MIDI Recorder — Record Piano Playing

The MIDI recorder captures everything you play in The Ultimate Piano — every note, how hard you struck it, and the pedal. Playing a take back is the fastest way to notice a rushed bar or an uneven left hand. And because the result is a .mid file rather than audio, you can slow it down, fix a note, or take it into any other music software.

The recorder saves your playing as MIDI data — the universal format for storing musical performances digitally, so a piano recording made here works everywhere MIDI does.

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Why Use the MIDI Recorder

The MIDI recorder is the fastest way to capture a musical idea before you forget it. Because the output is a Standard MIDI File and not an audio clip, every note stays fully editable — you can change tempo, fix a wrong note, transpose, or reassign instruments later in any music software. That is the core advantage of recording MIDI instead of audio.

How to Use the MIDI Recorder

Recording takes three clicks and no setup. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Record button (the circle) in the header to start recording
2. Play your music using any input method (mouse, touch, or MIDI keyboard)
3. Click the Stop button (the square next to it) to end the recording
4. A MIDI file named ultimate-piano__.mid is automatically downloaded to your browser's Downloads folder

While recording is active, the Record and Stop buttons get a pulsing red frame, and a small bar floats over the top of the keyboard: a red dot, the running time (for example 0:03.0), how many notes you have played so far, and a level meter that moves with your playing. If you stop without playing a single note, no file is downloaded.

What Gets Recorded

The recorder captures a complete performance, not just the notes. Every event below is written into the MIDI file:

• All notes you play – From mouse clicks, touch input, or MIDI keyboard
• Timing information – The exact moment you press and release each note
• Note velocities – How hard you press keys (when using a MIDI keyboard). Mouse and touch input use a default velocity.
• Pedal events – The sustain pedal (CC64) and every other controller message your MIDI keyboard sends, such as the soft and sostenuto pedals
• Tempo and time signature – The file is written at 120 BPM in 4/4; your notes keep their real timing, so a piece played at another tempo simply doesn't line up with the bar lines

Output Format of the MIDI Recorder

Recordings are saved as Standard MIDI Files (SMF Type 0) — a single-track format read by virtually every music application:

• Format: Single-track MIDI file (SMF Type 0)
• Resolution: 480 PPQ (pulses per quarter note)
• Default tempo: 120 BPM
• File extension: .mid

To stop runaway files, a recording automatically stops after 30 minutes. When that limit is reached, the recording is saved and downloaded exactly like a normal stop, so you never end up with an unusable multi-hour file.

Piano Recording — Use Cases

A piano recording captured here fits into almost any workflow because it is plain MIDI. Common uses:

• Capture ideas – Record musical ideas the moment they come to you
• Practice review – Play your recordings back at 30–300 BPM in the MIDI Player to study them slowly
• Composition – Build up musical pieces note by note
• Transfer to DAW – Import your recordings into any music production software
• Streaming & tutorials – Record your playing as MIDI for later editing in your tutorial videos
• Learning – Record yourself to track your progress over time

Tips

• Check the recording bar – Make sure the bar with the running time is showing before you start playing
• Take your time – The recorder captures everything, including pauses
• Compatible with any DAW – Standard MIDI files work in every music production software

Note: The recorder captures live input only. It does not record playback from the MIDI Player or Audio Player.

Related: Play back your recordings in the MIDI Player. Learn about the Audio engine. Use recordings in Piano Streaming.

Frequently Asked Questions

What format does the MIDI recorder save piano recordings in?

Standard MIDI Files (SMF Type 0) with a .mid extension. This single-track format works with any DAW (Ableton, Logic, FL Studio, GarageBand, etc.) and every MIDI-compatible application.

Does the recorder capture velocity from MIDI keyboards?

Yes. When you use a MIDI keyboard, the recorder captures your actual playing velocity — how hard you press each key. Mouse and touch input use a default velocity, since those methods have no pressure sensitivity.

Is there a recording time limit?

Yes. Recordings automatically stop after 30 minutes to prevent accidental endless recordings. When the 30-minute limit is reached, the MIDI file is saved and downloaded automatically.

Does the MIDI recorder record sustain pedal data?

Yes. The recorder writes CC64 (sustain pedal) events — and any other pedal or controller messages — into the MIDI file whenever your connected MIDI keyboard sends them, alongside note timing, velocity, tempo, and time signature.

Ready to try it?

Open The Ultimate Piano in your browser — no download needed.