# Piano Transcriptionist — Audio to MIDI & Score

> Converts piano audio to editable MIDI and sheet music on-device. (iPhone/iPad app by Weida Fan.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piano-transcriptionist/id6456886504 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Weida Fan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1622755748)
- Category: Music, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 30 App Store ratings · 15 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 241 MB
- Languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese
- Released: 2023-08-07
- Data updated: 2026-08-23
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piano-transcriptionist/id6456886504/reviews.md

## What is Piano Transcriptionist?

Piano Transcriptionist turns existing piano recordings into editable MIDI and clean piano sheet music, directly on your device. It is designed for people who have audio of piano music they like and want to study it, arrange it, or reuse it, without needing to transcribe an audio yourself.

Transcription (audio to MIDI)

• Import a piano track or recording and convert it into MIDI.
• Works best on solo piano. Otherwise the app will try to follow the piano part, but results may be less accurate.
• Choose between two state-of-the-art and highly optimized models.
• Captures timing, note length, loudness, and sustain pedal, so the MIDI is expressive and close to the original performance.
• Simple cleanup tools help remove tiny stray notes and tidy up overlapping notes, so the MIDI is easier to work with.
• Export the final result as a standard MIDI file for use in other music apps, arrangements, or backing tracks.

Music Sheet (score from MIDI)

• Create a readable piano score from any MIDI in the app, whether it was transcribed from audio or imported.
• A built-in engraving algorithm gives you a solid starting score automatically, based on the MIDI performance.
• Refine the visual presentation:
  • Adjust stems, flags, beaming, measures, and note placement.
  • Edit pitches and accidentals directly on the staff.
  • Use multiple voices on a staff for more complex passages.
  • Change key signatures and tweak layout so the score is easier to read and print.
• Play the score inside the app and listen as the notes highlight during playback, making it easy to follow along.
• Export your finished score as a PDF for printing, sharing, or teaching.

Because the MIDI already captures how the piece sounds, you can focus on making the notation clear and comfortable to read.

Performance and privacy

• Runs on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac using highly-optimized on-device machine learning, so transcriptions are quick, even for longer pieces.
• All processing happens locally. Your recordings and MIDI never leave your device.
• No accounts and no tracking.

Pricing

• All functions available for free, with no subscriptions, no sign-ups and no locked features.
• Optional in-app purchases let you leave a tip if you want to support the solo developer behind the app.

## Key features

- Audio to MIDI conversion
- MIDI to sheet music generation
- On-device processing
- MIDI cleanup tools
- Score editing and layout
- PDF and MIDI export

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support: Sheet Music | $4.99 | one-time |
| Support: Grand Piano | $14.99 | one-time |
| Support: Coffee | $1.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 15)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piano-transcriptionist/id6456886504/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Cool

*2026-02-16*

Very nice

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work on iPhone

*2025-09-22*

File doesn’t load properly

**Developer response:** I’m sorry to hear that. Could you please open an issue on https://github.com/Vaida12345/PianoTranscription/issues. I may need additional info to debug the issue. This would greatly help me improve my app greatly. Thank you.

### 5/5 — Really impressed

*2025-07-01, version 1.6.2*

Works so well. Does exactly what it claims to do and with pinpoint accuracy.

### 5/5 — Brilliantly ahead of any similar app

*2025-03-07*

This app does a remarkably good job with most well recorded piano music. Excited to see where this goes from here.

### 5/5 — Actually works very good!

*2025-02-15*

I’ve been using Samplab and Spotify’s Basic Pitch for awhile now. The input files are usually AI stem separations to retrieve piano stems from recordings. This app is not only faster and more convenient, it simply does a better job, the output files require very little finessing to get beautiful midi files!

### 5/5 — Surprised!

*2024-11-25*

Great work almost 90-95% accurate! The playback sounded natural. It missed a couple of notes at the end of the piece when I did a small rallentando. I originally performed the piece without metronome or click track. I was so surprised it capture te piece so well 
My only issue was that when I try to import it into Logic iOS, it would not read the media file store on my iPad, which was darkened. What shall I do? I am on the latest IOS for iPad and logic

### 5/5 — Pretty cool

*2024-10-31*

This app is very cool and seems to work better with “less chaotic” songs  and helps to pre trim a segment of the song before importing it into the app

### 5/5 — Incredible

*2024-10-15, version 1.3.2*

Absolutely astonishing. And so fast! I did get some spurious repeated notes presumably due to reverb, so it would be nice to be able to turn the sensitivity down, but they were easily edited out. I’m finding this app indispensable.

