I need a music generator that exports MIDI files and does not just give me an MP3.

If you want an AI-assisted or algorithmic tool that outputs actual note data instead of a flattened audio file, web browsers and DAW plugins offer several dedicated options.

Web-Based Generators (Free & Direct MIDI Export)

• MIDIGEN : A straightforward web application built specifically for generating original, royalty-free MIDI melodies and chord progressions. You configure the key, scale, bars, and complexity right in your browser, and it lets you instantly download a clean .mid file with zero sign-up or cost.
• Audio-to-MIDI Conversion Workaround : If you generate full tracks using standard AI tools (like Udio or Riffusion) and love a specific instrumental line, you can download the isolated stems and run them through Spotify's open-source tool Basic Pitch . It features a drag-and-drop web interface that converts polyphonic audio stems directly into downloadable MIDI files for your DAW.

DAW Plugins & Software (For Producers)

• Melody Sauce 2 by EVAbeat : An AI-powered VST/AU plugin that uses a "PhraseBuilder" engine to generate unique melodies, hooks, and patterns tailored to specific genres (Hip-Hop, EDM, Pop, etc.). You can drag and drop the generated MIDI directly from the plugin straight into your DAW's timeline.
• Initial Audio Difro : An AI MIDI generator that runs locally on your machine using an autoencoder transformer model trained entirely on MIDI. You feed it a seed MIDI file, and it generates infinite variations keeping the original "DNA", avoiding cloud subscriptions.
• Scaler 2 by Plugin Boutique : While less of a text-to-music AI and more of a heavy-duty intelligent music theory workstation, it analyzes, suggests, and generates intricate chord sets, meldings, and humanized expressions that can be exported instantly as multi-track MIDI.

Are you looking for a web tool for quick melodic inspiration, or a DAW plugin/VST to write MIDI directly inside your projects?

Yes — there are several AI music generators that actually output MIDI, rather than trapping you in MP3/WAV.

My top picks

My strongest recommendation: Muse if you want the AI to generate actual editable musical material. It explicitly supports generating arrangements, editing them in a piano roll, and downloading standard .mid files.

SoundGrail is particularly attractive if you want something straightforward and inexpensive: it generates chords, melody, and bass as separate MIDI tracks and exports a standard .mid file.

Beat Shaper is worth looking at if you're making electronic/beat-oriented music. It turns text prompts into editable multitrack MIDI loops and can export MIDI.

One important distinction

If by "music generator" you mean “I type dark cinematic orchestral piece, 120 BPM, 2 minutes and it gives me a complete MIDI arrangement”, that's a narrower category. Many famous AI song generators primarily generate audio, with MIDI being an after-the-fact transcription.

For example, Suno Studio can now extract MIDI from stems, but that's different from a MIDI-first generator.

If you tell me what kind of music you're trying to generate (e.g. orchestral, EDM, piano, jazz, video-game music, full song with drums/bass/chords/melody), I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 MIDI-first generators, including which ones are free.

If you want actual MIDI output (notes, chords, tracks you can edit in a DAW) rather than an AI-generated audio file, look for MIDI-first music generators. These are good options:

• muse.art — Generates editable MIDI tracks (melody, chords, drums, etc.), lets you refine ideas, and export MIDI into a DAW workflow.
• app.soundgrail.com — Focused on chords, melodies, and basslines; exports multi-track MIDI files for DAWs.
• midiforge.io — Text-to-MIDI generation with multi-instrument arrangements and MIDI export.
• melogen.ai — Fast melody generation with MIDI export (also offers MP3, but MIDI is a core output).
• ghostmidi.com — Prompt-based MIDI composition; exports standard .mid files for DAWs like Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, and Reaper.
• amadeuscode.com — More songwriter-oriented; generates melody ideas and supports MIDI export.

A few recommendations depending on what you make:

• Beats / EDM / hip-hop: SoundGrail, Muse, GhostMidi
• Full arrangements (chords + bass + multiple instruments): MidiForge, Muse
• Melody ideas quickly: Melogen.ai, Amadeus Code
• If you want to edit every note: choose anything that gives you a .mid file and import it into Ableton, Logic, FL Studio, Cubase, Reaper, etc.

