts worldwide. You can find more information at the site www.digital-ear.com, order it online, download a free demo, or listen to a
series of Audio demos."
March
1, 2002
Music Software Monthly newsletter:
"Sing in one
end and come out as a piccolo at other.
Cool!"
"Sometimes
I get the file conversion blues! Today, I need to convert a WAV to
MIDI for a little idea I've been kicking around with. Normally, I'd
be downloading a few programs and spending my afternoon checking
them out. But I'm going to take a chance with my copy of Music
Software Monthly disc. I'm going to play with Digital Ear. [...]
Installation is a largely a breeze. It's a bit of hassle to have to
re-boot after installation, but it's not exactly the end of the
world, is it? [...]
And this we have the
moment of truth. I have a trumpet sample that I need to convert to
MIDI. Loading the WAV is intuitive, as is the process of conversion.
For basic conversions such as the one I'm interested in, just hit
'Start'. The resulting MIDI sounds pretty good. And it's only taken
me a couple of minutes so far. The interface is easy to decipher.
That's one of the neat things about Digital Ear - simplicity.
Still, don't get the idea that this program is one-trick pony.
Digital Ear can also do real-time
conversion from your microphone. This means you can use your voice
as a MIDI controller. Sing in one end and come out as a piccolo at
other. Cool!
[...]
But that's more than I needed. I just needed a simple format
conversion tool and Digital Ear was fine for the job."
by Geoff
Nicholson
Rating 100%
Editor's Pick
Award
March
17th, 2000
Ziff-Davis Network:
"It
will have you converting your files in no time"
"Digital Ear is a versatile audio
utility that can analyze a recorded solo performance (e.g., a singing human voice or a
musical instrument) and convert it to a standard MIDI file. It reads standard PCM wave
(.wav) files, which can be sent directly to any synthesizer or exported to your favorite
sequencer (e.g., Cubase VST, Cakewalk, etc.) for mixing with other tracks or for further
processing. A Quick Start guide will have you converting your files in no time. The
user-friendly interface then allows you to hear your newly converted MIDI files using the
integrated MIDI player. An impressive Voice Features Editor lets you graphically see your
modifications. Output settings can be customized for Send Volume, Send Brightness, and GM
Voice (unless you want to manually do this on your synthesizer)."
by ZDNet reviewer
March 1st, 2003
Graphics Resource Club
newsletter (Published by Charles River Media)
"Nothing could be simpler"
"
Digital
Ear represents a new type of audio software that fills along desired
need for MIDI translation. Using Digital Ear, you can either import
WAV file or record audio directly, and translate the results into a
MIDI file.
To fully appreciate the importance of this capability, you have to
think about what this means. Let’s say you have a WAV file of a full
melody, perhaps recorded on a piano, but you need to hear the music
as if it were played on a flute. Other than playing the song on a
MIDI keyboard, and using either a hardware sampling device or a soft
synth with a flute sample, there was really no other way to achieve
the translation. The problem with that method was that it took a lot
of time and effort. By using Digital Ear, all you have to do is to
load in the WAV file, translate it to MIDI, and save it as a MIDI
file. Then you simply load it into a suitable MIDI application (Acid,Sonar,Cubase
…) and assign the proper soft synth sample to it. Nothing could be
simpler. [...]
Digital Ear can send detailed ADSR envelope events to your MIDI file
or synth, emulating the exact envelope of the input audio (WAV or
live). Pitch Bend data (plus/minus 12 semitones) can also be sent,
so that you can use glissando input (cello, violin, trombone, human
voice) to create extremely interesting soft synth emulations for all
instruments.
An interesting use
for Digital Ear is to create two separate tracks in your music
application, one with the original WAV audio file, and another
(perhaps offset) with the Digital Ear MIDI file. That gives you the
best options for both worlds. For instance, if you own the free VST
plugin Delay Lama (from Audio Nerds), you can use it to create an
audio track of the Tibetan chant voices, then translate that audio
track back to MIDI in Digital Ear for use as a VST soft synth. The
glissandos, with some tweaking, will match, so that a glissando
enriched flute can be used to accompany the hypnotic Tibetan voices.
Digital Ear can do much more with some extended experimentation on
your part. If you enjoy expanding your creative options, be sure to
check out Digital Ear soon!"
by R. Shamms Mortier, PhD
Rating 75%
April 10th, 2000
The Sonic Spot:
"Earns
high marks for its simplicity"
"Even from
first glance, Digital Ear's "face" is clean and very
friendly. All of the controls on the main window are large for
easily manipulation; the model of the piano keys has nuanced
shadings that make it look much more realistic than its
counterparts in similar apps; and every button has a immediately
recognizable icon. [...] The help is extensive, friendly, and helps
you begin converting Waves to MIDI files immediately with a quick
start section. Help is in an HTML file, which somehow seems easier
to use than the standard help system found in other apps. [...]
Also, online support from the Web site is fast and friendly. [...]
The ToolTip help – the yellow rectangles that pop up when you
station the pointer over a control – is outstanding. [...]
With other apps, there's a more
complicated process involving selecting a tone file appropriate for the
Wave, and perhaps doing some other manipulations. At best, these other
programs make Wave-to-MIDI conversions a hassle, especially for those who
don't know much about signal processing. Thus, Digital Ear earns high marks
for this simplicity factor. [...]
Digital Ear has a
high caliber interface that is very easy to begin using. The controls are
centrally located, so you're not rummaging through reams of dialog boxes
to change settings. Some additional support is needed to enable faster
sessions, including keyboard shortcuts and hints on specifically how to
tune the settings for maximum performance. Once the parameters for a
particular Wave file are set correctly, it does a decent job of converting
Wave files to MIDI files. [...]"
by Darrin Koltow
Vol. 13, Issue #2, Feb 2002
EQ Magazine:
"...Epinoisis Software's Digital Ear
Real-Time v.4.0 is real-time, audio-to-MIDI conversion software for
Windows. The latest version offers improved time resolution, more
precise intonation, area correct tool for fixing glitches, and
presets for common settings. A free demo is available. For more
information, visit www.digital-ear.com"
Recommends
Digital Ear®
YAMAHA corp
Yes, Yamaha corporation itself, the leading
musical instrument maker, recommends Digital
Ear as a companion to its excellent XG-series synthesizers and soft-synths.
Rating 100%
April 26th, 2001
Tucows Network
The oldest and one of the most respectable
software archives gives Digital Ear its highest award.
Popular Download
CNet: download.com
Digital Ear became quickly a POPULAR download at
CNet's download.com . One of the largest software archives in the internet.
Top Download
Shareware
Music Machine: Top Download
Digital Ear has received
the Shareware Music Machine Top50 Download Award.
There are over 4,500 music software titles listed, and Digital Ear
is one of the most downloaded Windows programs.
Indiana University
Digital
Ear® in Academic Music Research
Digital Ear was chosen as a research
tool, and is mentioned in the paper: "An Audio Front End for Query-by-Humming
Systems", by Goffredo Haus &
Emanuele Pollastri, presented in 2nd Annual International Symposium
on Music Information Retrieval 2001 by Indiana University.
