A MIDI keyboard is a keyboard that makes no sound of its own. It sends messages (which key, how hard, pedal down) to a computer or a sound module that turns them into sound.
Why is my MIDI keyboard silent?
Because it is not supposed to make sound. Think of it as a very good set of buttons. Press a key and it sends a note-on message with the key number and how hard you hit it, then a note-off when you let go. Something on the other end has to turn those messages into sound: music software, a synth app, or a website like this one.
What the messages carry
- Which note: a number from 0 to 127, where 60 is middle C.
- How hard you pressed: velocity, 1 to 127.
- Whether the sustain pedal is down, and how far the pitch and mod wheels are turned.
- Knobs and sliders send control-change messages. Everything can travel on one of 16 channels, so several instruments can share a cable.
MIDI keyboard or digital piano?
A digital piano has its own sounds and speakers, and usually sends MIDI over USB too, so it does both jobs. A MIDI controller is only the keys, knobs and pads, which is why it is lighter and cheaper. For playing in a browser either works, as long as it has a USB port.
Does MIDI work in a web browser?
Yes, in Chrome, Edge and Firefox on a computer, through a standard called Web MIDI. The browser asks your permission once. Safari, on Mac and on iPhone, does not support it.
Questions people ask
- Do I need special software for a MIDI keyboard?
- Something has to turn the messages into sound. That can be music software, or a website like HitJam that plays a piano in the browser.
- What does MIDI stand for?
- Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The standard dates from 1983 and every keyboard still speaks it.
- Is a 25-key MIDI keyboard enough?
- For trying ideas, yes. Use the octave buttons on the keyboard, or HitJam’s own octave arrows, to reach the rest of the piano.