Can I recover recordings in MIDI Recorder?

Updated

Yes — MIDI Recorder has a Recover Recordings option, so clearing or undoing your take doesn't necessarily mean it's gone for good. The important condition is that recovery is a browser-session feature: it restores recordings the app still holds, and you should export the one you want as a MIDI file right after recovering it. If you close the tab, reload the page, or clear browser data, that safety net is not something you can count on.

What "Recover Recordings" does

MIDI Recorder is a browser-based tool that records what you play on a connected MIDI keyboard. Alongside the recording controls, the interface includes a Recover Recordings action. When you open it, it either shows recordings you can bring back or tells you "No more recordings to recover."

That message is the key signal: recovery works from a limited store of previous takes, not from an unlimited history. Once that store is exhausted, there is nothing left to restore.

When a recording becomes recoverable

A take ends up in the recoverable pool when it is removed from the current session without being exported. In practice that means:

  • You pressed Clear and wiped the notes you had just recorded.
  • You used Undo to step back past a recording.
  • You recorded a new take over a previous one instead of saving it first.

If you exported the take with Save MIDI File before clearing it, you already have the file on your computer and don't need recovery at all.

Clear vs. Undo: what each one affects

Action What it does Effect on recovery
Clear Removes the notes currently held in the session The cleared take can become available under Recover Recordings
Undo Steps back through your recent edits or recording actions Undone material can also land in the recoverable pool
Recover Recordings Brings back a previously removed take Restores it into the session so you can work with it again
Save MIDI File Exports the current notes as a .mid file Permanent — this is the only copy that survives closing the browser

The distinction that matters: Clear and Undo change what's in front of you, while Recover Recordings reaches back for it. Save MIDI File is the only step that moves your performance out of the browser entirely.

How to recover a recording

  1. Connect your MIDI keyboard and confirm it appears in the MIDI devices list.
  2. Open Recover Recordings.
  3. If a take is listed, select it to restore it into the session.
  4. Play it back or check the note display to confirm it's the take you wanted.
  5. Immediately use Save MIDI File to export it.

Step 5 is not optional if the recording matters to you. Recovery puts the notes back in the app; only the export puts them on your disk.

Common snags

"No more recordings to recover." The recoverable store is empty — either you already restored everything, or the take was never in a state the app could hold onto. Nothing further can be done in that session.

You reloaded the page first. Recovery depends on the app's current state. Refreshing or closing the tab before recovering is the most common way to lose a take for good.

The MIDI device isn't detected. Recovery and recording both need MIDI access. If the device list shows "No MIDI devices detected," check that the keyboard is plugged in and powered on, then refresh the page. If you see "This browser doesn't support MIDI access," switch to Chrome or install the Jazz-Soft Web MIDI API extension for your browser.

You cleared, then recorded something new. The newer take occupies the session. Recover the older one first, export it, then return to what you were working on.

The habit that makes recovery unnecessary

Treat Save MIDI File as the end of every good take, not as something to do at the end of a session. Recovery is a convenience for the take you just cleared by accident — it is not a project file, and it does not follow you across browser sessions. Export first, then clear freely.