JZZ: MIDI library for Node.js and web-browsers

JZZ.js allows sending, receiving and playing MIDI messages in Node.js and all major browsers in Linux, MacOS and Windows. Some features are available on iOS and Android devices.

JZZ.js enables Web MIDI API in Node.js and those browsers that don't support it, and provides additional functionality to make developer's life easier.

For the best user experience, it's highly RECOMMENDED (though not required) to install the latest version of Jazz-Plugin and browser extensions from Chrome Web Store or Mozilla Add-ons or Apple App Store.

Features

• MIDI In/Out
• User-defined MIDI nodes
• MIDI files
• MPE
• SMPTE
• UMP (MIDI 2.0)
• Additional modules

Install

npm install jzz --save
or yarn add jzz
or get the full development version and minified scripts from Github

Note: in the (unlikely) case you get into trouble installing the midi-test module, that requires special system configuration, you can safely remove it from the devDependencies by running npm remove midi-test --save-dev.

Usage

Plain HTML

1<script src="JZZ.js"></script>
2//...

CDN (jsdelivr)

1<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/jzz"></script>       // the latest version, or
2<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/jzz@1.9.3"></script> // any particular version
3//...

CDN (unpkg)

1<script src="https://unpkg.com/jzz"></script>       // the latest version, or
2<script src="https://unpkg.com/jzz@1.9.3"></script> // any particular version
3//...

CommonJS

1var JZZ = require('jzz');
2//...

TypeScript / ES6

1import { JZZ } from 'jzz';
2//...

AMD

1require(['JZZ'], function(JZZ) {
2  //...
3});

Web MIDI API

(Node.js example)

1var navigator = require('jzz');
2navigator.requestMIDIAccess().then(onSuccess, onFail);
3// ...
4navigator.close(); // This will close MIDI inputs,
5                   // otherwise Node.js will wait for MIDI input forever.
6// In browsers the funcion is neither defined nor required.

JZZ API

MIDI Output/Input

1JZZ().or('Cannot start MIDI engine!')
2     .openMidiOut().or('Cannot open MIDI Out port!')
3     .wait(500).send([0x90,60,127]) // note on
4     .wait(500).send([0x80,60,0]);  // note off
5JZZ().openMidiIn().or('Cannot open MIDI In port!')
6     .and(function() { console.log('MIDI-In: ', this.name()); })
7     .connect(function(msg) { console.log(msg.toString()); })
8     .wait(10000).close();

Connecting MIDI nodes

1var input = JZZ().openMidiIn();
2var output = JZZ().openMidiOut();
3var delay = JZZ.Widget({ _receive: function(msg) { this.wait(500).emit(msg); }});
4input.connect(delay);
5delay.connect(output);

Helpers and shortcuts

1// All calls below will do the same job:
2port.send([0x90, 61, 127]).wait(500).send([0x80, 61, 0]);   // arrays
3port.send(0x90, 61, 127).wait(500).send(0x80, 61, 0);       // comma-separated
4port.send(0x90, 'C#5', 127).wait(500).send(0x80, 'Db5', 0); // note names
5port.noteOn(0, 'C#5', 127).wait(500).noteOff(0, 'B##4');    // helper functions
6port.note(0, 'C#5', 127, 500);                              // another shortcut
7port.ch(0).noteOn('C#5').wait(500).noteOff('C#5');          // using channels
8port.ch(0).note('C#5', 127, 500);                           // using channels

Asynchronous calls

1// in the environments that support async/await:
2async function playNote() {
3  var midi = await JZZ();
4  var port = await midi.openMidiOut();
5  await port.noteOn(0, 'C5', 127);
6  await port.wait(500);
7  await port.noteOff(0, 'C5');
8  await port.close();
9  console.log('done!');
10}
11// or:
12async function playAnotherNote() {
13  var port = await JZZ().openMidiOut();
14  await port.noteOn(0, 'C5', 127).wait(500).noteOff(0, 'C5').close();
15  console.log('done!');
16}

