The price of professional MP3 to sheet music transcription?

[kakeithewolf]

There is a particular recording of mine that I've been wanting to get transcribed to sheet music, and I know there are people who provide the service of MP3 to sheet music transcriptions. The question I have is, what is the price of this, in terms of dollars per minute?

[ale_ius]

I've been quoted from 50-75 dollars (US dollars) per minute when I shopped around for the service.

[kakeithewolf]

At 50, that totals... 450 bucks. Holy crap.

[perfect_pitch]

Yeah Kakei...

I charge $70AUS, but usually I can do it to an extreme degree of perfection. I usually do the first 30 seconds, send it to the person to show them the quality of my work thus far, and ask if they'd like me to continue. If they agree, I continue on and discuss payment and once payment is received I send them the whole sheet music.

It will however be a very professionally transcribed, spaced and notated piece of music in PDF or Sibelius format.

[quantum]

Don't underestimate the value of a well prepared score.  A good transcriber and engraver is worth the price. 

[kakeithewolf]

Well, it's a good thing I got prices here. I heard of one person that charged 250 dollars a minute. Which, with the recording I have, would be $2,250.

I guess this is something I should save up for, then.

[awesom_o]

I charge $70AUS, but usually I can do it to an extreme degree of perfection. I usually do the first 30 seconds, send it to the person to show them the quality of my work thus far, and ask if they'd like me to continue. If they agree, I continue on and discuss payment and once payment is received I send them the whole sheet music.

You would be willing to transcribe one whole minute of my most virtuoso improvisations for only $70?

[kakeithewolf]

You would be willing to transcribe one whole minute of my most virtuoso improvisations for only $70?

Probably. One advantage, though, is that he would make 70 bucks even for one minute of a largo prelude.

[timothy42b]

There is a particular recording of mine

As in, a recording you played? 

Just get a MIDI keyboard and play it again.  You'll have to edit a bit to make it look good but any number of programs can capture it.

If not one of your own compositions, you could use a slow-down program and transcribe it yourself. 

[kakeithewolf]

As in, a recording you played? 

Just get a MIDI keyboard and play it again.  You'll have to edit a bit to make it look good but any number of programs can capture it.

If not one of your own compositions, you could use a slow-down program and transcribe it yourself. 

The problem was that it was completely improvised. Trying to replicate a nine minute improvisation is beyond my ability.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

When it's your own playing, you should transcribe it yourself. It is a very valuable lesson in terms of formal discipline if you have any aspirations compositionally, and will likewise also benefit the organisational aspects of your playing. Use slow-down utilities if necessary - Audacity etc. As it's improvisational, ANY attempt to notate it will be somewhat approximate, and if you improvise regularly you'll be more aware than any potential transcriber of the typical figurations you gravitate to.

[perfect_pitch]

You would be willing to transcribe one whole minute of my most virtuoso improvisations for only $70?

You DO realise I do the transcriptions simply because it's easy. Yes, having the money is nice, but I don't really care about the difficulty. I do it because it fills the spare time between practices.

[kakeithewolf]

When it's your own playing, you should transcribe it yourself. It is a very valuable lesson in terms of formal discipline if you have any aspirations compositionally, and will likewise also benefit the organisational aspects of your playing. Use slow-down utilities if necessary - Audacity etc. As it's improvisational, ANY attempt to notate it will be somewhat approximate, and if you improvise regularly you'll be more aware than any potential transcriber of the typical figurations you gravitate to.

You act as if I haven't actually tried to do this. I have, extensively. But I would have much more faith in someone who isn't as much a greenhorn as I.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

You act as if I haven't actually tried to do this. I have, extensively. But I would have much more faith in someone who isn't as much a greenhorn as I.

Ok, I accept the faith aspect. What has been the stumbling block, incidentally? I've written out several very notey improvisations of my own so I have some insight into potential problems and know just how much hard work it can be.

[kakeithewolf]

Ok, I accept the faith aspect. What has been the stumbling block, incidentally? I've written out several very notey improvisations of my own so I have some insight into potential problems and know just how much hard work it can be.

My knowledge of theory is... lacking.

[awesom_o]

You DO realise I do the transcriptions simply because it's easy. Yes, having the money is nice, but I don't really care about the difficulty. I do it because it fills the spare time between practices.

It doesn't make sense that you couldn't care about the difficulty. Transcribing one minute of music could either be an easy way to make $70, or it could be a very, very difficult way to make $70, depending on the music that is being transcribed...

[ronde_des_sylphes]

My knowledge of theory is... lacking.

Ok, I can see that might be a problem. Sibelius etc will keep you on the right path to a certain extent in terms of musical grammar, but can only do so much.

[kakeithewolf]

Ok, I can see that might be a problem. Sibelius etc will keep you on the right path to a certain extent in terms of musical grammar, but can only do so much.

Sibelius cannot from an amateur a master make.

[perfect_pitch]

It doesn't make sense that you couldn't care about the difficulty. Transcribing one minute of music could either be an easy way to make $70, or it could be a very, very difficult way to make $70, depending on the music that is being transcribed...

Well that's how I've done it so far... How does one put a price on difficulty when transcribing? How else should I be charging then???

[awesom_o]

If your pricing strategy is working well for you, that's fantastic!

The only point I was trying to make was that it would be quite a good wage, $70 per minute of music, if you were transcribing recordings of George Winston improvising.

If you had to transcribe the improvisations of Cecil Taylor or Art Tatum, well, $70 per minute of music wouldn't be such a great wage....