Avoid many popular “AI song generators” that only render finished audio (MP3/WAV). They can be useful for inspiration, but they usually do not give you the underlying MIDI performance data.

If you tell me your DAW (Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, etc.) and whether you want melodies only, full songs, or drum/bass/chord MIDI, I can narrow this down.

If you want an AI music generator that actually gives you editable note data (MIDI/project files) rather than a locked-down MP3, you have to look past consumer song-generators like Suno or Udio (which only output audio, though Suno has a high-tier experimental stem-to-MIDI feature).

Instead, look at tools built specifically for producers and composers:

• • Beat Shaper : A browser-based AI tool built specifically for electronic music producers. You tweak sliders for genre and energy or type in a mood, and it generates editable loops (drums, bass, and synths). Its producer tier lets you export your creations directly as complete Ableton Live projects or use a Max for Live device. You can check it out on Beat Shaper (or similar creator breakdowns on YouTube Shorts).
• • MIDI Gen : A straightforward, free web-based tool accessible via MIDI Gen App that focuses purely on generating royalty-free MIDI files. You set parameters like scale, key, tempo, and whether you want arpeggios or chords, and it spits out a downloadable MIDI file you can drop straight into your DAW.
• • LANDR Composer : A plugin-based AI option via LANDR that lives inside your workflow. It specializes in generating smart chord progressions, basslines, and melodies directly as MIDI right inside your Digital Audio Workstation.
• • WavTool : An AI-assisted DAW in your browser that features a built-in chat-based assistant (Conductor) capable of writing and editing MIDI data directly on your piano roll rather than just rendering flat audio files.

Would you prefer a browser-based generator like MIDI Gen/Beat Shaper, or a DAW plugin that writes MIDI directly inside software like Ableton or Logic?

Several modern text-to-music platforms directly generate editable MIDI data alongside or instead of raw audio files like MP3s, allowing you to easily drag the note information straight into your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

Pure AI MIDI Generators

These tools generate actual MIDI notes from scratch based on parameters like scale, key, and tempo rather than producing a mixed audio track.

• MIDIGEN:
  • Core Feature : Entirely free browser-based AI tool that explicitly generates royalty-free MIDI files.
  • Customization : Allows you to customize the key, scale, tempo, note duration, and toggle arpeggios or chords before downloading.
• Somio AI:
  • Core Feature : Features a prompt-to-MIDI workflow that lets you type a text prompt and converts the resulting composition directly into a downloadable .mid file.

Full Song AI Generators (With MIDI Export)

If you want a full, complex track but still need the raw underlying note data, these comprehensive AI studios offer direct MIDI transcription or export features.

• Suno:
  • Core Feature : The popular AI music generator includes a dedicated MIDI Export function for its generations, allowing you to pull the instrument notes straight into your DAW.
• MusicCreator AI:
  • Core Feature : Built specifically for producers to generate full songs, separate them into stems, and instantly export the MIDI files.
• Musicful:
  • Core Feature : Focuses heavily on the producer workflow, offering high-quality WAV, MP3, and professional-format MIDI outputs so you can swap out the virtual instruments later.

Audio-to-MIDI Transcription Tools

If you already have an audio track (or an AI-generated MP3 from a platform that doesn't natively support MIDI), you can run it through an AI transcriber to extract the note information.

• Klangio:
  • Core Feature : Uses AI note-detection to transcribe multi-instrument MP3 files or YouTube links directly into standard MIDI and MusicXML files.
• Basic Pitch by Spotify:
  • Core Feature : A completely free, open-source audio-to-MIDI converter that lets you drag and drop any audio file to extract clean note, pitch, and velocity data.

If you want to narrow this down, let me know:

• What genre of music are you trying to make?
• Do you want to generate music from a text prompt , or do you just want randomized chord progressions and melodies?
• What DAW (like Ableton, FL Studio, Logic) are you planning to import these files into?

