Backbeat Forge logo Backbeat Forge Drum transcription
Drum transcription

Backbeat Forge Hear the pocket. Read the part. Forge the drum chart.

Backbeat Forge is a local drum-transcription workbench for turning a full mix or isolated drum stem into readable, editable five-line drum notation with PDF and General MIDI delivery.

Download Community Free
Drum transcription workbench

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Drum transcription workbench Open full size
Drum transcription workbench A source-first workspace for detection, score review, playback, and export.
Editable five-line drum score Open full size
Editable five-line drum score Inspect and correct kit piece, articulation, velocity, timing, and written rhythm in a score that follows the application theme.
Direct isolated-drum workflow Open full size
Direct isolated-drum workflow Open an existing drum stem, skip full-mix separation, and move directly into reviewable onset analysis.
MIDI performance import Open full size
MIDI performance import Bring a drum MIDI performance into the same editable five-line notation workspace without running audio analysis.
Floating stem mixer during playback Open full size
Floating stem mixer during playback Balance the generated drums and accompaniment buses with master gain, per-track volume, mute, and solo while reviewing the chart.

Drum transcription with source evidence

A groove is more than a row of onset markers.

Backbeat Forge keeps the recording, performed timing, kit-piece classification, written rhythm, and export draft connected so a drummer can review the machine pass instead of trusting it blindly.

01

Start from the source you actually have

  • Open a full mix for local drum separation or an isolated drum stem for direct onset analysis.
  • Full mixes can use local HTDemucs drum separation; isolated stems skip that work.
  • Low-confidence detections remain reviewable instead of being presented as certain.
02

Edit notation, not a fake piano roll

  • Move hits in time or between kit pieces, change velocity and articulation, add missing hits, and delete false positives.
  • Upper and lower notation voices produce rests, stems, beams, normal heads, and cymbal X heads.
  • The editor and PDF use the same kit-to-staff semantics.
03

The current draft is what leaves the app

  • PDF export creates printable A4 drum notation with measures, meter, tempo, articulation, and pagination.
  • MIDI export writes General MIDI percussion on channel 10 with velocity and articulation-aware notes.
  • Exports consume the current edited score, not an older analysis snapshot.
04

Community is free; Professional is a one-time license

  • Community keeps drum detection and five-line score viewing available for evaluation.
  • A $19 lifetime Professional license includes one machine-bound activation for one user and unlocks editing, quantization, PDF export, and MIDI export.
  • The $49 Team license carries the same Professional workflow across three machine-bound seats without a subscription.

Free

Drum detection and five-line score viewing for evaluating the transcription before purchasing export and editing tools.

  • Drum detection
  • Five-line score viewing

Professional

One-time professional license with one machine-bound activation for one user, plus editing, quantization, PDF export, MIDI export, and offline updates.

  • Advanced editing
  • Quantization
  • MIDI export
  • PDF export
License details

Before using Backbeat Forge

A local full mix or isolated drum stem in WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, or AAC, plus percussion MIDI in .mid or .midi. Full mixes can use local separation; drum stems go directly to onset analysis; MIDI enters the same score editor.

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Backbeat Forge

Backbeat Forge is a local drum-transcription workbench for turning a full mix or isolated drum stem into readable, editable five-line drum notation with PDF and General MIDI delivery.

Use cases and boundaries

When Backbeat Forge is the right tool.

Product boundary

Full-mix quality, local separation, tempo, meter, onset confidence, and kit mapping

Workflow

Open Full mix, transcribe locally, review the main groove against the recording, correct the five-line score, and save a .bforge project before delivery.

Workflow

  1. When a song needs an automatic drum-transcription draft

    Open the full mix, separate drums locally, inspect confidence, and turn the detected groove into a five-line score the drummer can challenge.

  2. When an isolated drum stem needs sheet music

    Skip source separation, analyze onsets directly, correct kit placement and articulation, and save the result as a reusable project.

  3. When private rehearsal audio should stay local

    Use the bundled model and runtime on Windows or Linux so decoding, separation, detection, and project saving do not require a cloud upload.

  4. When automatic notation needs human correction

    Keep source playback beside the score, then add, delete, move, quantize, and reclassify hits before treating the chart as finished.

  5. When a transcription must survive another session

    Save a versioned .bforge project with score, source fingerprint, analysis choices, mixer controls, and workspace state.

  6. When the reviewed part must leave the app

    Export printable five-line PDF or General MIDI channel-10 percussion from the current edited draft, not the first machine pass.