### 3/5 — good

*2024-09-03*

i’m meeting the reviews mid-way because there’s a five and a one, so i’m gonna try to be honest

the tempo thing — i think it depends on if your audio is clear enough

i agree that the ai works well MOST of the time, but can be difficult at points

i’d give it a four but over all it’s more of a three

### 1/5 — ABSOLUTE TRASH!!! 🚮

*2024-07-30*

I tried to export the midi, but it got the tempo WRONG!!!!! FIX IT!!

**Developer response:** I’m sorry to hear that. Could you please try the new version of the app? Alternatively, you can open an issue on https://github.com/Vaida12345/PianoTranscription/issues. This would greatly help me improve my app. Thank you.

## Frequently asked questions about Piano Transcriptionist

### How accurate is Piano Transcriptionist for converting audio to MIDI?

The app works best on solo piano recordings, capturing timing, note length, loudness, and sustain pedal for expressive MIDI. Results may be less accurate with multi-instrument recordings as it prioritizes the piano part.

### What kind of sheet music can Piano Transcriptionist create?

It generates readable piano scores from MIDI files, automatically creating a solid score with an engraving algorithm. Users can then refine stems, flags, beaming, measures, note placement, pitches, accidentals, and layout for clarity.

### Can I edit the sheet music after Piano Transcriptionist creates it?

Yes, you can refine the visual presentation of the score. This includes adjusting stems, flags, beaming, measures, note placement, editing pitches and accidentals directly on the staff, and changing key signatures.

### What devices does Piano Transcriptionist support?

Piano Transcriptionist is available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, utilizing on-device machine learning for quick transcriptions.

### Is Piano Transcriptionist free to use?

All core functions are available for free with no subscriptions or locked features. Optional in-app purchases allow users to support the solo developer.

### How does Piano Transcriptionist handle privacy?

All processing happens locally on your device, meaning your recordings and MIDI files never leave your device. There are no accounts required and no tracking involved.

### How often is Piano Transcriptionist updated?

The app was last updated on January 8, 2026, with version 2.1. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support.

### What is the age rating for Piano Transcriptionist?

Piano Transcriptionist has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in music creation and analysis.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.5 — 2026-07-04

New Transcription Model

This update introduces a new default transcription model based on Transkun. (#6)

Built on a transformer architecture, the same family of models used in modern AI chat systems, it provides better context awareness and improved transcription accuracy.

The transcription pipeline has also been optimized with parallel CPU and GPU processing. Because the new model is more computationally complex, it may still run slower than the previous model on some devices.

You can switch between transcription models at any time in Settings.

Bug Fixes and Improvements
• Improved the bug report view on iOS.
• Transcription tasks are now properly cancelled when closing the transcription window on macOS.
• Improved localized window names on macOS.
• Improved efficiency when transcribing multiple files at once.
• Fixed a sustain-related bug when importing MIDI files.
• Improved the audio normalization algorithm. The previous version could be too aggressive and sometimes caused notes to be cut short.

### 2.4 — 2026-06-13

New Features
- New editing sidebar on iPad and larger iPhones in landscape  
- New Insert Note and Edit Pitch dialogs on iOS/iPadOS for easier pitch editing  
- New score markup functionality

Improvements
- General stability improvements and bug fixes to significantly reduce crashes and errors  
- Improved session resume after long inactivity (audio engine now restores correctly)  
- Fixed timing issues when importing MIDI files with variable tempo  
- Localization updates and fixes  
- Undo/Redo improvements: consistent labels and more reliable behavior  
- Fixed memory issues caused by unreleased objects and circular references  
- Undo history is now properly cleared when entering a new view  
- Fixed cases where some buttons could become unresponsive  
- Exported MIDI resolution updated to 4800 PPQ to improve compatibility with other software  

Music Score Editing
- Smoother scrolling in the Engraving view  
- Engraving view now auto-fits horizontally when opened  
- Fixed top margin so content isn’t obstructed by the toolbar or Dynamic Island when scrolled to the top  
- Fixed an issue where shifting chords across measures could result in incorrect pitch  
- Clearer labels and improved Info/Help screens  
- Selection handling for edit actions + Undo/Redo is now more consistent  
- Moving notes can no longer creates duplicate notes in block chords  
- Fixed “Insert Note” placing notes in unexpected locations  
- Layout engine rewritten for better performance and fewer layout issues  
- Measure lengths are now correctly fitted on import  
- Added thumbnails for engraving files  
- Fixed a critical issue that could distort imported MIDI

Localizations
Thanks to agentic coding and WWDC 27, the app is now available in Japanese, French, and German.  
Please note: since the developer doesn’t speak these languages, some translations may be inaccurate. If you spot any issues, please report them to help us improve.

