Quantize and clean it

Automatic scores with Ai

Even in Garage Band

AI is already beginning to do this, but it is not yet perfectly reliable for complex parts like the synth solo in Tom Sawyer by Rush. However, the technology is advancing quickly.

Let’s look at where things stand.

1. What AI can already do (2026)

AI systems can already perform automatic music transcription — turning audio into notes or MIDI.

Some tools that musicians use now include:

• AnthemScore – converts recordings into sheet music

• Melodyne – very accurate pitch detection

• ScoreCloud – generates notation from audio or MIDI

• Ableton Live – can convert audio to MIDI

These work quite well for single-line melodies.

But they struggle when:

• instruments overlap

• heavy synthesizer effects are used

• timing is complex (like Rush).

2. Why the Tom Sawyer synth solo is difficult

The synth solo played by Geddy Lee has several transcription challenges:

• pitch bends

• analog synth filter movement

• fast runs

• layered effects

AI must separate pitch from timbre and modulation, which is still difficult.

A human transcriber can still do it more accurately.

3. Where AI will likely be in a few years

Within 3–5 years, AI will probably be able to:

• upload a song

• isolate any instrument

• generate accurate MIDI and full score

including:

• articulation

• pitch bends

• modulation

This is called source separation + symbolic transcription.

4. Something you can already do with your setup

Since you mentioned using Arturia keyboards with GarageBand, there is already a practical workaround.

If you load the song into GarageBand and run:

• audio → MIDI conversion

• then quantize and clean it

you can often get 80–90% of the notes of a synth solo.

Then you refine it manually.

5. A fascinating historical irony

Back in 1981, when Tom Sawyer was recorded, musicians sometimes spent days transcribing solos by ear.

Now AI can do a rough version in seconds.

Even Neil Peart once joked that progressive rock required listeners to “do homework.”

AI is starting to do the homework.

✅ If you want, I can also show you something very interesting:

The synth patch used in Tom Sawyer (the Oberheim sound) and how you can recreate it on your Arturia controller in GarageBand. It’s one of the most famous synthesizer sounds ever.