What Is MIDI Recorder? A Browser-Based MIDI Recording Tool

Updated

MIDI Recorder (midi-recorder.web.app) is a free browser tool that records MIDI input from a connected MIDI keyboard and lets you export the performance as a MIDI file. It requires no installation and no account — you open the page, plug in a MIDI keyboard, and play. It works only if JavaScript is enabled and your browser supports MIDI access (Chrome is recommended; other browsers may need the Jazz-Soft Web MIDI API extension).

What MIDI Recorder does

The tool covers a deliberately narrow job: capturing live MIDI performance and saving it as a file.

  • Records MIDI input from a connected device in real time.
  • Exports a MIDI file via a "Save MIDI File" action.
  • Handles multiple takes with Clear, Undo, and a "Recover Recordings" option, so an accidental clear isn't necessarily final.
  • Includes a Demo mode, useful for checking that the interface works before your hardware does.

What it does not do, based on the page: there's no mention of audio recording, notation, editing, or multi-track arrangement. It is a recorder, not a DAW.

Requirements and setup

Requirement Detail
JavaScript Must be enabled — the app will not load without it
Browser MIDI support Chrome is the suggested option; other browsers may need the Jazz-Soft Web MIDI API extension
MIDI device A MIDI keyboard (or other MIDI controller) plugged in and powered on
Account / install None indicated

How to record and export

  1. Open the page in a MIDI-capable browser. The Input section shows a "MIDI devices" list that loads your connected hardware.
  2. Confirm your device appears in that list. If it doesn't, the page itself suggests: check the keyboard is plugged in and switched on, refresh the page, unplug and replug the device, or restart your computer.
  3. Play your keyboard. Notes are captured as you perform.
  4. Export when finished using "Save MIDI File." If nothing was captured, the app reports "No notes recorded" rather than producing an empty file.
  5. Correct mistakes with Undo, or Clear followed by Recover Recordings if you cleared by accident.

Common problems and what to try

  • "No MIDI devices detected" — the device isn't reaching the browser. Work through the page's own checklist: power, cable, refresh, replug, restart.
  • "This browser doesn't support MIDI access" — switch to Chrome, or install the Jazz-Soft Web MIDI API extension for your current browser.
  • "Failed to get MIDI access" — the browser blocked or couldn't complete the MIDI permission handshake. Retrying after a refresh, or in Chrome, is the first thing to test.
  • Nothing exports — check for the "No notes recorded" message; the export is empty because no input was captured, not because saving failed.

Who it's for

MIDI Recorder suits a quick capture: sketching an idea on a keyboard and getting a .mid file without opening a DAW or installing software. If you need editing, quantization, virtual instruments, or audio, this tool stops short of that — treat it as a fast input-to-file step, not a production environment.