Free online M4R to MIDI converter

A ringtone in M4R format must be transcribed to MIDI when you want to edit its notes in a sequencer or notation program. The conversion estimates musical events from recorded sound; it does not preserve the ringtone’s original audio.

What the M4R format is

M4R is an Apple ringtone file format, typically containing AAC-encoded audio in an MPEG-4 container. iPhone ringtones made or exported with GarageBand commonly use this extension; M4R files also appear in Apple Music or iTunes ringtone libraries.

What the MIDI format is

MIDI stores events such as note pitches, start times, durations, velocities, and instrument or controller changes. Sequencers and notation programs can edit those events, but MIDI contains no recorded sound; playback depends on the synthesizer or sound library used.

How to convert M4R to MIDI

This is audio-to-MIDI transcription, not a lossless format change. The software analyzes the sound and estimates notes, so results depend on the recording.

Online on 101convert.com

1. Open the M4R-to-MIDI converter on 101convert.com and add the M4R file. The page shows the per-file size limit; it also supports converting several files in one batch.
2. Choose MIDI as the output format and start the conversion.
3. Download the resulting MIDI file.

Offline with desktop software

Basic Pitch is free, open-source audio-to-MIDI software available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Install FFmpeg and Basic Pitch, then convert the M4R audio to WAV and transcribe it:

1. In a terminal, run ffmpeg -i input.m4r -ar 22050 -ac 1 input.wav. Replace input.m4r with the source filename.
2. Install Basic Pitch with python -m pip install basic-pitch, then run basic-pitch output input.wav. The generated MIDI file is saved in the output folder.

AnthemScore is a commercial desktop option for Windows and macOS. If it does not accept the M4R file directly, first convert it to WAV with FFmpeg as above. Open the WAV in AnthemScore, review the detected notes, then use File → Export and select MIDI.

Quality and limitations

MIDI transcription can miss quiet notes, confuse overlapping pitches, or misread percussion and harmonics as notes. A ringtone with one clear melody generally transcribes more reliably than dense chords or a full mix. Expect to correct pitches and timing in a MIDI editor; the output will not reproduce the M4R recording’s voice, effects, or instrument sound.