By June Ramli
Sydney, Jan 16: Fresh from CES 2025, I came across a piece of tech that could change how we learn and play piano.
Imagine transforming any YouTube song into a piano piece.
It sounded too good to ignore, so I reached out to the founder for a trial.
To my delight, they agreed and offered me 10 free credits to test it out.
With the credits in hand, I decided to experiment with a mix of songs: MimiFly’s Angkat, P. Ramlee’s Bunyi Guitar, Sudirman’s Selamat Hari Raya, and Bruno Mars’ Talking to the Moon.
The process was straightforward—paste the YouTube link into the app, confirm that you have the rights to modify the song, and let the tech work its magic.
The only requirement is that the video has to be under 15 minutes.
What I found was fascinating.
The transcriptions of the Malay songs turned out quite different from the originals, but Bruno Mars’ track was almost identical.
This made it clear that the app is currently better suited for Western music, which isn’t surprising given its French roots.
It’s not a perfect tool—you’ll need some musical knowledge to fix any transcription errors.
But for what it does, it’s impressive.
For example, it even includes a companion feature that shows you which keys to press on the piano, making it a useful tool for learners.
The free version is quite limited, as it only allows downloads of pieces shorter than 30 seconds.
If you opt for the paid version, you can download your transcriptions in formats like PDF, MIDI, or XML, but they’re only stored in the app for 30 days.
PianoConvert, developed by the French start-up La Touche Musicale, was launched in 2023 after years of research. The company started in 2020 with a piano-learning app and quickly gained traction among music enthusiasts.
With PianoConvert, they’ve taken things a step further by offering a tool that simplifies the transcription of piano music from YouTube or audio files.
The app has seen significant upgrades, including improved accuracy—now at 98 per cent—and faster transcription speeds.
It’s clear that the developers are dedicated to continuous improvement.
While most users are based in the United States, France, Italy, and Germany, the app is gaining traction in Australia, where subscriptions start at €9 per month.
The Australian user base is small but growing, showing that there’s global interest in what this technology can do.
At CES 2025, La Touche Musicale showcased PianoConvert and highlighted plans to expand their AI-driven tools to other instruments.
GuitarConvert, VoiceConvert, and DrumConvert are already in the pipeline, promising to bring similar innovation to other areas of music.
If you’re a pianist—or just someone who loves music—PianoConvert is worth checking out.
While it’s not perfect for every genre, it’s a fantastic tool for creating sheet music from popular tracks.
With its growing popularity, including a solid foothold in Australia, it’s exciting to see how this app will continue to evolve.
Disclaimer: The writer received 10 free credits to test this software for the review. The review was conducted in one afternoon, and the results are shared honestly.
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