Phrasemap: map a track's structure, get an Ableton set
Drop in a trance track you love and see how it's built: the intro, breakdown, build, drop and outro, with the bars in each, the tempo and the key. Then download an Ableton Live set laid out the same way, ready to write your own track into. It all happens in your browser: your track never leaves your device.
The map
Drag a line between two sections to move it: it snaps to 8 bars (hold Alt for 4, Shift for 1). Click a section to rename, split or merge it, or to play from there.
Export a ready-to-write project
The Live set opens in Ableton Live 12 or later at the track's tempo with your sections laid out. The MIDI file carries the tempo and a marker per section, for DAWs that read MIDI markers.
How Phrasemap works
The beat grid. A trance track stays at one tempo from start to finish, so Phrasemap fits a beat grid to the kick drum. If a track drifts slightly off one exact tempo, as real records often do, it follows the beats one by one instead. Then it finds beat 1, where the music changes.
Phrases and sections. Trance moves in 8-bar phrases, so every section starts on one. Phrasemap follows the kick and the energy bar by bar: the breakdown is where the kick drops out, the build is where the mix climbs back, and the drop is where everything lands. Then it picks the trance layout that fits best: intro, groove, breakdown, build, drop and outro, in whatever order and number the track uses.
The key. Phrasemap measures how much the track uses each of the 12 notes, with extra weight on the bass, and shows the key with its Camelot code. Trance is usually in a minor key, so Phrasemap leans that way. A major-key track can show as its relative minor, which has the same notes and the same Camelot number. If the key sounds wrong, try the second choice it shows.
Your audio stays with you. Every step runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored. Please use tracks you own or have the rights to.
Fixing the map
Most trance tracks map cleanly, but tracks with an unusual structure may need a nudge. You can change anything:
- Move a boundary: drag the line between two sections. It snaps to 8 bars; hold Alt for 4 bars or Shift for 1. You can also move to a line with the Tab key and use the left and right arrow keys: 8 bars a press, or 1 with Shift.
- Change a section: click it to change its type, split it in half, merge it with the next one, or play from there. Each section card also has a type menu and − 8 and + 8 buttons to make it 8 bars shorter or longer.
- Start again: Undo my changes goes back to the map as detected.
Press Play (or the space bar) to hear the track with a playhead, so you can check each boundary by ear.
Using the export
Ableton Live set (.als): opens in Ableton Live 12 or later at the track's tempo. You choose what goes in it: a locator at the start of each section, a Sections track with an empty clip per section in that section's colour, and a loop on the first drop. Add your own tracks and write into the layout.
MIDI with markers (.mid): the tempo and a marker at each section. Import it into any DAW that reads MIDI markers.
A Bitwig Studio export is coming next.
Arrange it for you in Live: open either file in TranceTools Arrange and it lays out your own Session View loop in this track's sections, with automation on your tracks. A Mac app for Ableton Live 12.
Questions
Is my track uploaded anywhere?
No. Phrasemap reads and analyses the file in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Which files can I use?
MP3, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, AAC or OGG, up to 15 minutes long and 80 MB. Phrasemap needs a whole track of at least 16 bars. A 4-minute track takes a few seconds on a recent computer.
Why is a section in the wrong place?
Phrasemap looks for the classic trance layout, so tracks that break the pattern, such as ones with a fake drop or no clear breakdown, can need fixing by hand. Drag the boundary, or change the section's type, and play it back to check.
What about tracks that change tempo?
Phrasemap expects one tempo from start to finish, as almost all trance has. It follows a track that drifts slightly, but if a track really speeds up or slows down partway through, the bars after the change won't line up with the music, and moving the boundaries can't fix that. So Phrasemap only suits tracks with a steady tempo.
Why does it say a minor key when my track is major?
A major key and its relative minor share every note, so they're easy to mix up. Phrasemap leans to minor, as most trance is. Check the second choice it shows; the Camelot number is the same either way, so DJ mixing isn't affected.
What if Ableton won't open the set?
The set is made for Ableton Live 12 or later, and we test it in Live 12. Live 11 and earlier can't open sets from Live 12. In an older Live, set the tempo Phrasemap shows and add a locator at the first bar of each section, using the bar numbers on the section cards. It takes a minute. (Live doesn't read MIDI file markers, so the MIDI export won't help here; it's for other DAWs.) If Live 12 or later won't open the set, please tell us which version you have, so we can fix it.
What's the difference from the Arrangement Planner?
The Arrangement Planner lets you lay out a track from scratch. Phrasemap starts from a track you already love and copies its layout.