Song Master review
A broad song-analysis toolkit, with advanced transcription output reserved for Pro.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Song Master is desktop software for musicians, transcribers, and producers who need to study songs, practice passages, and turn audio into editable musical material. It analyzes tempo, beats, bars, key, time signatures, sections, and chords, while chord editing can include bass-note identification. Playback controls support speed changes, looping, key changes, and phrase training. Synchronized lyrics can also be imported, edited, and displayed. It runs on Windows and macOS, with a time-limited demo mode that allows 15 minutes per run but does not save changes.
The main distinction is the split between the two one-time purchase plans. Song Master 5 costs $79.95 and includes song analysis, chord detection, four-stem separation, and practice and playback tools. Its mixer provides solo, mute, volume, and pan controls for separated parts, including vocals, drums, bass, and other audio. Song Master Pro 5 costs $139.95 and adds six-stem separation, audio-to-MIDI conversion, a MIDI editor, and MusicXML, PDF, and text export. The published pricing is a one-time purchase, with the final amount potentially varying by selected currency or region.
For transcription workflows, Pro is the more relevant edition because it adds editable MIDI and sheet-music-oriented export formats. The base version is better suited to listening analysis, chord work, stem-based practice, and playback study than to producing shareable notation or MIDI files. Song Master fits users who want one desktop application spanning analysis, practice, stem control, and paid transcription features. Those seeking a free plan, a browser-based workflow, or advanced transcription output without buying the Pro tier should look elsewhere.
Song Master pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Analyzes tempo, key, sections, chords, beats, and time signatures
- Separates audio stems and includes looping, speed, key-change, and practice tools
- Pro exports MIDI, MusicXML, PDF, and text, with MIDI editing
- Where it doesn't
- Requires a $79.95 one-time purchase with no free plan
- Song Master Pro 5 is required for audio-to-MIDI and transcription exports
- Available only as desktop software for Windows and macOS
Song Master fact sheet, pricing and score →
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