MIDI Notes

You've learned pitch, note names, octaves, and steps. Now for how computers handle all of it. MIDI gives every pitch a simple number from 0 to 127. No sharps, no flats, no letters - just a number. Think of it as numbering every ingredient in the pantry.

What is MIDI?

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard from the 1980s that lets instruments and software talk to each other. A MIDI note doesn't contain actual sound - it's a recipe, not the dish: "play this pitch, at this velocity, for this duration."

The 0-127 number line

MIDI note 0 is the lowest possible pitch (a C so deep you can barely hear it). MIDI note 127 is the highest (an extremely shrill G). Most music sits between 36 and 96.

Middle C = 60

The most important landmark: MIDI 60 is middle C (C4). Everything else is counted relative to this. Every step up adds 1. Every octave up adds 12.

MIDI = semitones from the bottom

The clever thing about MIDI numbers: the distance between any two MIDI notes is the number of semitones between them. MIDI 64 minus MIDI 60 = 4 semitones (a major 3rd). No conversion needed.

How produc.ing uses MIDI

Behind every note you see on the piano roll in Starts is a MIDI number. When you export a MIDI file, you're exporting these numbers along with their timing and velocity. Any DAW - Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, Reaper - reads them the same way. MIDI is the universal format.

That's the full picture of how notes and pitch work - from the physics of vibration through to the numbers your DAW reads. Next up: Intervals - the distance between two notes and the foundation of all harmony and melody.