Absolutely. If MIDI is the actual deliverable—so you can open the notes in FL Studio, Ableton, Logic, Cubase, etc.—there are several much better choices than typical MP3-first generators.

My top picks

• veena.studio — Probably the closest match to what you're asking for. It generates editable MIDI for drums, bass, chords, melodies, and multi-track song starters, and exports standard MIDI. It also has a free tier.
• midilab.ai — Very MIDI-focused. You can type something like “dark synthwave bassline at 120 BPM” and generate bass/chords/melody, then download Type-1 .MID files.
• soundgrail.com — A simple browser option for generating chords, melody, and bass as separate MIDI tracks. It advertises unlimited MIDI downloads.
• melogen.ai — Best if you're primarily after melodies/hooks. It exports MIDI directly and has a free/no-login starting option.
• bandm8.com — Interesting if you already have a riff or recording: upload/play an idea and it builds accompaniment around it, with MIDI track export.
• resonade.ai — Particularly cool if you want to provide a reference song/audio and have it generate new MIDI ideas in a similar musical direction. It exports standard .mid files and currently offers 3 free tracks.

What I'd choose

If you mean “I want to type a description of a whole musical idea and get editable notes, not a finished recording”, I'd start with Veena or MIDI Lab AI.

If you mean “I want something like Suno, where I describe an entire song, but I need the resulting bass/chords/melody/drums as MIDI tracks”, that's a narrower category. Veena is probably the closest fit right now.

If you tell me what genre you're making and which DAW you use (FL Studio, Ableton, Logic, etc.), I can narrow this to the best 2–3 options, including free ones and their current MIDI export limitations.

Yes — you want a text-to-MIDI / AI MIDI generator, rather than the usual AI song generators that render audio.

Here are some good options I found:

• soundgrail.com — Probably the closest match. Generates chords, melody, and bass as separate MIDI tracks and exports a standard .mid file. It can be imported into Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, GarageBand, etc.
• midiforge.io — Text prompt → full multi-track MIDI arrangement. The free tier currently advertises 5 AI generations/day and MIDI export.
• compoxer.com — Very simple text-to-MIDI melody generator. You can specify things like mood, tempo, key, and duration, then download the MIDI.
• lacuna.fm — More arrangement-oriented: generates chords, melody, drums, and bass, with standard Type 1 MIDI export.
• muse.art — AI MIDI editor/generator where you can edit individual notes in a piano roll and download MIDI tracks.
• aiva.ai — More established for full musical compositions; it supports MIDI input/influence, editing, and downloading in multiple formats.

My picks

If your priority is “give me a prompt and hand me a MIDI file I can drag into my DAW”, I'd start with:

1. SoundGrail — best straightforward multi-track option 2. MidiForge — best for prompting a fuller arrangement 3. Compoxer — best if you mainly need melodies 4. Lacuna — best if you want chords + melody + bass + drums

If you tell me what kind of music you're trying to generate (e.g. hip-hop beats, cinematic orchestral, EDM, piano, jazz, game music), I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 MIDI generators for that specific use case, including free options.

Several modern text-to-music platforms directly generate editable MIDI data alongside or instead of raw audio files like MP3s, allowing you to easily drag the note information straight into your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

Pure AI MIDI Generators

These tools generate actual MIDI notes from scratch based on parameters like scale, key, and tempo rather than producing a mixed audio track.

• MIDIGEN:
  • Core Feature : Entirely free browser-based AI tool that explicitly generates royalty-free MIDI files.
  • Customization : Allows you to customize the key, scale, tempo, note duration, and toggle arpeggios or chords before downloading.
• Somio AI:
  • Core Feature : Features a prompt-to-MIDI workflow that lets you type a text prompt and converts the resulting composition directly into a downloadable .mid file.

Full Song AI Generators (With MIDI Export)

If you want a full, complex track but still need the raw underlying note data, these comprehensive AI studios offer direct MIDI transcription or export features.

