Exporting MIDI from a Score
Exporting a score to MIDI turns durations, dynamics and expression into discrete events.
Related
A score carries signs; MIDI carries time, pitch and velocity. Export folds continuous expression into discrete events.
The problem
Composers write crescendos, fermatas and rubato, but playback offers fixed beats and a limited set of velocity levels. Different export settings turn one score into very different MIDI.
How it works
Each note becomes Note On and Note Off, with duration in ticks. Tempo marks become tempo events; dynamics map to velocity; legato, pedals and trills become controller data. Grace notes receive very short durations, trills may be written out, and repeats may export once. Quantisation snaps small timing offsets to the grid.
Practice and judgement
Before export, decide whether repeats unfold, whether the tempo curve is written and how grace notes divide time. In the DAW, check the first attack, truncated tails and chord alignment. Keep the original performance take when feel matters.
What to listen for
Hear whether chords arrive together, whether long notes are cut and whether a crescendo becomes a staircase. Then hear a rubato passage and ask whether any breath remains.
Common misunderstandings
MIDI keeps every mark; the right sound equals a faithful rendering; finer quantisation is more faithful. The opposite is common, because finer grids flatten phrasing.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- MIDI 1.0 规范中音符、速度与控制器消息的定义，依 MMA 公开规范核查，未抄文本
- 制谱软件导出 MIDI 的反复、装饰音与力度选项，依公开文档核查，未抄文本
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.