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madisonrickert/ableton-sheet-music-extension

24TypeScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

TLDR

An Ableton Live extension that displays MIDI clips as traditional sheet music with instrument transposition presets and export to PDF, PNG, or MusicXML.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Ableton Sheet Music))
    What It Does
      MIDI to notation
      Instrument transpose
      Grid adjustment
    Export Options
      PDF
      PNG
      MusicXML
    Tech Stack
      TypeScript
      Ableton Extensions SDK
    Use Cases
      Classical musicians
      Score sharing
      Score editing
    Setup
      Ableton Live 12.4.5 plus
      Single file install
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

View any MIDI clip as readable sheet music inside Ableton without switching to another notation app

USE CASE 2

Transpose written parts for transposing instruments like alto saxophone automatically

USE CASE 3

Export finished sheet music as a PDF for printing or sharing with performers

USE CASE 4

Convert MIDI to MusicXML to continue editing in MuseScore or Dorico

Tech stack

TypeScriptAbleton Extensions SDK

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Ableton Live 12.4.5 or newer with the Extensions feature enabled, which was in beta when the README was written.

In plain English

This is an extension for Ableton Live, a popular music production program, that lets you see the notes in a MIDI clip displayed as traditional sheet music. MIDI clips in Ableton are typically viewed as colored bars on a piano roll grid, which is not how classically trained musicians read music. This extension bridges that gap by rendering the same notes as proper notation with staffs, clefs, and time signatures. To use it, you right-click any MIDI clip in Ableton and choose "Show Chart" from the extensions menu. A window opens showing the clip as readable sheet music. From there you can transpose the notation for a specific instrument: if you're writing a part for an alto saxophone, for example, you can switch to that preset and the extension will automatically shift the written pitches and key signature to match how that instrument reads music. You can also adjust the rhythmic grid if the automatic detection is not quite right, override the time signature, and choose between a single staff or a grand staff for piano-style material. When you're done, you can export the sheet music as a PDF, a PNG image, or a MusicXML file. MusicXML is a standard format that opens in notation programs like MuseScore or Dorico, so you can continue editing the sheet music outside Ableton. Installing the extension requires Ableton Live version 12.4.5 or newer with the Extensions feature enabled, which was in beta at the time the README was written. You download a single file with the .ablx extension and drag it into Ableton's preferences. No extra software is needed to run it. If you want to modify or build it yourself, the project is written in TypeScript and requires the Ableton Extensions SDK, which you must obtain separately from Ableton.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I have a MIDI piano clip in Ableton Live. Walk me through using the ableton-sheet-music-extension to view it as sheet music and export it as a PDF.
Prompt 2
I am writing an alto saxophone part in Ableton. How do I use this extension to automatically transpose and display the notes in the correct written key for that instrument?
Prompt 3
I want to export my Ableton MIDI clip as MusicXML so I can open it in MuseScore. How do I install and use ableton-sheet-music-extension to do that?
Prompt 4
How do I build and modify the ableton-sheet-music-extension TypeScript source myself? What SDK do I need and where do I get it?
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