pretty-midi
softwareAbout
Python library for creating, manipulating, and analyzing MIDI files with a clean, high-level API for music information retrieval tasks.
Overview
pretty-midi is a Python library targeted at researchers and developers who need to read, write, and analyze MIDI files without dealing with raw binary formats. It is widely praised in the music information retrieval community for its clean API and feature extraction utilities. The main drawback is that active maintenance has slowed since its initial research release, and audio synthesis depends on a separate FluidSynth installation.
Pros
- +Intuitive high-level API for MIDI data manipulation
- +Widely used in MIR research with strong community adoption
Cons
- -Requires external FluidSynth installation for audio synthesis
- -Maintenance has slowed; some open issues go unaddressed
This may be an affiliate link — the creator and GuruStacks may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Details
Pricing
Model
open source
Platforms
Related
Similar tools
View alternatives →Mido
4.2Python library for working with MIDI messages, ports, and files; provides a simple, Pythonic interface to MIDI 1.0 I/O and data processing.
Pydub
4.2Python library for manipulating audio with a simple, high-level interface. Supports loading, editing, and exporting multiple audio formats via ffmpeg integration.
Librosa
4.2Python library for audio and music analysis, providing feature extraction, spectral analysis, and music information retrieval tools.
RtMidi
4.2Cross-platform C++ library providing a unified API for real-time MIDI input and output across macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Isobar
4.2Python library for algorithmic composition and generative music that sequences and triggers musical events across MIDI, OSC, and SuperCollider without generating audio itself.
Essentia
4.2Open-source C++ library for audio analysis, music information retrieval, and synthesis with extensive algorithms for spectral, temporal, and tonal descriptors.