MIDI Channels There are 16 channels per MIDI device. A track in your sequencer program plays one instrument over a single channel. The MIDI messages in the track find their way to the instrument over that channel.

Yes, as Robh says, with multitracking software like PT or RB, we can simply add another MIDI synth and select that for use on the “next” 16 channels, giving us 32 channels of MIDI in total.

A single MIDI link through a MIDI cable can carry up to sixteen channels of information, each of which can be routed to a separate device or instrument.

MIDI channels allow you to designate which messages go to a particular machine. You can program each machine to receive messages on one or more of the 16 MIDI channels.

MIDI is a music description language in digital (binary) form. It was designed for use with keyboard-based musical instruments, so the message structure is oriented to performance events, such as picking a note and then striking it, or setting typical parameters available on electronic keyboards.

Let’s answer: Should you buy a MIDI Keyboard or Synth? If you want a piece of equipment to generate MIDI data so that you can play different sound modules that are built-in to your DAW, we recommend getting a MIDI Keyboard.

The current MIDI specification calls for 16 MIDI channels. These 16 channels provide a way to transmit and receive 16 different musical parts all on one MIDI cable creating a convenient way to play sequences back through several keyboards, or one multitimbral keyboard.

One stream of MIDI data has a total of 16 independent channels for messages and events. One stream of MIDI data has a total of 16 independent channels for messages and events. You can think of these channels kind of like tracks in your DAW or sequencer—but don’t get confused, you’re certainly not limited to only 16 MIDI tracks in your DAW!

The output of the device sending MIDI information must always be connected to the input of the device you intend to receive it. MIDI thru is for sending the same MIDI information to multiple devices. Remember—you can set each device to a different channel and use a single stream of MIDI to control them all.

MIDI channels are most important when you’re dealing with external hardware. Each device in your MIDI setup can be set to send or receive data on a particular channel. From there it’s as easy as setting the output channel on tracks in your sequencer to determine which device should play what.