# Rhythm Extractor Analyze a drum track or full mix into a step-sequencer pattern: BPM, beat grid, kick/snare/hi-hat hits quantized per bar, drum MIDI, and an HTML grid report. > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/rhythm-extractor - **Category:** Media - **Keywords:** rhythm extractor, drum pattern, groove extraction, drum transcription, step sequencer, beat grid, drum midi, bpm detection, onset detection, groove template ## Overview Classic automatic drum transcription, no training data needed. Tempo and the beat grid come from onset-envelope autocorrelation; drum hits are detected per register with log-compressed spectral flux — kick 20–100 Hz, snare body 150–500 Hz confirmed by a 2–4 kHz crack within ±30 ms, hi-hats 6–12 kHz — then quantized onto a 16th (or 8th / triplet-8th) grid at tatum level, exactly the pooling modern ADT research uses. The downbeat is anchored to the strongest low-band beat, 4/4 is assumed, and a swing percentage is estimated from how far off-beat eighths land from their grid slots. Deliverables: a standalone HTML report with the step grid, a General MIDI drum file (kick 36 / snare 38 / closed hat 42, velocities from hit strength), a machine-readable pattern JSON, and optionally a click-track WAV aligned to the detected grid — bundled as a ZIP pack, or exported singly. Feed a separated drum stem for the cleanest grid; on a full mix, bass and pads can mask the low band. ## Inputs - **Drum track or full mix** (file) - **Grid resolution** (select) - **Bars to extract** (number): e.g. 8 - **Sensitivity** (select) - **Export** (select) - **Include click track (WAV)** (checkbox) ## When to use - When transcribing live drum stems or recorded drum breaks into editable MIDI data for your DAW. - When analyzing the tempo, swing percentage, and groove grid of an existing drum performance or full mix. - When exporting quantized drum patterns into machine-readable JSON or visual HTML step-sequencer reports. ## How it works - Upload an audio file containing a isolated drum track or a mixed section. - Select your target grid resolution (16th notes, 8th notes, or triplet 8ths), bar length, and detection sensitivity. - The algorithm detects tempo and downbeats via autocorrelation, isolates kick, snare, and hi-hat frequencies, and quantizes hits to the grid. - Download the transcribed drum pattern as a General MIDI file, structured JSON, visual HTML report, or a bundled ZIP archive. ## Use cases - Converting sampled acoustic drum breaks into MIDI sequences for virtual instrument playback. - Extracting velocity and timing groove templates into JSON for music software and web audio tools. - Generating visual rhythm step sheets and aligned metronome click tracks for drum practice and analysis. ## Frequently asked questions ### What audio formats and source materials work best? Standard audio files are supported up to 100 MB. Isolated drum stems produce the cleanest transcriptions, whereas full mixes may introduce masking from basslines or synthesizers. ### Which drum instruments are transcribed? The extractor targets three core elements: kick drums (20–100 Hz), snare drums (150–500 Hz body with 2–4 kHz crack), and hi-hats (6–12 kHz). ### What MIDI mapping is used for the output file? The exported MIDI file adheres to the General MIDI drum standard, mapping kick hits to note 36, snare hits to note 38, and closed hi-hats to note 42 with velocities derived from hit strength. ### How does the tool handle swing and shuffle rhythms? It quantizes hits to your chosen grid resolution, supports triplet 8th-note steps, and calculates estimated swing percentages based on off-beat timing offsets. ### What files are included in the Full Pack export? The Full Pack ZIP includes an interactive HTML visual step report, a standard MIDI drum file, pattern data in JSON format, a README summary, and an optional aligned click-track WAV. ## Related tools - [Audio Melody Contour Extractor](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-melody-contour-extractor): Extract a dominant melody path from audio and export MIDI, note events, a pitch contour, SVG, and JSON in one ZIP. - [Data URI Generator](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/data-uri-generator): Convert files into Data URIs (Base64 or percent-encoded) for inlining images, fonts, and assets directly into HTML, CSS, or Markdown - [Audio Digital Release Packager](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-digital-release-packager): Package an album for digital distribution: distributor-profile compliance checks, cover-art validation, MP3 previews, FLAC archive copies and a delivery ZIP with a README and machine-readable manifest. - [Audio to Multitrack MIDI (Draft)](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-to-multitrack-midi): Split a full mix into stems (drums/bass/other/vocals) and transcribe each to MIDI — a multi-track starting point for transcription - [Audio Cutter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-cutter): Cut and extract audio clips from audio files with precise time selection - [Image Sequence to Video](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/image-sequence-to-video): Convert uploaded image files or a ZIP archive of frames into a video, sorted naturally by filename - [Video Audio Extract Enhanced](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/video-audio-extract-enhanced): Extract audio from video files with advanced options - multiple formats, quality settings, and audio enhancement - [Video to WAV Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/video-to-wav): Extract audio from video and convert to WAV (PCM) with optional resampling and channel selection ## Samples - [Copyright-Free MP3 Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/mp3-samples): Collection of royalty-free audio samples for testing and development purposes including nature sounds, meditation music, and ambient audio - [Copyright-Free WAV Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/wav-samples): Uncompressed PCM WAV audio samples for testing and development, mirrored from MP3 set with nature sounds and meditation music - [Copyright-Free Raw PCM Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/pcm-samples): Raw PCM s16le audio samples featuring nature ambience and relaxing music for waveform, playback, and conversion workflows - [Speech Learning & Safety Audio Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/audio-learning-safety-samples): Deterministic synthetic WAV inputs for pronunciation comparison, dictation preflight, alert degradation, and voice privacy tools.