midicycles is a small tool written in Go that visualizes incoming MIDI notes. It was originally created to both hear and visualize output from Melrōse programs, but it also works with any MIDI source.
The project is simple to start and flexible to tune. On startup it opens one or more MIDI input ports and renders note activity in near-real time.
Why this is fun
When composing with loops and pattern transforms, listening is essential, but seeing timing and note distribution pleases the brain. With midicycles you can quickly spot:
- rhythmic density
- pitch spread across low and high notes
- channel separation across views
Links
- Source and README: codeberg.org/emicklei/midicycles
- Demo video by Sander: YouTube