Music OCR that reads a page like a musician.
Optical music recognition turns printed notation into data. Opuscan's AI reads every staff, note and symbol in musical context, then hands you a score you can edit, transpose, play and export.
.musicxmlHow music OCR works in Opuscan.
- Import a pageDrop in a PDF or image on the desktop app, or photograph the page on your phone.
- The AI reads itStaves, pitches, rhythms, lyrics and dynamics are recognised together, in context.
- Edit and exportCorrect anything flagged, then export MusicXML, MIDI, PDF or MP3.
Every conversion is powered by Opuscan's OMR optical music recognition (OMR).
Recognition, not guesswork.
Music OCR, answered.
What is music OCR?
Music OCR, also called optical music recognition (OMR), is software that reads an image of printed sheet music and rebuilds it as structured notation that a computer understands. Unlike text OCR, it has to read pitch, rhythm and layout at once. See how Opuscan's recognition works.
How do I digitise sheet music?
Scan or photograph the page, or start from a PDF, and let the recognition read it. What comes back is structured notation rather than an image, so it can be edited, transposed, played and exported to MusicXML or MIDI. A printed page becomes a file your notation software understands.
Is there free music OCR software?
Free and open-source engines exist, but accuracy on real-world scans is usually the trade-off. Opuscan uses one-time credit packs instead of a subscription: one credit per page, credits never expire and you only spend them on pages you actually convert.
Can I scan sheet music online?
Opuscan is an app rather than a browser tool, which is what lets it handle multi-page PDFs and photograph pages directly. It runs on macOS, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android.
How does this compare with open-source music OCR?
Open-source engines such as Audiveris are capable and free, but they typically need setting up and careful input, and struggle with imperfect scans. Opuscan is a maintained product with a model we train ourselves, so recognition improves with every release.
How accurate is it?
Clear printed or engraved notation converts most accurately; anything the engine is unsure of is flagged for you to correct. Handwritten music and tablature are not supported. See best practices for accurate scans.