[VLC MIDI] How to Play MIDI Files on VLC?

The first thing to make clear is that a MIDI file (a file with a .mid or .midi extension) is not an audio file, but an Instrument Digital Interface file. It is used to describe what to play, such as what notes to play at what time and how loud they should be played. Since it only contains instructions for playing music, MIDI files are much smaller than other common audio files like MP3 and WAV.

To play MIDI files, you need a program that can convert MIDI data into actual sounds. There are quite a few software programs that support MIDI files, including Windows Media Player, Winamp, WildMIDI, and MuseScore. However, VLC is not one of them. If you play a MIDI file directly into VLC, an error message will pop up saying

MIDI synthesis not set up:
A sound font file (.SF2) is required for MIDI synthesis.
Please install a sound font and configure it from the VLC preferences (Input / Codecs > Audio codecs > FluidSynth).

Codec not supported:
VLC could not decode the format "MIDI" (MIDI Audio)

You can follow the warning to get VLC MIDI support. Read on to learn more details about VLC MIDI playback settings.

Since version 0.9.0, VLC can play Standard MIDI (.MID) and even RIFF MIDI (.RMI) files. However, you need to download a soundfont and configure it in VLC to successfully play MIDI files. Detailed steps for this VLC MIDI SoundFont configuration are given below.

Step 1. Download and extract the SoundFont file from http://www.schristiancollins.com/generaluser.php.

Step 2. Open VLC. On the top menu bar, go to Tools > Preferences (or press Ctrl + P).

Step 3. On the bottom-left corner of the new window, switch Show settings to All to access Advanced Preferences. Next, on the left side of the interface, find Input / Codecs > Audio codecs > FluidSynth. Then on the right side, click Browse… and select the SoundFont file (.sf2) from the SoundFont folder you just extracted. Finally, click Save to finish the VLC MIDI configuration.

Step 4. Exit VLC and then reopen it. Now you should be able to play MIDI files on VLC.

Note: The quality of the MIDI files depends on the sound bank of your device.

If your VLC still failed to play MIDI files or you want to play MIDI files on other devices, consider converting MIDI to regular audio formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, etc.

Such conversions can be achieved through a powerful program called HD Video Converter Factory Pro. It can handle MPEG encoded .mid file conversion perfectly and allows you to easily convert MIDI to WAV, MIDI to MP3, and so forth. Here is a simple tutorial on how to convert MIDI files with this software.

Before start, please free download free download the software and install it on your PC.

Step 1. Import MIDI File(s)

Launch HD Video Converter Factory and open the Converter. Next, click + Add Files to load the MIDI file(s) you want to convert. Or you can drag and drop the files into the converter directly.

Step 2. Choose Output Format

Click the right-side format image to open the output format library. Select your preferred audio format (e.g. MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG…) under the Audio category.

Step 3. Start Conversion

When everything is ready, click Run to start the conversion.

That’s all for how to play MIDI files on VLC with VLC MIDI SoundFont. If the plugin doesn't work, try using the above program to convert the MIDI file to a popular audio format for smooth playback. Hope you’ll find this article helpful. Thanks for reading.