What is MIDI?
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the digital language of music notes: it tells an instrument what note to play, when, for how long and how hard, without carrying any sound itself. In Veena, the free AI DAW in your browser, every part CoProducer writes is MIDI, so you can edit any note, swap the instrument or export the .mid to another DAW.
What is MIDI, in practice?
Think of MIDI as sheet music a computer can read. A MIDI part is a list of events, and each note event holds four facts:
| Field | What it means | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Note | The pitch, from the lowest C to the highest G | 0–127, with 60 as middle C |
| Start | Where the note begins, in bars and beats | Anywhere on the grid, or off it |
| Length | How long the key is held | From a tick to many bars |
| Velocity | How hard the note is struck | 1–127 |
Because the sound is not stored, the same MIDI part can play on a grand piano, a Reese bass or a string section. Change the instrument and every note follows.
MIDI files, keyboards and channels
- MIDI files (.mid, .midi) hold the notes of one or many tracks, plus tempo. They are small and open in every DAW.
- MIDI keyboards and controllers send notes into software; they make no sound of their own.
- Channels let one cable or file carry 16 separate parts. In General MIDI, channel 10 is the drum kit.
MIDI vs audio
Audio is a recording of sound waves, a fixed performance. MIDI is the instructions, so it stays editable: transpose it, quantize it, fix one wrong note or change the instrument without playing it again. Most songs use both, MIDI for programmed parts and audio for vocals and live instruments. The beginner's guide to MIDI vs audio goes deeper.
MIDI in Veena
Ask CoProducer for chords, a bassline or a drum pattern and each one lands as a MIDI clip on its own track. Click the clip and the piano roll opens: draw, move, stretch or delete notes, shape velocity, and play along on your computer keyboard. Record from a MIDI keyboard through Record, then MIDI. Drop in a .mid file and every track becomes a clip. Turn a hummed melody into notes with audio to MIDI. When it is done, Download MIDI file saves one clip, and Export writes every MIDI track into one .mid.
See MIDI editing in Veena, what a piano roll is and the full music production glossary. Write your first MIDI part free.
Try this in Veena
Make a 90 BPM neo-soul groove in D minor as MIDI I can edit: Electric Piano chords on Dm9–Gm9–Bbmaj7–A7, a round Sub Bass line that follows the chords, a laid-back drum pattern with ghost snares and a simple piano melody on top, each part on its own track
Frequently asked questions
Does Veena support MIDI?
Yes. Every part CoProducer writes is MIDI you can edit note by note in the piano roll, and you can record from a MIDI keyboard, import .mid files and export them. Veena is an AI DAW with a personal music producer built in. Describe the song you want and CoProducer builds it with you — beats, chords, melody, arrangement and mix — as real tracks you can edit, mix and export. Free, in your browser.
What is a MIDI file?
A MIDI file (.mid or .midi) stores the notes of a song, with each note's pitch, start, length and velocity, plus tempo and track names, but no recorded sound. That is why it is tiny and opens in any DAW. Veena imports a .mid as one clip per track, puts channel 10 on drums, and exports every MIDI track back out as one .mid.
What is a MIDI keyboard?
A MIDI keyboard is a controller with keys that sends notes, not sound: the software instrument it is plugged into makes the sound. Plug one into your computer, press Record in Veena and choose MIDI, and every note lands in an editable clip. No keyboard? Veena plays notes from your computer keys too, with Z and X to shift octaves.
What is the difference between MIDI and audio?
Audio is a recording of sound waves; MIDI is the instructions for playing notes. You can change a MIDI part's instrument, key or timing after the fact without re-recording, while audio keeps the exact performance. Veena works with both on one timeline, and CoProducer turns a recorded hum into MIDI notes when you want a melody you can rewrite.
What does MIDI stand for?
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, the standard published in 1983 so synthesizers, drum machines and computers from different makers could play together. It is still how DAWs store notes today. In Veena, every MIDI note is a block in the piano roll you can drag, stretch or hand to CoProducer to rewrite.
Meet your personal music producer
Free, in your browser. Describe the song you want and CoProducer builds it with you.
Make music free