Audio and MIDI Tracks
One stores sound, the other stores performance, so editability and sound source differ in ways that shape the whole session.
Related
An audio track stores sound; a MIDI track stores performance. Both make sound, but what you can change afterwards is completely different.
The problem
To change a pitch, audio must be re-recorded or shifted, while MIDI needs one number changed; yet MIDI makes no sound without an instrument. Which track to use depends on what you still need to edit.
How it works
An audio track is a sample sequence. Editing works on the waveform, so slicing, fades and time-stretching all touch samples. A MIDI track is an event stream. Editing works on notes, velocity and controller changes, and an instrument generates sound at playback. Freezing or rendering turns MIDI into audio and trades editability for stability.
Settings and judgement
Keep MIDI for parts that need tempo changes, transposition or a different sound. Keep audio for voices, guitars and anything whose character is in the performance. Watch delay compensation so MIDI and audio tracks do not drift by a few milliseconds.
What to listen for
On the same piano passage, audio and MIDI differ in pedal, noise and velocity detail. MIDI playback tends to sound too even; audio keeps the rough edges. Listen for the tail first, then for the quiet notes.
Common misunderstandings
MIDI is not sound, only instructions. Audio tracks are not unquantisable either; after slicing, they can be aligned to a grid.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- 音频轨与 MIDI 轨的数据结构差异，依 MIDI 规范与数字音频教材核查，未抄文本
- 切片、冻结与延迟补偿的做法，依通行 DAW 文档核查，未抄文本
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.