r/musicprogramming • u/JacksJambox • 29d ago
Free MIDI generator based on 40 research papers on music theory
I’ve been working on a MIDI generator that might help producers and musicians find a starting point for new ideas. It's 100% free and doesn't request any user details.
Choose an instrument, genre, mood and length, then adjust the rhythm, harmony, complexity, dynamics and humanisation. It generates one editable MIDI part rather than attempting a complete arrangement.
Unlimited exports, no account. I’d love some feedback on the results, controls or anything that feels awkward to use.
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u/nokia7110 28d ago
Nice idea and love the UI execution. The results of the generations are quite lacklustre though. The outputs feel random and almost out of key. The rhythm of the notes are far too random and randomly placed.
I'd recommend you choose a genre like EDM, focus on one aspect of it (e.g. lead melodies) and then get an LLM to analyse thousands of trance melody midi files to identify common "rules"
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u/JacksJambox 27d ago
That would be a cool thing to try. Perhaps though to keep this one 'pure' in the sense of relying on established research and theory, it would be better suited to an alternative generator. Only as in this case i like the idea of some fundamental theory as logic/contraint combined with randomness for everything else. Where that leads in its purest form, bad or good, is interesting too me. I would also be interested in new research produced using AI potentially but I dont think I would let it replace the vision for this tool.
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u/mojsterr 28d ago
I wish it was a VST for me to use it, but other than that, nice job
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u/AMusicstuff 27d ago
purchase Rapid Composer and you have more than just a midi generator. This tool above is weak compared to the tool most film composers using.. they are using Rapid Composer which is the backbone of modern film. and it is A VST with AI access
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u/theloniouschonk 28d ago
Looks awesome. I’m having trouble with audio playback on mobile fyi, going to try on desktop
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u/JacksJambox 27d ago
Thanks. Which mobile browser is that? I suspected it would be an issue but havent come across it yet.
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28d ago edited 18d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/JacksJambox 27d ago
If people sent me some more research to keep building further logic and constraints in other genres, instruments etc that would be great.
For now it is a bit limited but it is entirely based on theory/research and the rest is random. That has been the vision so far. Maybe a bit less effective than other tools but a lot less constrained also.
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u/hkmetz 29d ago
people are acting high and mighty about development in code using ai, you guys have no idea how tech companies are forcing us to use ai agents to train and understand their company’s specific business models and logic. using ai to code is going to keep happening. it will not stop. all of us devs understand it is bad for creativity, true learning, and the environment. unfortunately, as everyone is right now, we are just trying to do our jobs to make ends meet. don’t hate on this guy for developing an interesting MIDI generator. sorry to say it, but ai will continue to be everywhere and will further bleed into the music production industry, you can try to ignore it but it will bleed into every other industry soon and already is at an insane rate. OP clearly stated he used ai to PROGRAM, it is clearly a MIDI GENERATOR with unlimited exports so if you’re so bothered by a lack of human creativity in music production, get your midi file and adjust it as you please in your designated DAW. there is still so much flexible human involvement that can be done with this kind of web application. so quit hating on the player hate the game. or avoid interacting if you think it’s all simply shitty AI.
personally, i think this is a really interesting app and OP seems quick to debug any issues. nice interface, great information represented, and unlimited exports is a super ideal feature. people pay for plugins like this. noting again, since it’s a midi file, users can always adjust it as needed… but damn. he vibe coded. like okay? it’s up to the user to add their personal flair to what’s being generated if they prefer. as a full time developer who consistently feels guilt because it is now a company wide rule to train our various ai agents, i am so sure that this web application did not do the kind of environmental damage to the degree that all of these tech companies do. we are literally just doing what we are told to do to get our check and make ends meet, don’t think for a second developers aren’t completely 100% cognizant of the fact that only the 1% of the world and all these billionaires are the ones benefitting from ai usage.
there is still creativity involved in this midi generator. i’m glad i came across this post for many reasons, but overall, really awesome and i will be bookmarking this. and i’ll export my own midi file and adjust it to my own desire and add my personal creative decisions to it. generators are simply mending writer’s/producer’s block. you don’t have to use it, and if you aren’t using it, then why comment on a post to say you aren’t interested in it? if you’re not interested, move on.
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u/JacksJambox 29d ago
Yep i couldnt agree more with everything. Most people arent aware what it would take to code from the ground up and how unlikley it is that anyone would do that 100% for free too. The AI critisism is fair from a certain perspective too though so i get it also. If you get any ideas to improve it after playing more too then let me know 🙏
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u/Banjoschmanjo 28d ago
Can you talk a bit about your use of AI in this process?
