----
-title: Configuring MIDI
----
+<p>
+ <dfn><abbr title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr></dfn> is
+ a way to describe musical performances and to control music hardware and
+ software.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+ 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>
+
+<h2>MIDI Handling Frameworks</h2>
+
+<p>
+ MIDI input and output for Ardour are handled internally by the same "engine" that
+ handles audio input and output. However, Ardour can use as many MIDI devices
+ as the system can see as there are no syncing difficulties as there would be with audio.
+</p>
+
+<table class="dl">
+ <tr><th>OS X</th>
+ <td><dfn>CoreMIDI</dfn> is the standard MIDI framework on OSX systems.</td></tr>
+ <tr><th>Linux</th>
+ <td><dfn><abbr title="Advanced Linux Sound API">ALSA</abbr> MIDI</dfn> is the
+ standard MIDI framework on Linux systems.</td></tr>
+ <tr><th>Windows</th>
+ <td>There is no single standard MIDI framework on Windows, but Ardour
+ can work with ASIO and others.</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="note">
+ On Linux systems, <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. However, when Ardour is using jackd for audio in and out
+ the alsa MIDI ports are not accessable. When Ardour is using ALSA for audio
+ in and out then only alsa MIDI ports are accessable.
+</p>
+
+<h2>JACK MIDI Configuration</h2>
+
+<p>
+ By default, JACK will <strong>not</strong> automatically detect and use
+ existing MIDI ports. One of several ways of <dfn>bridging</dfn> between
+ the native MIDI frameworks (e.g. CoreMIDI or ALSA) and JACK MIDI must be
+ chosen, as described in the following sections.
+</p>