Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
#752613 02/06/23 04:16 PM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
No, not Captain Marvel's Shazam. The app.

So here the situation. As I sit here doing stuff on the computer I have a concert of The Cure playing. Robert Smith writes these songs that have titles that pretty much have no reference to the chorus where you can usually get a clue of the title. So as this concert plays I keep hitting up Shazam for the titles. It has yet to find ONE song from the concert audio. Even the popular stuff like Friday I'm In Love and Just Like Heaven! The song that just played was a great example. I know this song. It's titled One Hundred Years. I gave Shazam 3 tries and it did not find it. I paused the video, went to "the tube" and found the song. Shazam found it in 3 seconds.

So, what is it about the recognition algorhythm that Shazam seems to ONLY recognize studio recordings? Is there perhaps some embedded MP3 encoding involved? I have read 6 articles so far and they all agree that Shazam works by taking an audio sample and matching it up with a database.

Does anybody have any propeller-head level knowledge about how this actually works? It seems like if it samples, it shouldn't matter what the source is of the sample that says "Show me show me show me how you do that trick, the one that makes me scream, she said" as long as it hears those words. And it should spit out "Just Like Heaven."

THIS is the kind of thing I lay awake at night thinking about!

Yeah yeah... I know...

#752614 02/06/23 04:32 PM
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,351
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,351
Nothing tech, just an observation. My phone’s Shazam only works when I turn up the volume considerably on my playback device.


BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
#752615 02/06/23 05:00 PM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Just an FYI type reply here. The volume was the same when I tested with youtube as the concert. Very strange and this is going to bother me until I figure it out.

#752633 02/07/23 03:06 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
The only thing I can tell you is what you already know. It picks up original recordings and not live ones. I do use it a lot on newer music that I'm not familiar with.




Steve

BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
sslechta #752676 02/07/23 06:57 AM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Aha, Steve, but how does it KNOW it's a studio recording or a live performance? Same lyrics, same music... Again I wonder if there is some subliminal MP3 tag on a CD that contains a database reference number or not. And I have no idea who to ask this question of to get an official answer. Have you ever seen a way to talk to an entity or an app like Shazam?


#752679 02/07/23 07:19 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
You must have weak google-fu. The link has more details.

Shazam uses a special type of graph called spectogram. Spectogram is a visual representation of frequencies as they vary in time. In other words, it’s a three dimensional graph.

Reference:
How does Shazam work?




Steve

BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
#752691 02/07/23 08:43 AM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
I read every word of that same article last night. It does not explain why the same song from different sources is not recognized. Unless buried in their charts and graphs that topic is addressed, I did not see it there. It explains how Shazam recognizes songs, but not why it doesn't recognize every instance of the same song. If it comes down to analog vs digital, then it DOES come down to encoding, as MP3

Riddle me this.

Does live music NOT have the same frequencies as studio recorded music? How does the spectrogram know it is live and not studio? A4 is 440hz no matter what the source is. A3 is 330. A2 is 200, etc.

I need to talk to the Wizard of Shazam!!

I have tested with studio recordings saved as WAV, FLAC, MP3 and M4A. Shazam found all 4 of those. I also grabbed a karaoke version from the web and Shazam found that. That wasn't even done by the actual band! I tested with an MP3 from the CD and the same song ripped from a live concert. Found them. Now I have to dig into a couple of things I hadn't thought of, like how is the audio encoded in the video of that concert. And they do this song at every concert and I have about 6 Cure concerts on m media computer. Off I go! This is truly making me crazy!! Well...

#752699 02/07/23 09:19 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
What I got from that article was that there's some kind of audio database that Shazam checks when you start it and when it recognizes the portion of the song you are playing, it identifies it. So there's no mystery in my eyes. All these songs are stored somewhere and Shazam does a database query on what you are playing.




Steve

BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
#752703 02/07/23 09:34 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,041
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,041
[quote=eddie1261.....................
Riddle me this.

Does live music NOT have the same frequencies as studio recorded music? How does the spectrogram know it is live and not studio? A4 is 440hz no matter what the source is. A3 is 330. A2 is 200, etc.

I need to talk to the Wizard of Shazam!!

..................... [/quote]

Isn't A3 220hz and A2 110hz? In every octave the frequency is doubled going up and halved going down does it not?


I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
#752706 02/07/23 09:38 AM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
You are right Mario. I was typing too fast while doing 3 other things and messed that up.

But I know when Christine McVie died... LOL!!!

This is so strange to me that Shazam treats audio from a video different from studio audio. The audio in MP4 movies is AAC encoded. Shazam doesn't detect it. To play the same song from a CD in MP3, it does.

I need a nap.

#752707 02/07/23 09:40 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,041
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,041
Originally Posted By: eddie1261
...............
But I know when Christine McVie died... LOL!!!

....................

I need a nap.


I'll never live that down will I? LOL!!!

Naps are good!


I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
#752710 02/07/23 09:43 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Originally Posted By: eddie1261
This is so strange to me that Shazam treats audio from a video different from studio audio. The audio in MP4 movies is AAC encoded. Shazam doesn't detect it. To play the same song from a CD in MP3, it does.

That's strange. I have not experienced this. If I Shazam during a movie when I want to know the song, it usually picks it up as easily as it does during a song on the radio or a CD as long as it's original audio. Don't lose sleep over this sir. smile




Steve

BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
sslechta #752712 02/07/23 09:47 AM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Originally Posted By: sslechta
Don't lose sleep over this sir. smile


Not my nature, amigo. One something piques my interest I track it down like a drug dog finds cocaine at the Columbian Airport.

#753106 02/10/23 08:19 AM
Off-Topic
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,110
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,110
As far as I know, Schazam directly reads the ISRC codes that are embedded as meta data in most commercial recordings to allow artists to collect royalties from streamed and broadcasted performances of their work. Although it wouldn't be impossible to put such information in a live recording, the ISRC codes are usually put in by the mastering engineer of a studio recording. Actually, adding it LIVE, I think would be impossible. They could only be added to a RECORDING of a live performance.

More often than not, the actual recording is played in a movie, so the meta data is included in the playback for Schazam to process. However, a live performance of a song in a video is much less likely to have had the ISRC codes added by someone after the video was recorded.


Keith
2025 Audiophile Windows 11 RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,SONAR,3 Raven Mtis
#753119 02/10/23 10:45 AM
Off-Topic
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
That's kind of what I thought, Keith. It had to be something along those lines. Further research about ISRC codes show you are correct. And the logic of the same song not being recognized from a live performance supports that. Thanks.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe

This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®

With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
  • MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
  • Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
  • Playable RealTracks Set 5
  • RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
  • SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
  • Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:


  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
  • Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
  • RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
  • SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Video: New User Interface (GUI)

Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!

Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.

Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!

Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!

Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.

Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!

Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics85,335
Posts791,075
Members39,858
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Max Gain, BEAN223, Brazilboyz, doccawudi, StratMan1965
39,858 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
jpettit 357
MarioD 227
DrDan 214
Noel96 157
DC Ron 150
Rob Helms 128
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5