reference

MIDI Notes and Middle C

Middle C is MIDI Note number 60.

This can be C3 or C4, or even C2 or C5. There is no defined standard or convention. The MIDI standard only says that note number 60 is a C, it does not say of which octave.

From the Complete MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification:

Each note is assigned a numeric value, which is transmitted with any Note-On/Off message. Middle C has a reference value of 60. This is the middle C of an 88 note piano-style keyboard though it need not be physically located in the center of a keyboard.

In practice, everybody agrees that concert pitch middle C is 261.6 Hz and that this pitch is MIDI note 60 (which follows from the General MIDI specification that MIDI note 69 is the standard A = 440 Hz). So if you play note 60 you get middle C from all MIDI synthesizers; it's not different for different manufacturers. But some manufacturers call middle C "C3" and some call it "C4" or "C5".

For example:

Octave ranges

middle C is C3 middle C is C4 middle C is C5
MIDI note number Note name Note name Note name
127G8G9G10
120C8C9C10
(middle C) 60C3C4C5
24C0C1C2
12C-1C0C1
0C-2C-1C0
MIDI note # middle C is C3
127 G8
120 C8
(middle C) 60 C3
24 C0
12 C-1
0 C-2
MIDI note # middle C is C4
127 G9
120 C9
(middle C) 60 C4
24 C1
12 C0
0 C-1
MIDI note # middle C is C5
127 G10
120 C10
(middle C) 60 C5
24 C2
12 C1
0 C0

List of all MIDI notes

Frequencies are in equal temperament at A4 = 440 Hz.

MIDI note Note name Frequency (Hz) 61-key organ
Key #		 88-key piano
Key #
127 G9 12543.85
126 F#9/Gb9 11839.82
125 F9 11175.30
124 E9 10548.08
123 D#9/Eb9 9956.06
122 D9 9397.27
121 C#9/Db9 8869.84
120 C9 8372.02
119 B8 7902.13
118 A#8/Bb8 7458.62
117 A8 7040.00
116 G#8/Ab8 6644.88
115 G8 6271.93
114 F#8/Gb8 5919.91
113 F8 5587.65
112 E8 5274.04
111 D#8/Eb8 4978.03
110 D8 4698.64
109 C#8/Db8 4434.92
108 C8 4186.01 88
107 B7 3951.07 87
106 A#7/Bb7 3729.31 86
105 A7 3520.00 85
104 G#7/Ab7 3322.44 84
103 G7 3135.96 83
102 F#7/Gb7 2959.96 82
101 F7 2793.83 81
100 E7 2637.02 80
99 D#7/Eb7 2489.02 79
98 D7 2349.32 78
97 C#7/Db7 2217.46 77
96 C7 2093.00 61 76
95 B6 1975.53 60 75
94 A#6/Bb6 1864.66 59 74
93 A6 1760.00 58 73
92 G#6/Ab6 1661.22 57 72
91 G6 1567.98 56 71
90 F#6/Gb6 1479.98 55 70
89 F6 1396.91 54 69
88 E6 1318.51 53 68
87 D#6/Eb6 1244.51 52 67
86 D6 1174.66 51 66
85 C#6/Db6 1108.73 50 65
84 C6 1046.50 49 64
83 B5 987.77 48 63
82 A#5/Bb5 932.33 47 62
81 A5 880.00 46 61
80 G#5/Ab5 830.61 45 60
79 G5 783.99 44 59
78 F#5/Gb5 739.99 43 58
77 F5 698.46 42 57
76 E5 659.26 41 56
75 D#5/Eb5 622.25 40 55
74 D5 587.33 39 54
73 C#5/Db5 554.37 38 53
72 C5 523.25 37 52
71 B4 493.88 36 51
70 A#4/Bb4 466.16 35 50
69 A4 440.00 34 49
68 G#4/Ab4 415.30 33 48
67 G4 392.00 32 47
66 F#4/Gb4 369.99 31 46
65 F4 349.23 30 45
64 E4 329.63 29 44
63 D#4/Eb4 311.13 28 43
62 D4 293.66 27 42
61 C#4/Db4 277.18 26 41
60 C4 (middle C) 261.63 25 40
59 B3 246.94 24 39
58 A#3/Bb3 233.08 23 38
57 A3 220.00 22 37
56 G#3/Ab3 207.65 21 36
55 G3 196.00 20 35
54 F#3/Gb3 185.00 19 34
53 F3 174.61 18 33
52 E3 164.81 17 32
51 D#3/Eb3 155.56 16 31
50 D3 146.83 15 30
49 C#3/Db3 138.59 14 29
48 C3 130.81 13 28
47 B2 123.47 12 27
46 A#2/Bb2 116.54 11 26
45 A2 110.00 10 25
44 G#2/Ab2 103.83 9 24
43 G2 98.00 8 23
42 F#2/Gb2 92.50 7 22
41 F2 87.31 6 21
40 E2 82.41 5 20
39 D#2/Eb2 77.78 4 19
38 D2 73.42 3 18
37 C#2/Db2 69.30 2 17
36 C2 65.41 1 16
35 B1 61.74 15
34 A#1/Bb1 58.27 14
33 A1 55.00 13
32 G#1/Ab1 51.91 12
31 G1 49.00 11
30 F#1/Gb1 46.25 10
29 F1 43.65 9
28 E1 41.20 8
27 D#1/Eb1 38.89 7
26 D1 36.71 6
25 C#1/Db1 34.65 5
24 C1 32.70 4
23 B0 30.87 3
22 A#0/Bb0 29.14 2
21 A0 27.50 1
20 G#0/Ab0 25.96
19 G0 24.50
18 F#0/Gb0 23.12
17 F0 21.83
16 E0 20.60
15 D#0/Eb0 19.45
14 D0 18.35
13 C#0/Db0 17.32
12 C0 16.35
11 B-1 15.43
10 A#-1/Bb-1 14.57
9 A-1 13.75
8 G#-1/Ab-1 12.98
7 G-1 12.25
6 F#-1/Gb-1 11.56
5 F-1 10.91
4 E-1 10.30
3 D#-1/Eb-1 9.72
2 D-1 9.18
1 C#-1/Db-1 8.66
0 C-1 8.18

See also