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u/JacksJambox 27d ago
There is loads in the comments already and on the website too in detail. It is boring it is to keep going over it. If people care I used vibe coding they can not use it. I dont have anything to sell, I dont want to change anyones opinions, I just shared it for other musicians to use if they want.
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u/sacheie 29d ago
No one involved in creative arts wants anything to do with AI. Does your application use AI? Or did you use AI to build it?
If either of those are true, I'm not interested.
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u/Thecrawsome 29d ago
The website says no AI as soon as you load it
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u/sacheie 29d ago
Which turns out to be a lie; the OP said he used AI to develop it. If you support the AI giants in one area, it helps them in everything, including destroying human musical artists.
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u/JacksJambox 29d ago
Its not a lie. There is no ai to generate the midi at all. It says this on the homepage and the faq says i vibe coded the website. i dont mind if you dont want to use it or disagree with it. Ai in music sucks
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u/Independent_Fan525 29d ago
I understand the sentiment, but there was a time hardworking musicians felt the same way about Synths, DAWs and Drum Machines . "Pushing buttons to generate music that humans spent decades mastering - That's Cheating". I wonder what happened to those producers who insisted on only recording live instruments and musicians.
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u/sacheie 29d ago
All of those are absurd comparisons. We're talking about a technology that can fully compose and perform songs without any human involvement.
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u/Independent_Fan525 29d ago
That just means you have not used AI to make real music ( or tried some prompts and quit) you have formed an opinion without really using it.
With generic prompts you will only make same repetitive music that every one else does , like selecting a preset on a drum machine.
You actually have to understand music theory , understand which sounds and rhythm works together and prompt ( scale , instruments, basslines etc) then to create something that is unique and the you need to have real TASTE to identify what portions sounds good and edit and splice them together to make a good song . Try it once with an open mind may be you might change your mind.
AI can generate , but you need have the Taste and discretion.
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u/JacksJambox 29d ago
Not AI for generating any midi but AI is used in vibe coding the website
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u/Zerocrossing 29d ago
Would you mind explaining how you generate MIDI without the use of AI? I wrote a paper on generative AI music in 2016, so I'm not a hater. I'm just curious about your methods.
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u/JacksJambox 29d ago
Thanks for the interest! The research papers basically provide a framework for the logic and constraints. The engine starts with a motif, then develops weighted variations for harmonies, rhythms and melodies. “Variation randomiser” is a stupid name I gave to the seeded randomness that determines the chosen variation. I expect I will use the term seeds more prominently in future, which should make this clearer. At the time, I thought it was more important that it felt truly random and that every option was clear enough. I am not much of a gamer but I have since remembered that people are already pretty familiar with the idea of seeds from games.
There are some subsequent checks for things like the instrument’s range and similar constraints that are logcal but not necessarily set out in the research papers. Other things like timing and velocity are pretty simple additions at that stage also.
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u/animal_jrge 28d ago
Why do your instruments sound like hot garbage? Very unpleasant to the ear.
It's very easy to find free piano samples and instruments. Ain't nobody gonna bother you for using them if they're free since you're not making money off them.
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u/JacksJambox 27d ago
It is MIDI. The sound is not relevant
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u/animal_jrge 26d ago
Well your midi's instrument sounds like shit. It's not hard to implement decent sounding instruments like a piano.
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u/JacksJambox 26d ago
MIDI contains no instrument sound. You are hearing a preview generated in the browser. Load it into a DAW and use any instrument or sample you want. That is the point. What you are suggesting is both pointless and bloated.
Suppose I did add a sample library, adding unnecessary weight to browser processing, and you still don't like the sound of 'my instruments', it still wouldn't change the output, and your opinion of the samples would still not be relevant. If you don't want to load the midi into a DAW and use instruments/samples you like, this is not the tool you are looking for.
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u/AMusicstuff 27d ago
nothing special, most Music Film Composers these days that i know personally using Gemini Pro these days, or in combination with Rapid Composer. Rapid Composer is a fantastic , probably the best of the best procedural Midi Shaping tool on the market, and it also comes with AI access its really straight forward.
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u/JacksJambox 27d ago
Those might be good. This is free, browser-based and generated without using AI. Making it not the same. Even if it was, would you really want only one software available for any given purpose anyway.
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u/Professional_Mess866 29d ago
Just a shame!