Using advanced AI (artificial intelligence), deCoda will deconstruct any song for learning, practicing, and deep analysis and correction if required. After importing a .wav audio file, in seconds deCoda will tell you the key, tempo, chords, and identify, map and locate where the verses, choruses, bridges or solo sections, called Parts, are on a time-line grid.

zPlane is a 20-year old research-focused company based in Berlin, Germany that provides state-of-the-art technology for music processing and analysis. zplane licenses its advanced algorithms to many companies.

I especially like the very helpful, short YouTube tutorials built directly into the interface that are a click away--the list of them are available for viewing in the opening boot up screen for "brushing up" on the way it all works before you start a session.

deCoda is not hard to learn but you have to understand that it works musically using bars and beats. A loop can be any length from a beat to a whole bar to a whole song. For understanding and using it efficiently, deCoda divides the GUI into three sections: Current Project, Project History, and Settings.

Current Project

The opening Main View is called the Current Project and it shows the currently loaded project. deCoda remembers its last state when you previously closed it--including all settings, edits and audio files. You may view your project as either an audio clip waveform or as a MIDI-like piano roll in the resizable Main View.

But this view also has a project overview of a song (songs or music works are called Projects) shown across the top that includes the Parts clearly labeled in sequence. At the bottom of this window is the key and tempo of the song with the ability to change either or both instantly.

For purposes of slowing down the music for learning, you have the selectable speed choices of 1(normal tempo), 3/4-speed, 1/2-speed, and 1/4 speed of the original tempo--also the pitch does not change only tempo!

The tempo will be indicated and you can always switch on the metronome for song sections without drums--the click follows all tempo changes and you can choose between different subdivisions 1/4, 1/8 or 1/16th notes. I liked programming a count off for only the start of the loop (song) starts.

You may change key just as instantly by clicking on the original key on a wheel controller window that'll come up with choices above and below the original key.

Sound quality is excellent with either pitch (key changes) or tempo changes--everything just works--I expect nothing less from zPlane!

Difficult to learn sections such as solos or complicated note sequences can be looped very easily--actually deCoda is purpose-built for looping. You may loop a bar, a beat or in 4 bar sections with the looped section displayed in the full width of the Main View. There are many keyboard commands to facilitate getting back and forth and around the flexible looping options.

Project Sidebar

Sometimes the time signature or exact downbeats will be not be correctly detected and you can edit those in the Project Sidebar window. You can also drop and name bookmarks on sections you want to revisit. Chords are detected and shown at the top of the main window as deCoda will show song structure- Part A, B C, A2, B2 etc. Part A might be the first verse and Part A2 the same chords in a second verse. Parts can be deleted (not actually) but rather replaced by other parts in the same space. You can change any chord--either just a single, particular chord only or all chords in the loop or all of those same chords in the whole song.

Piano Roll View

Piano roll view has a virtual keyboard vertically shown on the left side and from each key flows a spectrogram that shows amplitude over time for that key. The dominant or lowest frequency is shown as a solid continuous line with harmonic overtones shown above it. Vocals show any changes in pitch, vibrato and duration. Much like editing notes in a MIDI editor, you can move notes around and set their duration with the start and end of notes always snapping to the grid.

Focus Mode

Focus is a window that comes out to show in real-time, the instantaneous pitches represented as circles or "blobs" arranged about the stereophonic panorama--the left, center, right and everywhere in between. The vertical axis shows frequencies from low to high and it is very easy to discern a lead vocal or a guitar solo as they predominate the mid-range frequencies in Pop music.

With my mouse, I circumscribe a section panned in the center for the lead vocal and I could mostly remove it or isolate it from the backing track. This is a good way to practice singing to a track with only a "kind of shadow" of the lead vocal remaining. Or isolate a guitar solo for deeper scrutiny all while the rest of the music is still heard quietly. Piano roll view is useful here to more exactly define your selection.

Export Audio, MIDI Files Project History

You may export the whole file including its audio files in a single file for use later. Export only a loop you've edited or export the Piano Roll as a MIDI file. You may export either just the loop or the entire song.

Project History lists all projects you've opened grouped by "last opened". You can search projects, pre-listen to them, remove them from the library or just open one up to be the Current Project.

Settings

The Settings page customizes the ways you want to work in deCoda. Pick a color scheme, verify the playback tuning frequency (and correct it to a desired tuning frequency), and verify other details in this self-explanatory page. The default settings are good--you should check that the audio files are stored where you want them to reside.

I think deCoda is a fine bit of advanced kit I use from time to time to learn the chords of the music I am mixing so I can talk to the artist, musicians and producer in more musical terms. It sounds wonderful and is amazingly accurate in detecting song key and tempos. I rarely have to go in and "correct" it! I love the built in tutorials when I have to return to it after being away from it for a while and need to re-learn certain parts of it.

deCoda sells for $60 MSRP for a download and a perpetual license. This is the perfect teaching aid or just as awesome for musicians and singers wanting to learn new songs. It is for Mac OS X 10.7 or higher, Windows 7 or higher PCs; you'll need 100MB of hard drive space.