### 2.3 — 2026-05-19

- Music Engraving view is now center aligned.
- Add `Mark All Accidentals` feature
- Add `Limit Duration` feature
- Improve video rendering pipeline for OS26 devices.
- Improvements and bug fixes.

### 2.2 — 2026-04-05

New Features
- You can now import MusicXML files.
- When you import a MIDI file, the app will ask if you want to make music sheet or view piano roll. (Thanks to @vinhquach for the suggestion) #3
- You can now create octave shifts.
- When you open a file created using a newer version, this app will attempt to open it. If it does, it will make a copy to prevent data loss.
- Improves toolbar style on iOS.
- You can now refine the note velocities in an imported score by providing the original audio. The app will analyze the audio’s dynamics and applies them to improve the score’s velocity data.

Bug Fixes & Improvements
- Fixed crash when you shift part of a beam to other measure, then shift it back without using redo, then redo.
- Distance between two staves is now adjusted automatically.
- Fixed the bug where selecting multiple notes only plays the last note. 
- Engraving Engine improvements.
- Resolved FLAC import issue. (Thanks to @vinhquach) #2
- Fixed potential write issue on macOS. (Thanks to @vinhquach) #4
- You can now long press undo / redo buttons in EngravingView to view action name. (iOS only)
- Undo / redo improvements & localization fixes.
- Improves how lasso select gesture interacts with scroll gesture. (iOS only)

### 2.1 — 2026-01-08

What’s New

• Smoother engraving export and a new Settings & Info menu
• New option in Settings to disable GPU for CPU/Neural Engine–only processing
• Auto-normalization is now enabled by default (your existing custom setting is preserved)
• Now supports transcription workflows via the Shortcuts app
• Improved post-processing descriptions to make features easier to understand
• Refined engraving editing style, context menus, symbols, and measure configuration view
• Improved keyboard shortcuts and Undo toolbar
• “Steepen Beam”, “Flatten Beam”, and “Merge Into Chord” now produce better results
• Edited MIDI files in MIDI Workspace now automatically replace the originals to keep your projects tidy

Engraving document compatibility

• Stem steepness information is now stored in a new format. If you open a file created with this version in an older version of the app, stem steepness data may be discarded.
• When you open older documents in this version, their existing stem steepness information is preserved and migrated to the new format.

Stability and bug fixes

• Fixed issues with Music Engraving stem editing when only some notes in a subdivision are selected
• Fixed cases where playback could continue after leaving the engraving view or closing it while playing
• Fixed a soft-lock when opening a file with Express Mode enabled
• Fixed undo/redo issues after refreshing and a potential crash when undoing
• Fixed selection edge cases and potential file import bugs
• Fixed a visual issue with sheet coloring after inserting a new measure
• Fixed various localization issues

Reviews

• The app may occasionally ask for a review at an appropriate moment to help others discover it. You will only be asked once.

## Apps similar to Piano Transcriptionist

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| [KODAI - Audio to midi](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kodai-audio-to-midi/id1518032115) | 2.2 (5) | Free | Music |
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| [Piano2Notes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piano2notes/id1589420929) | 4.3 (294) | Free | Music |
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## More apps by Weida Fan

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- [Piano Visualizer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piano-visualizer/id6739029911)
- [VocalRemover: Vocal Separation](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vocalremover-vocal-separation/id6746551939)

All apps by Weida Fan: https://appshunter.io/developer/1622755748

## Related topics

[piano transcriptionist](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/piano-transcriptionist) · [midi converter](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/midi-converter) · [transcriptionist](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/transcriptionist) · [midi dark](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/midi-dark) · [music transcription](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/music-transcription) · [melody scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/melody-scanner)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-23.*