Replace or layer drum sounds
Trigger your own kick and snare samples from a recorded or generated drum part instead of keeping the original sound.
Beta
Drum to MIDI Converter
Upload a drum stem, loop, or recording and get a MIDI drum track with kick, snare, and cymbal notes. Hear a free 30-second preview before you continue.
Learn more
General audio-to-MIDI converters treat drum hits as pitched notes, so a drum stem comes out as random low notes. This beta uses drum-specific transcription instead: each hit is placed on a General MIDI drum note, so the file plays a drum kit as soon as you load it. Kick and snare are usually close; cymbals come out as one lane you will want to tidy, and toms are not transcribed yet.
Drum stem, loop, or recording
BetaKick and snare are usually close. Hi-hats, rides and crashes come out as one cymbal lane (note 42) that needs cleanup, toms are not transcribed yet, and the file uses 120 BPM.
Full conversion: 6-15 credits by length
Uploading a full song with other instruments?Split out the drums first
Choose a supported file, then convert it to an editable MIDI draft.
Free preview: up to 25.0 MB. Full conversion after sign-in: up to 25.0 MB.
Choose an audio file to start
Formats: WAV / MP3 / M4A / FLAC / OGG / AAC. Max 25.0 MB.
How to convert drums to MIDI
- 01
Get the drums on their own
Upload a drum stem, a drum loop, or a recording of a kit. If your file is a full song, split out the drums with Instrumental Maker first and send the drum stem here.
- 02
Upload and hear the preview
Upload a file you are allowed to use and listen to a free 30-second MIDI preview played on a drum kit.
- 03
Convert, download, and load a drum kit
Convert the whole track, download the .mid, drop it on a drum instrument in your DAW, then set the tempo, quantize, and split the cymbal lane where you need ride or crash.
What people convert drums to MIDI for
Re-program a groove
Start from the timing of a loop or a stem, then edit hits and velocities rather than programming the pattern from scratch.
Suno and AI song drums
Download the drum stem from Suno or split it with Instrumental Maker, then rebuild the beat with your own kit.
Practice and transcription sketches
Get a quick kick and snare map of a groove to study, then refine it in the MIDI editor.
What to expect from this beta
- Kick and snare are usually the most reliable lanes, especially on a clean drum stem.
- Hi-hats, rides, and crashes are merged into one cymbal lane on note 42. Expect missed or extra cymbal hits; reassign ride or crash notes by ear.
- Toms are not transcribed yet. Fills on toms will be missing from the MIDI.
- The file is written at 120 BPM. Hits keep their real timing, so set your project tempo or use your DAW's tempo detection before quantizing.
- Upload drums only. Bass, vocals, and other instruments in the file can be mistaken for hits; split a full song first.
- Separated stems from a full mix can carry bleed from other instruments, which mostly affects the cymbal lane.
Which MIDI notes does the drum file use?
The output follows the General MIDI drum map, so most drum instruments play it without remapping.
| Drum | MIDI note | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | 36 (C1) | Usually the most reliable lane |
| Snare | 38 (D1) | Rimshots and claps may also land here |
| Hi-hat, ride, crash | 42 (F#1) | One merged lane; move ride to 51 or crash to 49 by hand if you need them |
| Toms | Not included | Not transcribed in this beta |
Which audio works best?
- Best: a dry drum stem or a drum loop with no other instruments.
- Good: a drum stem split from a full song with Instrumental Maker.
- Fine: a multi-mic kit recording mixed to stereo.
- Not supported: a full song with drums, bass, and vocals together. Split it first.
- Files must be at least 2 seconds and up to 10 minutes; uploads accept one file up to 25MB.
Guides and next steps
Instrumental Maker
Split a full song into drums, bass, vocals, and other stems, then send the drums here.
Drum stem to MIDI guide
Cleanup steps, DAW drum replacement, and when to program drums by hand.
MIDI Editor Online
Delete stray hits, fix velocities, and export the cleaned drum MIDI in your browser.
Inverse Drum Machine (open source)
The Apache-2.0 drum transcription model used for the snare and cymbal lanes.
Drum to MIDI FAQ
Is the drum to MIDI converter free?+
The 30-second preview is free and plays on a drum kit in your browser. Converting and downloading the whole track uses credits, at the same price as a full-song conversion.
Can I upload a full song?+
Not on this page. Other instruments get mistaken for drum hits. Split the song with Instrumental Maker, then convert the drum stem; Instrumental Maker can send it here directly.
Why are all my cymbals on one note?+
Telling hi-hat, ride, and crash apart is still unreliable, so the beta merges them on note 42 rather than guessing. Move individual hits to 49 (crash) or 51 (ride) in your DAW.
Does it detect toms?+
Not yet. Tom hits are left out because the current transcription places too many of them wrongly.
What tempo is the MIDI file?+
The file is saved at 120 BPM with the hits at their real times. Set your project tempo to match the song, or use your DAW's tempo detection, before quantizing.
Which DAWs can use the drum MIDI?+
Any DAW that imports .mid files. Drag it onto a drum instrument such as Drum Kit Designer, Drum Rack, FPC, or a General MIDI kit.
How is this different from Audio to MIDI?+
Audio to MIDI transcribes pitched notes. This page uses drum-specific transcription and writes hits onto drum notes, so the result plays as a drum kit.
Related MIDI tools
Instrumental Maker
Split a song into vocals, instrumental, drums, bass and other stems, then convert a stem to MIDI.
Audio to MIDI
Convert audio files or audio exported from video into editable MIDI drafts.
Suno to MIDI
Convert Suno WAV stems or full-song exports into editable MIDI drafts.
MIDI Editor Online
Browser MIDI editor for piano-roll editing, playback, track cleanup, quantize, and export.
WAV to MIDI
Lossless WAV recordings to MIDI with AI pitch detection.