MIDI Editor

The MIDI editor opens from Piano Roll in the bottom bar. MIDI regions live on MIDI tracks and play the current instrument or sampler source.

Create a MIDI Region

Use one of these:

• Click Piano Roll, then Create MIDI Region.
• Right-click the timeline and choose Create MIDI region here.
• Use the command palette and run Create MIDI region.
• Click Create MIDI in an empty piano roll or empty timeline prompt.

If there are no MIDI tracks, add a MIDI track first.

If the chord lane already has chords, use Generate from chords in the empty piano roll, the Notes inspector, or the command palette to create a chord-generated MIDI region instead of starting blank.

Import a MIDI File

Use one of these:

• Click Piano Roll, then Import .mid.
• Open Library and click Import MIDI.
• Open Project and click Import MIDI.
• Use the command palette and run Import MIDI.

Choose a .mid or .midi Standard MIDI File. Miao creates one MIDI track and aligned MIDI region for each playable source track, placed at the playhead. If the file contains tempo or time-signature metadata, Miao applies the first tempo and time signature to the project. Imported note channel, note-off velocity, controller changes such as sustain and attack, program changes, pitch bend, pressure, text markers, key signature, tempo, and time-signature events are kept on the MIDI clip for export. When the file includes General MIDI program changes or instrument-name metadata, Miao maps each imported track to the nearest built-in instrument when there is a clear match.

Export MIDI

Use one of these:

• Click Piano Roll, then Export .mid.
• Open Project and click Export MIDI.
• Use the command palette and run Export MIDI.

Miao exports the current MIDI clips as a Standard MIDI File. The exported file includes notes plus preserved MIDI metadata and performance events from imported or edited clips.

Select the MIDI Region

Click a MIDI region in the timeline. The piano roll edits the selected MIDI clip. If no MIDI region is selected, the editor shows an empty or unavailable clip state.

Draw Tool

Click the pencil icon in the MIDI toolbar. Move over the grid to preview the note position, then click to add a note.

Notes snap according to the current quantize value in the Notes inspector.

If Snap notes is enabled in the chord/key panel, newly drawn notes also snap to the current project scale.

Enable Chord tones in the piano-roll toolbar when you want drawn notes to fit the chord lane as well as the project scale. Miao moves the drawn pitch to the nearest chord tone at that beat, which is useful for fast bass lines, pads, and melody sketches over a progression.

Scale Highlighting and Fit Notes

The piano roll highlights notes that belong to the current project scale. The tonic row is highlighted more strongly. When the selected MIDI region overlaps the chord lane, compact chord labels appear in the piano-roll ruler at the matching beats.

Use Fit notes in the chord/key panel, or run Fit notes to scale in the command palette, to move notes to the nearest note in the current scale.

Use Chords in the piano-roll toolbar, right-click menu, or command palette to move notes to the nearest tone in the chord lane at each note start.

• If notes are selected, only selected notes are fitted.
• If no notes are selected, the active MIDI clip is fitted.

See Chords and Scales for key, scale, and chord-to-MIDI workflows.

Chord-Generated MIDI

MIDI created from the chord lane opens like any other MIDI region, but the Notes inspector shows a From chords source banner.

Chord-generated MIDI becomes editable piano-roll notes immediately after generation.

Use Regenerate when you have changed the source chords and want Miao to rebuild the MIDI notes from the latest chord lane. Regeneration replaces the notes in that generated region. Undo restores the previous notes if you regenerate by mistake.

The source banner identifies chord-generated MIDI and exposes the Regenerate action.

Select Tool

Click the pointer icon in the MIDI toolbar. Use it to select existing notes. Selected notes are highlighted in the grid and velocity lane.

Move and Trim Notes

• Drag a note body to move it.
• Drag the right resize handle to change length.
• Use ArrowLeft and ArrowRight to nudge selected notes.
• Use ArrowUp and ArrowDown to transpose selected notes by semitone.

Edit Note Values

When a MIDI note is selected, the Notes inspector shows:

• Note
• Start
• Len
• Vel

Change values directly for precise edits.

Velocity Lane

The velocity lane appears under the note grid. Drag velocity bars to change note velocity. Selected notes are highlighted in the lane.

MIDI Actions

The Notes inspector and context menus expose:

Action	Result
Quantize	Move notes to the selected Grid value.
Humanize	Add subtle timing/velocity variation.
Strum	Offset selected notes to create a strummed feel.
Rhythm presets	Apply straight, offbeat, pulse, or held-note timing.
Musical	Fit notes to the scale/chords and add subtle performance.
Select all	Select all notes in the active MIDI clip.
Triad	Add minor or major triad tones to selected notes.
Seventh	Add seventh-chord tones to selected notes.
Arp	Create an arpeggio from selected notes.
Fit notes	Move notes to the nearest note in the scale.
Chords	Move notes to the nearest tone in the chord lane.
Regenerate	Rebuild chord-generated MIDI from source chords.
Duplicate selected	Copy selected notes.
Delete selected	Remove selected notes.
Transpose up/down	Move selected notes by semitone.
Velocity up/down	Adjust selected note velocity.

Right-click a MIDI note to access cleanup, transformation, musical, chord, arpeggio, transpose, and velocity actions.

Web MIDI

Open Audio and click Connect MIDI, or open the MIDI Devices tab in the bottom panel and click Connect.

Miao lists available MIDI inputs. Incoming notes can play the current instrument and can be recorded when a MIDI track is armed.

Web MIDI availability depends on browser and permission support. Desktop Chrome is the intended browser.

Computer Keyboard

When focus is not inside a text field, these computer keys play the instrument keyboard:

Z S X D C V G B H N J M
Q 2 W 3 E R 5 T 6 Y 7 U

The lower row starts one octave below the upper row. Black-key positions use the letter/number keys between white keys.

Instrument Keyboard

The bottom piano keyboard and the drum pads both trigger the current instrument or sampler source. Use them for quick auditioning, note entry, and checking the loaded instrument.