Notable software MIDI editors and sequencers are listed in the following table.
Software | Platform | License | Developer | Editing interface | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aegis Sonix | Amiga | Proprietary | Aegis Development | Score, keyboard, and an instrument editor | Music sequencer and a score editor. |
Anvil Studio | Windows | Freemium | Willow Software | Score, piano roll, tablature, event list | Full-featured MIDI editor & sequencer with staff, piano roll, percussion, event list, and audio editors. |
Ardour | FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, Windows | GPL-2.0-or-later | Paul Davis, and The Ardour Community | Piano roll, event list | MIDI support began with version 3. |
Aria Maestosa | Linux, macOS, Windows | GPL-2.0-or-later | MIDI sequencer/editor with score, keyboard, guitar, drum and controller views. | ||
B-Step Sequencer | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS (iPad), Android, Raspberry Pi | Proprietary | Monoplugs | A step sequencer to create arpeggios, chord progressions, basslines or percussions. Available as VST, Audio Units or standalone program. | |
Band-in-a-Box | macOS, Windows (also previously for Atari ST) | Proprietary | PG Music | Accompaniment sequencer with audio loops and more. | |
Cakewalk by BandLab | Windows | Proprietary | BandLab Technologies | Piano roll, event list | |
Steinberg Cubase | macOS, Windows (also previously for Atari ST) | Proprietary | Steinberg | Score, piano roll, event list [1] | |
Deluxe Music Construction Set | AmigaOS, macOS | Proprietary | Electronic Arts | ||
Digital Performer | macOS | Proprietary | Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) | ||
DirectMusic Producer | Windows | Freeware | Microsoft | Part of DirectMusic SDK. | |
Finale | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | MakeMusic, Inc. | Score | Composition and sequencing program, with various versions, including freeware (v. 2008 and earlier) "NotePad" version (with very limited features). |
FL Studio | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Proprietary | Image-Line | Piano roll, step sequencer | |
GarageBand | macOS, iOS | Proprietary | Apple | Import only, saves to native format. | |
Guitar Pro | Linux, macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Arobas Music | ||
Indaba Music | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | |||
JFugue | Linux, macOS, Windows (Java-based) | 5: Apache-2.0 3-4: LGPL-2.1-or-later | Programming library (API). | ||
KeyKit | Linux, Windows | Free for non-commercial use, source available | |||
LilyPond | FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, Windows | GPL-3.0-or-later | |||
Live | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Ableton | Piano roll | |
Logic Pro | macOS (also previously for Windows & Atari ST) | Proprietary | Apple/Emagic (formerly named C-Lab) | Piano roll, step editor, event list | |
LMMS | Linux, macOS, OpenBSD, Windows | GPL-2.0-or-later | Piano roll, step sequencer | DAW; VST, LADSPA support. MIDI editor displaying notes positions on a virtual keyboard. As of March 30, 2011 no MIDI aftertouch support. | |
MAGIX Samplitude | Windows | Proprietary | MAGIX | ||
Master Tracks Pro | Windows | Proprietary | GVOX (originally Passport Designs) | Full-featured GUI MIDI sequencer with notation screen (requires supplied Anastasia TrueType or Type1 font), event editor, MCI, SMPTE sync., etc. Tested to work under Win 10 1903. | |
MIDI Converter Studio | Windows | Shareware | ManiacTools | MIDI file converter, karaoke converter. | |
Mixcraft | Windows | Proprietary | Acoustica | Audio and MIDI sequencer, support for VSTis, MIDI recording, editing, and playback. | |
Mozart | Windows | Proprietary | David Webber | Music notation software for simple tunes to full scores of up to 64 parts. | |
MuLab | Windows, macOS | Proprietary | Mutools | MIDI and audio full DAW. Support for customizable modular DSP graphs. For electronic music but not only. | |
MultitrackStudio | Windows, macOS, iOS | Proprietary | Bremmers Audio Design | MIDI and audio full DAW, simple user interface, flexible MIDI editing. | |
MusE | Linux | GPL-2.0-or-later | Piano roll, event list | Open source midi and audio work station with support for VST, DSSI, LADSPA and LV2. | |
MuseScore | Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS (partial) | GPL-2.0-only | Werner Schweer | Score | Music notation software with full MusicXML support. Piano roll editor, unlimited parts. good stability below 300 000 notes, edit multiple files at once, user friendly GUI, portable edition. |
Musink | Windows | Proprietary | Lee Reid | Music notation freeware with MIDI output, loop, and playback functionality. | |
Notation Composer | Windows, with Wine support | Proprietary | Notation Software | Score, piano roll | Full featured notation software program and MIDI sequencer. |
NoteEdit | Linux | GPL-2.0-or-later | Jörg Anders | MIDI based score writer | Defunct; last stable release September 2006. |
NoteWorthy Composer | Windows | Proprietary | Noteworthy Software | Can import and export MIDI data, but only edit and display it as a musical score. Runs correctly in wine. | |
Overture | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Sonic Scores (formerly called Geniesoft) | Score, piano roll, MIDI sequencer | Notation, tab, piano roll, MIDI/step sequencing, VST/VSTi host, hybrid DAW, video sync. |
Podium | Windows | Proprietary | Zynewave | ||
Pro Tools | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Avid | Score, piano roll, event list | |
Qtractor | Linux | GPL-2.0-or-later | Audio MIDI multi-track sequencer application written in C++ in the Qt framework. | ||
REAPER | Linux, macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Cockos | Score, piano roll, event list | Supports guitar tabs and MIDI2Tab conversion with TabEditor plug. |
Reason | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Propellerhead | Piano roll | |
Renoise | Linux, macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Tracker | Demo version available. | |
Rosegarden | Linux | GPL-2.0-or-later | Score, piano roll, event list | Audio, MIDI sequence, record. Win VST support, LADSPA, JACK. | |
Scala | Linux, macOS, Windows | Freeware, noncommercial | Manuel Op de Coul | Specializes in tuning; converts ascii score file to MIDI. | |
Seq24 | Linux, Windows | GPL-2.0-or-later | Piano roll | MIDI loops sequencer. | |
Sibelius | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | Avid (originally Sibelius Software) | Score, piano roll, tablature | Live scoring of sheet music from MIDI input. |
Signal | Web | Open source | Signal | Piano roll, event list | |
Studio One | macOS, Windows | Proprietary | PreSonus | Score, piano roll, drum editor | |
TineFune | Linux, Windows | Proprietary | TineFune, LLC | Piano roll, event list | MIDI sequencer with a Web Browser GUI, no windows or menu clutter. |
TuxGuitar | FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, Windows (Java-based) | LGPL-2.1-only | Tablature | Tablature editor. | |
Z-Maestro | Windows | Proprietary | "Lite" version: limited tracks, I/O. |
MIDI is a technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and related audio devices for playing, editing, and recording music.
