SlowBird vs Transcribe! by Seventh String
SlowBird is the modern take on the same job, on Mac and Windows: fewer features, chosen carefully, in an interface you never need a manual for.
The honest summary: if you want note and chord guessing, foot pedals or Linux, you want Transcribe!. If you want the core ear-learning workflow (slow, loop, and keep the passages you are working on so they are still there months later) to feel effortless, that is exactly what SlowBird is for.
| SlowBird | Transcribe! | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ (one licence) | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Slow down without pitch change | Yes, 25% to 200%, modern stretcher | Yes, 5% to 200% |
| Loops & markers | Drag-to-loop, measured seamless; named saved passages | Stored loops, section/measure/beat markers |
| Pitch analysis | Heat map over a reference keyboard | Spectrum view, note & chord guessing |
| Video files | Yes: MP4 and MOV, and pasted links; the picture plays over the waveform | Yes |
| Foot pedals / automation | No | Yes |
| Library | Built in: search, colour labels, per-track state | One file at a time |
| Every saved passage in one view | Yes: the notes viewer, arranged by tag, soloist, track or colour, searchable, click to play | No: markers and loops are kept per file |
| Learning curve | Open a file and drag on the waveform | Extensive built-in help; tutorial videos |
| Price | £19.99 / $25 one-time, 7-day free trial, both platforms | $39 one-time, 30-day free trial |
Where SlowBird is deliberately different
SlowBird treats a hard passage as something you keep, not something you set up again each session: name a region and it stays on the waveform, still looped, next time you open the tune. Its library remembers speed, pitch, loops and notes per track. And playback runs through a modern time-stretcher, so a fast line at half speed stays articulate. Read more about slowing down without changing pitch, seamless looping and saved passages.
There is also a comparison with Amazing Slow Downer, the other tool most people weigh this against.
Free 7-day trial · macOS 14 or later · Windows 10 or later · £19.99 once, both platforms