Real results, including the ones that went wrong
On 26 September 2026 we ran 292 pieces of public-domain sheet music through StaveWave and checked 60 of them by eye against the original page. Born-digital PDFs (exported from notation software) were usable in 22 of 30. Scans were usable in 3 of 30. There were no phone photos in this test. Here are nine of those pages, good and bad. Results today may differ as StaveWave changes.
The left image is the original page. The right image is drawn from the MusicXML we produced. Every conversion is a draft to check before you use it.
Born-digital PDF · single part
The Magic Flute, No. 17 (Violino I)
UsableUsable as delivered
Notes, rhythms and dynamics came through. Two small text slips: “cresc.” was misread, and the part is named “Part 1” instead of “Violino I”.
Original page 
Our result Born-digital PDF · hymn with chord symbols
Easter Hymn
UsableUsable; chord symbols need fixing
Notes and bars are right. The chord symbols ran together into strings such as “G7CG7CG7 C” and some sit under the wrong bar, and a few long slurs were added.
Original page 
Our result Born-digital PDF · band part
The Fairest of the Fair (tenor saxophone)
Needs fixing first
The melody is mostly right, but the title, every dynamic and every repeat and ending were lost, the key is wrong for three bars at the trio, and a few bars have wrong notes.
Original page 
Our result Born-digital PDF · melody and accompaniment on one staff
No. 20, Fra tante angoscie
Not usable
The bar count matches, but most of the melody is missing, the accompanying chords are shifted, and triplets were invented.
Original page 
Our result Scanned PDF · piano
Au salon, Op. 4 No. 6
UsableUsable after a few fixes
A good read of a clean scan. We added a false title (“xi”) from the page margin, one wrong key change and one stray high note.
Original page 
Our result Scanned PDF · harp
Adagio from the Symphony in C minor
Needs fixing first
The chords survive, but multi-bar rests collapsed to single bars so the bar numbers drift, notes were invented where the harp rests, the key keeps switching from five flats to four, and the title was lost.
Original page 
Our result Scanned PDF · violin part with a title page
The Favorite Overture (Violino Primo)
Not usable
The first page is a title page with no music. We read it as music anyway and invented six parts, and the real violin part that follows came out in the wrong time signature.
Original page 
Our result Scanned image · song with piano
In an Airship Built for Two
UsableUsable after a few fixes
Notes, key and both verses of the lyrics are mostly right. A few words are misread (“Oh” became “Ch”) and a couple of triplet marks were invented.
Original page 
Our result Scanned image · four voices on grey paper
Book the Second: Twelve Anthems
Not usable
The grey, uneven paper defeated us: about 70 bars came out as 12 bars of invented notes and garbled words.
Original page 
Our result
What this means for your score
The original PDF from notation software converts best. For scans, use flat, white, evenly lit pages and leave out title pages. Whatever you upload, check the result against your page before relying on it. What to expect →