Francis' Drumming Blog

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Drumscrib
3. Klangio – Drum2Notes
4. PlayDrumsOnline
5. Conclusion

Introduction

I’ve been waiting for this moment for months! Artificial intelligence has gained ground in various aspects of our lives since its inception. I use AI every day to maximize and speed up my workflow. Over the past months, I have researched how to apply this technology to drum transcriptions. In this article, I review and analyze two websites that can automatically transcribe and generate the drum sheet music of any song. For the following comparison, I chose three of my drum transcriptions: “Aja” by Steely Dan, “Rosanna” by Toto, and “Harridan” by Porcupine Tree.

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Drumscrib

The first website I came across was Drumscrib. It’s possible to upload audio files or search for the desired songs to transcribe, and the software will automatically generate the drum sheet music and the synthetic drum track. The transcriptions are generated and provided with essential info (duration, bpm, time signature, note count) and are available for download in PDF format or as MP3, MuseScore, and MIDI files. Prices are accessible, starting from €3 for one drum sheet music + synthetic drum track.

Upon reviewing the transcriptions, the website works well for beginner and intermediate-level songs despite some errors. For advanced songs, transcriptions are inaccurate. For example, on “Harridan,” the software transcribed the song in 4/4, while it’s 5/4. The final result is weird and requires effort to edit the file yourself. However, the website is still in beta, and as stated, improvements are coming.
In summary, Drumscrib looks promising and has the potential to become an excellent tool for transcribing drum parts in the future.

PROS:

• Fast service
• Accessible prices
• Acceptable notation

CONS:

• Transcriptions are inaccurate
• Missing details: dynamics, accents, song section markers
• It doesn’t work well on odd-time signatures

Klangio – Drum2Notes

The second website is Drum2Notes by Klangio. The company provides AI software tools for transcribing music to notes for various musical instruments. The service is free for the first 20 seconds of transcription, and many features are available with paid monthly and annual plans. It’s possible to upload audio files or search for the desired songs. In addition, it’s possible to specify some details such as the time signature, tempo, note duration quantization, and triplets recognition.

The transcription process is fast, but the final result is totally inaccurate. I tried with “Harridan” the first time, and the transcription generated was so weird I had to repeat the process because I thought it was piano sheet music… but it was drum sheet music for real.
I assure you that I’ll give the website another chance in the future; for now, it’s ineffective!

PROS:

• Fast service

CONS:

• Transcriptions are totally inaccurate
• Weird notation
• Missing details: dynamics, accents, song section markers

PlayDrumsOnline

The last tool reviewed is PlayDrumsOnline. Before transcribing, the AI automatically separates the drum stem from the full mix. Searching for a song on YouTube, pasting a link, or uploading an MP3 makes it possible to get a fully interactive drum sheet in minutes. As stated by the founder, it’s still not perfect, but it’s constantly improving.

The website features a really great interface—clean and modern. A “Songs” section lets you browse and search for already transcribed tracks. In my case, the three songs I chose for this comparison weren’t available, so I tried the “Create” feature instead. The process is fast; within minutes, I received the drum sheet music in PDF format. There are also some interesting features: a play-along function, a Guitar Hero–style rhythm game, and an edit function to modify the drum notes.

After reviewing the transcriptions, I was a bit disappointed with the results. As shown in the images below, the drum transcriptions are completely incorrect—an example of what is known as AI hallucination. I tried again with two beginner songs, and the results were acceptable, but still not accurate enough for professional use.

PROS:

• Great interface
• Interesting features
• Fast service
• Acceptable for beginner songs

CONS:

• Transcriptions are inaccurate for intermediate and advanced songs
• The model often omits essential notes or inserts others that make no sense
• Missing details such as dynamics, accents, and song section markers

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Conclusion

To conclude, even if inaccurate, the use of generative AI for transcribing drum tracks seems promising. Drummers should never forget that transcribing by ear is an essential skill for a real musician. Artificial intelligence is just an additional/optional tool and not the only way to approach the art of transcribing.
By the way, here are my transcriptions of “Aja,” “Rosanna,” and “Harridan,” available for purchase in my store. I spent an average of 6 hours transcribing note-for-note, editing, and revising these transcriptions. You can easily compare them with the generated sheet music and make your considerations; I’d be happy to hear your thoughts!