Transcription
Send a recording, a rough chart, or a photograph of a manuscript. You get back a clean, engraved score, and parts if you need them.
What I work from
- An audio recording; studio, rehearsal, or live
- Video, including a phone recording of a performance
- A handwritten manuscript, photographed or scanned
- A chord chart or lead sheet that needs turning into full notation
- An existing PDF that needs to become an editable, correctly engraved score
What arrives
- A conductor's score on A3 (or Tabloid), engraved to a consistent house style
- Parts on A4 (or Letter), laid out with practical page turns
- MusicXML, so the music is yours to edit afterwards in whatever notation software you use
- A playback render, so you can check it before the first rehearsal
What affects the price
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Length of the finished music | The single biggest factor. |
| Number of parts | A four-part hymn and a full orchestral texture are very different jobs. |
| Quality of the source | A clean studio recording is quicker than a phone recording of a noisy room. I can usually work from either; it just changes the time. |
| Whether you need parts as well as a score | Parts take real time to lay out properly. |
| Deadline | Ordinary turnaround costs less than a rush. |
Tell me what you have and I'll quote for the actual job rather than a rate card.
A note on copyright
Transcribing music that is still in copyright needs the rights holder's permission, and that is the client's to obtain. I'm happy to say what's likely to be needed. Music out of copyright, your own material, and your own recordings are all straightforward.