The Best MIDI Cables

MIDI is the backbone which lets us control hardware and software synths with a keyboard controller, and lets us make complex songs with tons of individual tracks using our DAW. MIDI Cables are essential to hook up our gear equipped with a MIDI IN and MIDI OUT port. While many newer devices transfer MIDI messages via USB, any music studio should be equipped with some MIDI cables to hook up older and vintage gear.

Buying the right MIDI cable seems like a simple purchase - and in many ways it is - but there is still some confusion to be had with dozens of models available on the market today. We’re here to clear up some MIDI confusion and make recommendations for the best MIDI cables for your hard earned money.

What is MIDI?

Before jumping into MIDI cables specifically, let’s take a moment to make sure you’re fully up to speed on what exactly MIDI is and does. MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and it’s a technology that was standardized in 1983 which allows electronic musical instruments to “talk” with each other (this includes instruments being able to communicate with computers, and vice versa) - essentially it’s a language.

The MIDI language is like a blueprint, or instructions. Imagine you have a synthesizer capable of playing all sorts of different sounds. You can give it a MIDI file, which is a set of instructions which will tell the synthesizer what to play and how to play it: On track 1, use a piano sound to play notes X Y and Z with this velocity. On track 2, use a drum kit to play notes A B and C with this velocity. This is a common misconception, so we’ll put it in bold - MIDI is NOT digital audio. Digital audio is the end result of what you hear. MIDI is more like the recipe, or set of instructions for what to play and how to play it. Because of that, MIDI takes up way less disk space than audio.

When MIDI entered the mainstream in the early 1980s, it was a game changer. The music industry was revolutionized, since now that computers and electronic instruments could all communicate with one another, it not only decreased the amount of gear that was needed by a musician to record music, but recording music itself became a one-man job. Whereas it used to take 5 musicians to play 5 instruments, MIDI sequencing allowed just one person create a complex musical arrangement on their own, using however many instruments they pleased.

MIDI continues to be used today, and such a seemingly simple technology is the backbone which allows us to create music quickly and easily using keyboard and pad controllers, hardware and software synths, and sequencers/DAWs. MIDI cables are the original way MIDI messages were transferred between devices. They are 5-pin DIN connectors, and MIDI messages are one-way traffic, meaning that a cable can only carry messages in one direction. That’s why devices have separate MIDI IN and MIDI OUT connections, and two MIDI cables are needed. Often there’s also a MIDI THRU port which just copies everything received in the MIDI IN port, so you can daisy chain devices.

What to Look for in a MIDI Cable

Now that we’ve done a crash course on MIDI, let’s talk about MIDI cables in particular. There are dozens of them available from all sorts of manufacturers, and just like everything in the music gear world, some are better than others. Don’t worry, we’ll make some recommendations for what we think are the best ones, but first here are some things to look for in your MIDI cable:

Brand: Typically, it’s a good sign if you’ve heard of a brand before. Roland or Monster are much more familiar to most musicians than BudgetCables4U (we made that one up, but you get the point). The more reputable the brand, the better the chance they will stand behind their product in case of a faulty cable.

Warranty: Make sure the manufacturer of your cable offers a warranty that covers against defects. The best warranties will last a lifetime and the manufacturer will replace a bad cable no matter what happened to it.

Build Quality: Cables undergo stress and wear and tear, so it’s important that they are built to last. The first place where budget cables skimp is build quality. We tested the 5 MIDI cables we’re recommending ourselves and put them through some strain to make sure they hold up well.

Secure Connection: Make sure your MIDI cable provides a firm and secure connection when plugged into your MIDI port. The last thing you want is for a loose cable to come unplugged during a live show or recording session.

Why Should You Trust Us?

In short, because we do the work! Not only do we put in many hours of research to see what the best reviewed MIDI cables are, we also purchase them ourselves and put them through their paces. Testing a MIDI cable is not the most exciting thing in the world, but we think it’s important that any amount of money you spend on gear - no matter how much or how little - should be well thought out!