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layout: default
title: Setting Up MIDI
---                        

<h2>What Can Ardour Do With MIDI?</h2>
<p>
  <dfn><abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr></dfn>
  is a way to describe music data and to control music hardware and 
  software. Ardour can import and record MIDI data, and perform a 
  variety of editing operations on it. Furthermore, MIDI can be used to
  control various functions of Ardour.
</p>
<p class="note">
  Ardour does not include a <dfn>synthesis engine</dfn> to produce audio 
  from MIDI data, but relies on plugins or external hard- and software 
  for the task. This can be a stumbling block for first time users who 
  expect MIDI input to result in audio output by default.<br />
  Please see the section on working with plug-ins for more information on
  turning MIDI data into audio output.</p>

<h2>MIDI Handling Frameworks</h2>
<p>
  MIDI input and output for Ardour are handled by the same "engine"
  that handles audio input and output. Up to release 3.5, that means
  that all MIDI I/O takes place via JACK. JACK itself uses the 
  native MIDI systems of the operating system to receive and send
  data which are:
</p>

<h3>OS X : CoreMIDI</h3>
<p>
  <dfn>CoreMIDI</dfn> is the standard MIDI framework on OSX systems. 
  It provides drivers for MIDI hardware and libraries needed by MIDI
  software clients. 
</p>

<h3>Linux : ALSA MIDI</h3>
<p>
  <dfn><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound API">ALSA</abbr> MIDI</dfn>
  is the standard MIDI framework on Linux systems. It provides drivers 
  for MIDI hardware and libraries needed by MIDI software clients.
</p>
<p>
  The <dfn>QJackCtl</dfn> control software displays ALSA MIDI ports
  under its "ALSA" tab (it does not currently display CoreMIDI ports).
  By contrast, JACK MIDI ports show up under
  the <kbd class="menu">MIDI</kbd> tab in QJackCtl.
</p>
   
<h2>JACK MIDI Configuration</h2>
<p>
By default, JACK will not automatically detect and use existing MIDI
ports on your system. You must choose one of several ways
of <dfn>bridging</dfn> between the native MIDI frameworks
(e.g. CoreMIDI or ALSA) and JACK MIDI, as described in the sections
below.
</p>

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