Audio Expert

Audio Expert

Pay: $50-$100/hour

Location: Global, fully remote

Job Type: Contractor (~15 hrs a week)

Location: Remote

Schedule: Flexible, you pick the hours and days (including weekends if desired)

Relevant expertise matters more than years of experience

We are looking for a highly skilled music transcription expert to contribute to an AI training project involving polyphonic audio analysis, SATB transcription, music notation, and Python.

The work involves reconstructing precise musical scores from mixed audio recordings. A representative task may require separating four simultaneous soprano, alto, tenor, and bass lines from a mono recording and converting the complete performance into an exact MusicXML score.

This is not a general audio-production or speech-transcription role. Candidates should have strong musical listening, notation, and technical problem-solving abilities.

What you’ll work on:

1. Transcribe polyphonic musical recordings into structured notation.
2. Distinguish soprano, alto, tenor, and bass lines from a mono mix.
3. Identify pitches, onsets, durations, rests, and re-articulations.
4. Quantize events to the correct rhythmic grid.
5. Apply accurate key signatures, accidentals, and enharmonic spelling.
6. Generate or manipulate MusicXML.
7. Use Python to inspect audio, analyze spectral information, and automate parts of the transcription workflow.
8. Validate transcriptions through musical review, structured checks, or resynthesis.

Required qualifications:

1. Strong Python programming ability.
2. Advanced ear training and polyphonic music-transcription ability.
3. Strong understanding of harmony, rhythm, voice leading, and standard notation.
4. Experience with SATB music, choral arranging, score preparation, or a closely related form of polyphonic transcription.

Relevant tools may include librosa, NumPy, SciPy, music21, Essentia, pretty_midi, MuseScore, or other audio-analysis and notation software. No specific tool is mandatory if your experience is transferable.

Formal education and years of professional experience are not strict requirements. Experienced performers, arrangers, composers, choir musicians, researchers, and independent transcription specialists are encouraged to apply if they can demonstrate the relevant skills.

Process:

1. Apply to the role, filling out the screening questions
2. Complete AI Interview (approx. 30 minutes)
3. Hiring Manager review

Compensation Structure

Compensation is output-based; experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required to complete work may vary depending on the expert’s experience and workflow. Minimum submission requirements apply. Experts must submit a minimum of tasks per week.

Start Timeline & Availability

We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts ready to jump in right away. If selected, we expect you to start your first tasks within 24-48 hours of completing onboarding.