Free online FLAC to GP4 converter

A guitarist may need a GP4 file to edit or share a score in Guitar Pro 4, while the source they have is a FLAC recording. FLAC contains audio, not notes or tablature, so producing a useful GP4 requires transcription rather than a simple audio-format change.

What the FLAC format is

FLAC is a lossless compressed audio format: it reduces file size without discarding audio data. You may encounter it in music libraries, CD rips, and recordings exported by audio software; ripping tools such as Exact Audio Copy and fre:ac can create FLAC files.

What the GP4 format is

GP4 is the Guitar Pro 4 score and tablature format. It stores musical information such as notes, guitar tablature, tracks, and timing for editing and playback in compatible notation software; it does not store a recording of the performance.

How to convert FLAC to GP4

Because the formats represent different things, a converter must infer musical notes from the recording. The result may need correction, especially if the FLAC contains several instruments or a full mix.

Online on 101convert.com

1. Open the FLAC-to-GP4 converter on 101convert.com and upload the FLAC file. The page also allows batch conversion; its per-file size limit is shown there.
2. Choose GP4 as the output format and start the conversion.
3. Download the resulting file and check that its notes and tracks match the recording.

Offline with desktop software

For local processing, use Spotify’s open-source Basic Pitch to transcribe the audio to MIDI, then TuxGuitar to import the MIDI and save a GP4 file. Basic Pitch is available as a Python package; TuxGuitar runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

1. Install FFmpeg and Basic Pitch. Convert the FLAC to WAV with ffmpeg -i input.flac input.wav, then run basic-pitch output/ input.wav. Basic Pitch writes a MIDI transcription into the output folder.
2. Open the MIDI file in TuxGuitar using File → Import → MIDI. Review the imported parts and correct the notes, timing, and instrument tracks as needed.
3. Save through File → Save As, selecting Guitar Pro 4 format or using a .gp4 filename if the format is chosen by extension.

Quality and limitations

Audio-to-MIDI transcription estimates pitches and timing; it does not reliably recover the original guitar fingering, tuning, bends, or tablature positions. Polyphonic mixes and distorted guitar can produce substantial errors, so inspect the MIDI-derived score before using it as a finished GP4 chart.