Virtual MIDI ports

1var logger = JZZ.Widget({ _receive: function(msg) { console.log(msg.toString()); }});
2JZZ.addMidiOut('Console Logger', logger);
3
4// now it can be used as a port:
5var port = JZZ().openMidiOut('Console Logger');
6// ...
7
8// substitute the native MIDIAccess
9// to make virtual ports visible to the Web MIDI API code:
10navigator.requestMIDIAccess = JZZ.requestMIDIAccess;

Frequency / MIDI conversion

1JZZ.MIDI.freq('A5'); // => 440
2JZZ.MIDI.freq(69);   // => 440
3JZZ.MIDI.freq(69.5); // => 452.8929841231365
4// from frequency:
5JZZ.MIDI.midi(440);  // => 69
6JZZ.MIDI.midi(450);  // => 69.38905773230853
7// or from name:
8JZZ.MIDI.midi('A5'); // => 69

MIDI 2.0

MIDI2() is an adapter that enables MIDI 2.0 in all subsequent chained calls.
MIDI1() returns the operation back to MIDI 1.0.
Note that the downstream MIDI nodes don't require any special actions to receive and transfer MIDI 2.0 messages:

1var first = JZZ.Widget();
2var second = JZZ.Widget();
3var third = JZZ.Widget();
4first.connect(second);
5second.connect(third);
6third.connect(function (msg) { console.log(msg.toString()); });
7
8first
9  .send([0x90, 0x3c, 0x7f])       // 90 3c 7f -- Note On
10  .MIDI2()                        // enable MIDI 2.0
11  .send([0x20, 0x90, 0x3c, 0x7f]) // 20903c7f -- Note On
12  .MIDI1()                        // reset to MIDI 1.0
13  .send([0x90, 0x3c, 0x7f])       // 90 3c 7f -- Note On

When used with MIDI 2.0, most of MIDI 1.0 helpers require group as an additional first parameter
and produce MIDI 1.0 messages wrapped into UMP packages.
Most of the new MIDI 2.0 helpers don't have corresponding MIDI 1.0 messages.
Use gr(), ch() and sxId() calls to set default group, channel and SysEx ID for the subsequent calls.
MIDI2() and MIDI1() clear off default group, channel, SysEx ID and MPE settings:

1first
2  .noteOn(5, 'C5', 127)           // 95 3c 7f -- Note On
3  .ch(5).noteOn('C5', 127)        // 95 3c 7f -- Note On
4  .MIDI2()
5  .noteOn(2, 5, 'C5', 127)        // 22953c7f -- Note On
6  .gr(2).noteOn(5, 'C5', 127)     // 22953c7f -- Note On
7  .ch(5).noteOn('C5', 127)        // 22953c7f -- Note On
8  .MIDI2()
9  .noteOn(2, 5, 'C5', 127)        // 22953c7f -- Note On
10  .ch(5).noteOn(2, 'C5', 127)     // 22953c7f -- Note On
11  .MIDI2()
12  .umpNoteOn(2, 5, 'C5', 127)     // 42953c00 007f0000 -- Note On
13  .gr(2).umpNoteOn(5, 'C5', 127)  // 42953c00 007f0000 -- Note On
14  .ch(5).umpNoteOn('C5', 127)     // 42953c00 007f0000 -- Note On

More on MIDI 2.0 support...

Additional modules

• JZZ-midi-SMF - Standard MIDI files: read / write / play
• JZZ-midi-WS - MIDI via WebSockets
• JZZ-midi-GM - General MIDI instrument names: MIDI to string / string to MIDI
• JZZ-midi-Gear - Retrieve your MIDI device model and manufacturer
• JZZ-input-Kbd - Virtual piano controls for your MIDI projects
• JZZ-synth-Tiny - A tiny General MIDI synth implemented with the Web Audio API
• JZZ-gui-Select - MIDI Input/Output pickers
• JZZ-gui-Player - MIDI Player - ready for your page
• JZZ-gui-Karaoke - Karaoke :)
• etc... - Import third-party solutions into the JZZ framework

Testing your MIDI application

• midi-test - Virtual MIDI ports for testing MIDI applications
• web-midi-test - Fake Web MIDI API for testing Web MIDI applications
• jazz-midi-headless - MIDI for headless testing
• test-midi-files - A framework for producing test MIDI files

Check the Getting Started page and the API reference for more information...

Thanks for your support!