MIDI Integration¶

Guide to using MIDI features with FL Studio MCP Server.

Overview¶

The server provides MIDI communication through the mido library, allowing you to send MIDI messages to FL Studio via virtual MIDI ports.

Requirements¶

loopMIDI (Windows)
FL Studio with MIDI port enabled
No FL Studio API required - MIDI works independently

loopMIDI Setup¶

Installation¶

Download loopMIDI from Tobias Erichsen's website
Run the installer
Launch loopMIDI

Creating a Port¶

In loopMIDI, click the + button
Enter port name: FLStudio_MIDI
Click "Create"
The port appears in the list

FL Studio Configuration¶

Open FL Studio
Options → MIDI Settings
Find FLStudio_MIDI in the list
Enable:
Input: ✓ Enabled
Output: ✓ Enabled
Controller type: Generic Controller

MIDI Operations¶

Connecting¶

# List available ports
midi_list_ports()
# Output: Available MIDI ports:
#   Input: ['FLStudio_MIDI', ...]
#   Output: ['FLStudio_MIDI', ...]

# Connect to port
midi_connect()
# Output: Connected to MIDI port: FLStudio_MIDI

Disconnecting¶

midi_disconnect()
# Output: Disconnected from MIDI port: FLStudio_MIDI

Sending Notes¶

Simple Notes¶

# Send middle C for 0.5 seconds
midi_send_note(note=60)

# Custom velocity and duration
midi_send_note(note=64, velocity=100, duration=1.0)

# Specific channel
midi_send_note(note=60, velocity=80, duration=0.25, channel=1)

Manual Note Control¶

# Note on
midi_send_note_on(note=60, velocity=100)

# Note off (later)
midi_send_note_off(note=60)

Control Changes¶

# Volume (CC 7)
midi_send_cc(control=7, value=100)

# Pan (CC 10)
midi_send_cc(control=10, value=64)  # Center
midi_send_cc(control=10, value=0)   # Hard left
midi_send_cc(control=10, value=127) # Hard right

# Modulation (CC 1)
midi_send_cc(control=1, value=80)

# Sustain pedal (CC 64)
midi_send_cc(control=64, value=127)  # On
midi_send_cc(control=64, value=0)    # Off

Program Changes¶

# Switch to program/preset 1
midi_send_program_change(program=0)

# Program 10 on channel 2
midi_send_program_change(program=9, channel=1)

Pitch Bend¶

# Bend up
midi_send_pitch_bend(pitch=2000)

# Bend down
midi_send_pitch_bend(pitch=-2000)

# Center (no bend)
midi_send_pitch_bend(pitch=0)

MIDI Reference¶

Note Numbers¶

Middle C = 60

C0 = 12   C#0 = 13  ...
C1 = 24   C#1 = 25  ...
C2 = 36   C#2 = 37  ...
C3 = 48   C#3 = 49  ...
C4 = 60   C#4 = 61  ...  (Middle C)
C5 = 72   C#5 = 73  ...
C6 = 84   C#6 = 85  ...
C7 = 96   C#7 = 97  ...
C8 = 108  C#8 = 109 ...

Velocity Values¶

0: Note off (or silent)
1-31: Very soft (pp)
32-63: Soft (p)
64-95: Medium (mf)
96-127: Loud (ff)

Common Control Changes¶

CC	Control	Range
0	Bank Select MSB	0-127
1	Modulation Wheel	0-127
7	Volume	0-127
10	Pan	0-127
11	Expression	0-127
64	Sustain Pedal	0-127
71	Resonance	0-127
74	Filter Cutoff	0-127
91	Reverb Level	0-127
93	Chorus Level	0-127

MIDI Channels¶

0-15 (16 channels total)
Channel 9 (index) = Channel 10 (display) = Drums (GM standard)

Pitch Bend Range¶

-8192 to 8191
0 = no bend
Positive = bend up
Negative = bend down

Advanced Usage¶

Chord Progression¶

# Cmaj chord
midi_send_note_on(note=60, velocity=80)  # C
midi_send_note_on(note=64, velocity=80)  # E
midi_send_note_on(note=67, velocity=80)  # G

# Hold...
import time
time.sleep(1.0)

# Release
midi_send_note_off(note=60)
midi_send_note_off(note=64)
midi_send_note_off(note=67)

Drum Pattern¶

# Channel 9 = drums (GM standard)
drum_channel = 9

# Kick
midi_send_note(note=36, velocity=127, duration=0.1, channel=drum_channel)

# Snare
midi_send_note(note=38, velocity=100, duration=0.1, channel=drum_channel)

# Hi-hat
midi_send_note(note=42, velocity=80, duration=0.05, channel=drum_channel)

Automation Curve¶

# Fade in over time
for i in range(128):
    value = i
    midi_send_cc(control=7, value=value)  # Volume
    time.sleep(0.01)  # Adjust timing

Multi-Channel Setup¶

# Bass on channel 1
midi_send_note(note=36, velocity=100, channel=0)

# Pad on channel 2
midi_send_note(note=60, velocity=60, channel=1)
midi_send_note(note=64, velocity=60, channel=1)
midi_send_note(note=67, velocity=60, channel=1)

# Lead on channel 3
midi_send_note(note=72, velocity=90, channel=2)

Troubleshooting¶

Port Not Found¶

# Check available ports
midi_list_ports()

# Verify loopMIDI is running
# Check port name matches exactly

FL Studio Not Receiving¶

Options → MIDI Settings
Verify port is enabled
Check "Input" is ticked
Try test in FL Studio's MIDI monitor

Timing Issues¶

For precise timing:

Use midi_send_note_on / midi_send_note_off
Control timing in your application
Consider FL Studio's internal timing

Note Stuck¶

If notes don't stop:

# Send note off for all notes on a channel
for note in range(128):
    midi_send_note_off(note=note, channel=0)

# Or disconnect and reconnect
midi_disconnect()
midi_connect()

Best Practices¶

Always Connect¶

# Connect before sending
midi_connect()
midi_send_note(note=60)

Use Context Manager (in Python code)¶

from fruityloops_mcp.midi_interface import MIDIInterface

with MIDIInterface() as midi:
    midi.send_note_on(60, 100)
    # Automatically disconnects