Cubase is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Steinberg for music and MIDI recording, arranging and editing. The first version, which was originally only a MIDI sequencer and ran on the Atari ST computer, was released in 1989. Cut-down versions of Cubase are included with almost all Yamaha audio and MIDI hardware, as well as hardware from other manufacturers. These versions can be upgraded to a more advanced version at a discount.
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture and, more generally, sound recording, editing, and mastering processes.
A digital audio workstation is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software program on a laptop, to an integrated stand-alone unit, all the way to a highly complex configuration of numerous components controlled by a central computer. Regardless of configuration, modern DAWs have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks into a final produced piece.
Audio editing software is any software or computer program which allows editing and generating audio data. Audio editing software can be implemented completely or partly as a library, as a computer application, as a web application, or as a loadable kernel module. Wave editors are digital audio editors. There are many sources of software available to perform this function. Most can edit music, apply effects and filters, and adjust stereo channels.
Renoise is a digital audio workstation (DAW) based upon the heritage and development of tracker software. Its primary use is the composition of music using sound samples, soft synths, and effects plug-ins. It is also able to interface with MIDI and OSC equipment. The main difference between Renoise and other music software is the characteristic vertical timeline sequencer used by tracking software.
Ableton Live, also known as Live or sometimes colloquially as "Ableton", is a digital audio workstation for macOS and Windows developed by the German company Ableton.
SoundFont is a brand name that collectively refers to a file format and associated technology that uses sample-based synthesis to play MIDI files. It was first used on the Sound Blaster AWE32 sound card for its General MIDI support.
A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They most often use a musical keyboard to send data about the pitch of notes to play, although a MIDI controller may trigger lighting and other effects. A wind controller has a sensor that converts breath pressure to volume information and lip pressure to control pitch. Controllers for percussion and stringed instruments exist, as well as specialized and experimental devices. Some MIDI controllers are used in association with specific digital audio workstation software. The original MIDI specification has been extended to include a greater range of control features.
Music Write is a Windows-based music notation program created by Voyetra Music Software. It uses a MIDI-based system for storing events, and the most recent versions save music in MWK files, similar to Standard MIDI Files with additional text and symbol events. Currently, Voyetra offers three editions of Music Write: Starter Kit, Songwriter edition, and Maestro edition. All support printing, MIDI recording, and MIDI playback granted the user has the appropriate hardware.
Waveform is a digital audio workstation for recording and editing audio and MIDI. The software is cross-platform, and runs on Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux.
REAPER is a digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer application created by Cockos. The current version is available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. REAPER acts as a host to most industry-standard plug-in formats and can import all commonly used media formats, including video. REAPER and its included plug-ins are available in 32-bit and 64-bit format.
LinuxSampler is music sampler software aiming to provide a pure software audio sampler with professional grade features comparable to both hardware and commercial software samplers, as well as to introduce new features not yet available by other samplers. Much of LinuxSampler is free software, but commercial reuse of some, such as the back-end, is restricted.
Ubuntu Studio is a recognized flavor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, which is geared to general multimedia production. The original version, based on Ubuntu 7.04, was released on 10 May 2007.
Qtractor is a hard disk recorder and digital audio workstation application for Linux. Qtractor is written in C++ and is based on the Qt framework. Its author is Rui Nuno Capela, who is also responsible for the Qjackctl, Qsynth and Qsampler line of Linux audio software. Qtractor's intention was to provide digital audio workstation software simple enough for the average home user, and yet powerful enough for the professional user.
Master Tracks Pro (MTP) is music-sequencer software for Windows, to author and/or edit MIDI data. David Kusek and Don Williams et al. at Passport Designs originally created it, continuation of marketing and development by GVOX, and, as of Aug. 8, 2013, by Passport Music Software, LLC.
Anvil Studio is a multitrack MIDI and audio editing, digital audio workstation program that runs on Microsoft Windows. It is developed by Willow Software, based in Shoreline, Washington, U.S.A.
MuLab is a digital audio workstation application for macOS and Windows platforms.
MultitrackStudio is a digital audio workstation application for macOS, Windows and iPad platforms.