Suno 支持用 MIDI 文件起歌

You can now start a song on Suno from a MIDI file, by dragging and dropping the file onto the Create page or choosing MIDI from the '+ menu. Try it now, or keep reading for examples of how you can use MIDI to kick off your composition process. But first, let’s begin with explaining what MIDI is, and why it offers such a good starting point to the creation process.

A MIDI file holds the exact notes and timing of a musical part, so it gives you a much more precise starting point than any other way of creating on Suno. You can decide how closely Suno follows it, for example, ask the model to play your notes exactly as you wrote them, or it can take a motif from the file and develop it into something new.

One of the most enjoyable parts of making music on Suno is taking one idea and turning it into something completely different. A text prompt, whether it’s simple or detailed, can become an entirely new sonic world. When you upload or drag and drop your own audio onto the Create page, Suno expands on your idea while keeping the sound that makes it yours. MIDI is the newest of these starting points, and it works differently from the other uploadable assets because a MIDI file contains no sound at all. To see why that’s useful, it helps to know what MIDI actually is.

What is MIDI?

Though it’s one of the primary forms of musical data, MIDI contains no audible information. Instead, it is a way of expressing musical information (notes, rhythm, musical expression and more) in a lightweight data format. MIDI was invented in the mid-’80s and originates from the world of hardware synthesizers, samplers and sequencers. Back then, thanks to MIDI, those devices could communicate with each other (send, receive and pass through data using in, out and thru connections) and maintain sync. Because MIDI is just the data that describes the performance, the sounds would come from the connected devices. The same MIDI part could play back a guitar line or a trumpet part, depending on how it was assigned in the receiving device.

Today, MIDI is still a mainstay of production ecosystems. The old-school 5-pin cables are now joined by USB, minijack and even Bluetooth connections, and most MIDI is sent ‘in the box’ between the channels of a DAW and a virtual instrument plugin like Serum or Omnisphere.

MIDI is not just a real-time communication technique; it can be packaged into a static, shareable asset in .mid and .midi formats. A MIDI file is a sequence of musical data that can be played on any compatible device. It can contain up to 16 channels of pitch and timing data, each with up to 120 controller lanes for things like modulation, volume and sustain. And it’s this file type that we have added to the list of available inputs on the Create page.

The Downsides of MIDI

While MIDI is a much-loved part of the music production process, it is not perfect. As described earlier, it contains no sound information, just data, and even the best-programmed MIDI can't express certain types of articulations and timbre adjustment. Added to this, most stock MIDI synthesizers sound underwhelming, without detailed programming at least, so when writing a musical score or orchestral piece with MIDI, the sounds heard throughout the process are often underwhelming. Furthermore, the process of translating raw MIDI information into a full-sounding output with VST plugins, such as those from Spitfire Audio or EastWest, is time consuming and requires specific programming skills. Not to mention the thousands of dollars and hundreds of gigabytes needed for those large sample-based instruments.

What can you do with MIDI on Suno?

Turning MIDI to audio on Suno is an empowering experience. Click upload or drag and drop any .mid or .midi file onto the prompt. Then describe how you want Suno to reference your file using natural language. You can ask the model to take the top line motif from your MIDI file and develop it into new ideas, or play it on new instrumentation. Or you can instruct it to follow the notes exactly so you can hear your compositions and scores come to life exactly as you wrote them.

This is different from existing Create modes, such as using Remix or Cover to adapt an uploaded audio (WAV or MP3) file. This is because MIDI is conveying exact note and timing information, from which you can get very precise control over your songs.

So that covers what it is and how it works. Here are a few other examples of how you can use MIDI in Suno:

Make your sheet music come alive

Export your work-in-progress scores as MIDI, then bring them into Suno to hear them played back with high-quality instrumentation. No more lifeless woodwinds or thin strings, or wrangling complex sample libraries.

Example prompt: Arrange this MIDI for a full orchestra, with strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion.

Hear your school music projects in high quality

Music students, teachers and band leaders can audition their own compositions while they work on them. Iterate on ideas quickly, knowing how they will sound with full instrumentation or played live.

Example prompt: Transform this MIDI into a gospel choir with piano accompaniment.

Revitalize your old sessions

Dig out the MIDI from old band sessions to give them a new lease on life. How does that synth line you laid down in the 90s sound played by a string quartet?

Example prompt: Transform this MIDI into a string quartet. Use the notes and chord progressions exactly as they appear in the MIDI file.

At launch, MIDI uses Simple Create mode with v6-wild. We plan to expand MIDI capabilities over time. This feature is available to all Pro and Premier subscribers. Grab a MIDI file and try it now!