MIDI Overview

If you’re a musician you’ve likely heard of MIDI. Maybe you are just getting started or maybe you use it with every project. MIDI describes a number of things, which we go over in this post here —> What Is MIDI? If you’re new to MIDI or not familiar with it at all, we recommend starting with that article before reading this one.

What is MIDI CC?

This article is going to focus on the communication side of the MIDI square. Specifically, a thing called MIDI CC or MIDI Continuous Controllers. So if you find yourself asking the question, “What is MIDI CC?” this is the article for you. The most common use MIDI message is what note to play in music, but MIDI messages don’t have to be just about notes. They can also be about effects applied, volume, panning, etc. That’s where MIDI CC comes in. MIDI CC is a type message in your MIDI that is typically used for making your sounds and recordings more expressive or human sounding. As an example, turning a knob that controls the level of reverb at a given moment. The purpose of MIDI CC is to add more control over your sound apart from simply the notes being played.

MIDI CC works through 128 control change messages. These messages and can be assigned to different elements of a MIDI controller, like a knob, slider, or mod wheel. The MIDI CC numbers go from 0 to 127 and they have assigned default actions. Once you’ve mapped the CCs to your controller you will have more flexibility in crafting and manipulating your sounds from your MIDI controller / keyboard.

Here is a list of the default MIDI CCs :