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FAQ 4 - Miscellaneous Questions about Transcribe!

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  1. "Is there (or will there be) a version of Transcribe! for iOS or Android?"

    No there isn't, and I am not planning to develop one. There are already quite a few slow-down- and-loop applications available for iPad/iPhone/Android. Transcribe! is quite full featured, and this is what distinguishes it from other applications in the same general area. But if I did a version for smartphones and tablets, it would be necessary to lose quite a lot of features. This would result in a product that wouldn't be very much different from other products already out there - so what would be the point of that?
    Incidentally there is a product called "Transcribe+" for iOS which has nothing to do with Seventh String Software. I wish they had not used such a similar name as it can cause confusion.

  2. "Given that Transcribe! is not available for iPad/iPhone/Android, what software would you recommend for these devices?"

    There is a list of related software for iPad/iPhone/Android on this page. I'm not going to recommend any particular one because they all have different features, so which one suits you is going to depend very much on which features you consider most important.

  3. "Is Transcribe! for Mac available in the Mac App Store?"

    No, and I don't have any immediate plans to make it available. I don't see any great advantage to it, and I do see various drawbacks.

    • No trial/demo versions (Apple don't allow them)
    • Appleā€™s cut (Why would I want to give Apple 30% of every purchase?)
    • No direct relationship with customers (I can't tell who has bought it)
    • Not knowing if an app will be rejected (After doing the work to make the app compatible with the App Store, Apple might reject it anyway)
    • Quite a few universities and music colleges use Transcribe! : they get a big volume discount and they install centrally on a server. As far as I know, the Mac App Store has no support at all for this kind of purchase and installation. I don't think the Mac App Store is intended for applications like Transcribe!

  4. "How do you slow down music without changing the pitch?"

    Click here for a discussion of the subject.

  5. "Where can I find someone to transcribe some music for me?"
    "Do you accept music transcribing jobs?"

    No, I'm too busy working on the software and running Seventh String. Visit Google and search for "music transcription service".

  6. "Is it possible to transcribe music automatically?"
    "Why does the automatic transcription program I have bought, produce such a useless result?"

    Automatic transcription of music is very difficult and as far as I know there is no program that can produce a usable result, unless possibly on some very simple material such as a one-note-at-a-time instrument recorded without accompaniment. Even then it probably won't get the rhythms anywhere near, though it should be able to recognise the notes.
    Certainly there is software out there that claims to do automatic transcription (click here) but in my view some of these products make rather exaggerated claims about what they can do.
    Also see here for a further reflection of mine on this subject.

  7. "How can I get work as a music transcriber?"

    I would suggest you check out existing services to see what they offer (visit Google and search for "music transcription service"). Set up a website offering your services. And then use your imagination (but don't use spam) to make people such as musicians, music publishers, etc, aware of your existence. It might be worth contacting existing transcription services as they might want to subcontract.

  8. "Is there any printed documentation?"

    No. The Help files and the website FAQ are all the documentation there is. If they are missing anything, please let me know.

  9. "Is Transcribe! available in any language other than English?"

    Not at present. Transcribe! is aimed at a small niche market and does not at present earn the kind of money that could justify such effort and expense. I consider that developing the software further is a more effective way to spend my time. Maybe in the future.