# MIDI for Makers ## Overview Whether you're a classically trained pianist or a hobbyist who thinks synths sound really cool, the allure of DIY MIDI projects are incredibly tempting. It can be hard to know how to get started though. What board should you use? How does the code work? What even is MIDI? This guide will tell you everything you need to know to get started with your own MIDI projects so that you can focus on building rather than searching everywhere on the internet. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/109/137/medium800/microcontrollers_edited_P1320240.jpg?1645632335) ## What is MIDI? Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is a 7-bit communication protocol that dates back to the 1980's. It may sound antiquated, but it is the standard digital communication method for all things music. If you've ever had a piano keyboard control a piece of software or digital audio workstation (DAW) on a computer, then you were using MIDI. MIDI is dependable, predictable, reliable and at this point is usually plug and play without too much fuss. This also means that it's approachable for folks to build their own MIDI devices. ## Why build a MIDI controller? There are a lot of aftermarket MIDI devices available, so why would you want to build your own? When you build your own MIDI controller, you can design it specifically for what you need. If you aren't quite sure what you want to do with MIDI, you can experiment and test things before committing to a full build. Additionally, you can share your MIDI project's details with the community for other musicians to benefit from. ## Parts ### Adafruit MIDI FeatherWing Kit [Adafruit MIDI FeatherWing Kit](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4740) Turn your Feather into a song-bird with this musically-enabled FeatherWing that adds MIDI input and output jacks to just about any Feather. You get both input and output DIN-5 MIDI jacks, a 3V optically isolator so you can interface with MIDI on 3.3V logic/power microcontrollers, and two... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4740) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4740/guides) ![Angled shot of a Adafruit MIDI FeatherWing Kit. ](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4740-04.jpg) ### Adafruit Feather RP2040 [Adafruit Feather RP2040](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884) A new chip means a new Feather, and the Raspberry Pi RP2040 is no exception. When we saw this chip we thought "this chip is going to be awesome when we give it the Feather Treatment" and so we did! This Feather features the  **RP2040** , and all niceties you know and... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4884/guides) ![Angled shot of black rectangular microcontroller "Feather RP2040"](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/4884-04.jpg) ### Adafruit QT Py RP2040 [Adafruit QT Py RP2040](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4900) What a cutie pie! Or is it... a QT Py? This diminutive dev board comes with one of our new favorite chip, the RP2040. It's been made famous in the new [Raspberry Pi Pico](https://www.adafruit.com/pico) _and_ our [Feather...](http://www.adafruit.com/product/4884) Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4900) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4900/guides) ![Video of hand holding a QT Py PCB in their hand. An LED glows rainbow colors.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-videos/640x480/4900-06.jpg) ### Adafruit CLUE - nRF52840 Express with Bluetooth® LE [Adafruit CLUE - nRF52840 Express with Bluetooth® LE](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4500) Do you feel like you just don't have a CLUE? Well, we can help with that - get a CLUE here at Adafruit by picking up this sensor-packed development board. We wanted to build some projects that have a small screen and a lot of sensors. To make it compatible with existing projects, we made... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4500) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4500/guides) ![Animated GIF showing CLUE board displaying data from the many on-board sensors.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-videos/640x480/4500-04.jpg) ### Adafruit Metro M4 feat. Microchip ATSAMD51 [Adafruit Metro M4 feat. Microchip ATSAMD51](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3382) Are you ready? Really ready? Cause here comes the fastest, most powerful Metro ever. The **Adafruit Metro M4** featuring the **Microchip ATSAMD51**. This Metro is like a bullet train, with its 120MHz Cortex M4 with floating point support. Your code will zig and zag... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3382) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3382/guides) ![Angled shot of a Adafruit Metro M4 feat. Microchip ATSAMD51. ](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/3382-13.jpg) ### Monochrome 1.3" 128x64 OLED graphic display - STEMMA QT / Qwiic [Monochrome 1.3" 128x64 OLED graphic display - STEMMA QT / Qwiic](https://www.adafruit.com/product/938) These displays are small, only about 1.3" diagonal, but very readable due to the high contrast of an OLED display. This display is made of 128x64 individual white OLED pixels, each one is turned on or off by the controller chip. Because the display makes its own light, no backlight is... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/938) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/938/guides) ![Monochrome 1.3" OLED module with Adafruit logos falling like snow](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-videos/640x480/938-05.jpg) ### Part: FeatherWing Doubler quantity: 1 FeatherWing Doubler [FeatherWing Doubler](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2890) ### Part: Breadboard quantity: 1 Full Size [Breadboard](https://www.adafruit.com/product/239) ### Part: Breadboard wire bundle quantity: 1 Various size wires for breadboarding [Breadboard wire bundle](https://www.adafruit.com/product/153) ### Part: Tactile Switch Buttons quantity: 1 10 pack [Tactile Switch Buttons](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1119) ### Part: Potentiometer quantity: 4 1K [Potentiometer](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1789) ### Part: Servo quantity: 1 Micro servo [Servo](https://www.adafruit.com/product/169) ### Part: STEMMA QT / Qwiic JST SH 4-pin Cable quantity: 1 100 mm [STEMMA QT / Qwiic JST SH 4-pin Cable](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4210) ### Part: USB A to USB C Cable quantity: 1 1 meter long [USB A to USB C Cable](https://www.adafruit.com/product/5153) - [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/midi-for-makers/how-midi-is-transmitted.md) ## Featured Products ### Adafruit MIDI FeatherWing Kit [Adafruit MIDI FeatherWing Kit](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4740) Turn your Feather into a song-bird with this musically-enabled FeatherWing that adds MIDI input and output jacks to just about any Feather. You get both input and output DIN-5 MIDI jacks, a 3V optically isolator so you can interface with MIDI on 3.3V logic/power microcontrollers, and two... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4740) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4740/guides) ### Adafruit Feather RP2040 [Adafruit Feather RP2040](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884) A new chip means a new Feather, and the Raspberry Pi RP2040 is no exception. When we saw this chip we thought "this chip is going to be awesome when we give it the Feather Treatment" and so we did! This Feather features the  **RP2040** , and all niceties you know and... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4884/guides) ### Adafruit QT Py RP2040 [Adafruit QT Py RP2040](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4900) What a cutie pie! Or is it... a QT Py? This diminutive dev board comes with one of our new favorite chip, the RP2040. It's been made famous in the new [Raspberry Pi Pico](https://www.adafruit.com/pico) _and_ our [Feather...](http://www.adafruit.com/product/4884) Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4900) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4900/guides) ### Adafruit CLUE - nRF52840 Express with Bluetooth® LE [Adafruit CLUE - nRF52840 Express with Bluetooth® LE](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4500) Do you feel like you just don't have a CLUE? Well, we can help with that - get a CLUE here at Adafruit by picking up this sensor-packed development board. We wanted to build some projects that have a small screen and a lot of sensors. To make it compatible with existing projects, we made... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/4500) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/4500/guides) ### Adafruit Metro M4 feat. Microchip ATSAMD51 [Adafruit Metro M4 feat. Microchip ATSAMD51](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3382) Are you ready? Really ready? Cause here comes the fastest, most powerful Metro ever. The **Adafruit Metro M4** featuring the **Microchip ATSAMD51**. This Metro is like a bullet train, with its 120MHz Cortex M4 with floating point support. Your code will zig and zag... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3382) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3382/guides) ### FeatherWing Doubler - Prototyping Add-on For All Feather Boards [FeatherWing Doubler - Prototyping Add-on For All Feather Boards](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2890) This is the **FeatherWing Doubler** - a prototyping add-on and more for all Feather boards. This is similar to our [FeatherWing Proto](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2884) except there are two! The magic of the Doubler comes when stacking a Feather and another... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2890) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/2890/guides) ### Tactile Switch Buttons (12mm square, 6mm tall) x 10 pack [Tactile Switch Buttons (12mm square, 6mm tall) x 10 pack](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1119) Medium-sized clicky momentary switches are standard input "buttons" on electronic projects. These work best in a PCB but [can be used on a solderless breadboard as shown in this tutorial](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-arduino-lesson-6-digital-inputs?view=all). The... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1119) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1119/guides) ### Panel Mount 1K potentiometer (Breadboard Friendly) [Panel Mount 1K potentiometer (Breadboard Friendly)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1789) This **1K** potentiometer is a two-in-one, good in a breadboard or with a panel. It's a fairly standard linear taper 1K ohm potentiometer, with a grippy shaft. It's smooth and easy to turn, but not so loose that it will shift on its own. We like this one because the legs are... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1789) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1789/guides) ## Related Guides - [Adafruit Metro M4 Express featuring ATSAMD51](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-metro-m4-express-featuring-atsamd51.md) - [Introducing Adafruit CLUE](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-clue.md) - [Adafruit MIDI FeatherWing](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-midi-featherwing.md) - [Introducing Adafruit Feather RP2040](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-feather-rp2040-pico.md) - [Adafruit QT Py RP2040](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-qt-py-2040.md) - [BLE Thermal "Cat" Printer with CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/ble-thermal-cat-printer-with-circuitpython.md) - [SNES Mouse to USB HID with CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/snes-mouse-to-usb-hid-with-circuitpython.md) - [Wirelessly Code your Bluetooth Device with CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/wirelessly-code-your-bluetooth-device-with-circuitpython.md) - [Talking Musical NeoPixel Clock with Infrared, BLE and Touch Controls](https://learn.adafruit.com/talking-musical-neo-pixel-clock-with-infrared-ble-and-touch-controls.md) - [Feather RP2040 DVI Video Synth](https://learn.adafruit.com/feather-rp2040-dvi-video-synth.md) - [Split Ortho Keyboard with TCA8418 Matrix Expanders](https://learn.adafruit.com/split-ortho-keyboard.md) - [AS5600 Super Smooth Rotary Encoder](https://learn.adafruit.com/as5600-smooth-rotary-encoder.md) - [Alternative languages for programming the SAMD51 boards](https://learn.adafruit.com/alternative-languages-for-programming-samd-boards.md) - [MIDI Melody Maker](https://learn.adafruit.com/midi-melody-maker.md) - [PyLeap CLUE Barometer](https://learn.adafruit.com/pyleap-clue-barometer.md) - [Digital Nose Milk Freshness Checker](https://learn.adafruit.com/digital-nose-gas-sensor-milk-freshness-checker.md) - [Tyrell Desktop Synthesizer](https://learn.adafruit.com/tyrell-desktop-synthesizer.md) - [CircuitPython 101: Working with Lists, Iterators and Generators](https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-101-list-and-things-iterators-generators.md) - [CircuitPython Essentials](https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-essentials.md) - [LED Rocket Lamp](https://learn.adafruit.com/led-rocket-lamp.md)