• Suno:
  • Core Feature : The popular AI music generator includes a dedicated MIDI Export function for its generations, allowing you to pull the instrument notes straight into your DAW.
• MusicCreator AI:
  • Core Feature : Built specifically for producers to generate full songs, separate them into stems, and instantly export the MIDI files.
• Musicful:
  • Core Feature : Focuses heavily on the producer workflow, offering high-quality WAV, MP3, and professional-format MIDI outputs so you can swap out the virtual instruments later.

Audio-to-MIDI Transcription Tools

If you already have an audio track (or an AI-generated MP3 from a platform that doesn't natively support MIDI), you can run it through an AI transcriber to extract the note information.

• Klangio:
  • Core Feature : Uses AI note-detection to transcribe multi-instrument MP3 files or YouTube links directly into standard MIDI and MusicXML files.
• Basic Pitch by Spotify:
  • Core Feature : A completely free, open-source audio-to-MIDI converter that lets you drag and drop any audio file to extract clean note, pitch, and velocity data.

If you want to narrow this down, let me know:

• What genre of music are you trying to make?
• Do you want to generate music from a text prompt , or do you just want randomized chord progressions and melodies?
• What DAW (like Ableton, FL Studio, Logic) are you planning to import these files into?

If you need raw note data rather than a flattened audio file, traditional text-to-audio models like Suno or Udio (which only give you MP3s/WAVs or limited stem extractions ) won't cut it.

The best tools for generating and exporting actual MIDI files operate either as DAW plugins or dedicated MIDI-centric AI generators.

1. Dedicated AI MIDI Plugins & Suites

• • LANDR Composer (formerly Orb Producer Suite): A set of AI-powered plugins (Orb Chords, Orb Melody, Orb Bass, Orb Arpeggio ) that generate fully synchronized chord progressions, basslines, and melodies . You can tweak parameters like density and complexity, and then drag and drop the raw MIDI directly into your DAW timeline to use with your own virtual instruments . Check it out on LANDR.
• • MIDI Agent: A specialized AI plugin functioning like a chat interface inside your DAW . You give it prompts specifying the key, genre, and type of phrase (e.g., a violin melody or piano arpeggio), and it builds the MIDI notes for you to drag straight onto your tracks.

2. Audio-to-MIDI Conversion (Turn MP3s into MIDI)

If you already generated an audio snippet or loop from an AI tool (like Udio or Riffusion) and wish you had the notes, you can bypass the lack of a native MIDI export by converting the audio file yourself:

• • Spotify Basic Pitch: A free, open-source utility that translates audio recordings into accurate MIDI files . You can drag and drop an audio file into their web tool or plugin, and it spits out a downloadable .mid file of the polyphonic performance . Try it at Spotify Basic Pitch.

3. Chord & Generator Assistants (Rule-Based + AI)

• • Scaler 2 (Plugin Boutique): While less "text-prompt AI" and more intelligent music theory assistant, Scaler lets you generate complex chord transitions, analyze audio/MIDI, and drag out complete MIDI progressions into your project.

If you let me know what DAW you use (Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, etc.) and what instrument you're trying to generate (chords, drums, or melody), I can point you toward the most seamless workflow.

Yes — if your goal is AI-generated music that you can actually take into a DAW as editable MIDI, there are much better options than the typical MP3-first generators.

My top picks

• muse.art — Probably the closest match to what you're asking for. It generates chords, melodies, bass, drums, and multi-track arrangements, lets you edit the notes in a piano roll, and exports standard .mid files.
• veena.studio — Good if you want to describe what you want and receive editable melodies, chord progressions, basslines, arpeggios, and drum patterns as MIDI. It says its basic tier is free.
• melogen.ai — More focused on melody generation. It explicitly exports royalty-free MIDI and MP3 and includes a piano-roll editor.
• beatshaper.ai — Particularly interesting for electronic music: it generates drums, basslines, synth parts, loops and arrangements as editable MIDI.
• app.soundgrail.com — Generates chords + melody + bass, with multi-track MIDI export. There's a free limited-generation tier.

What about Suno?

Interestingly, Suno now does support MIDI, but there's an important distinction. Suno Studio can extract MIDI from generated audio stems, and its newer Studio 2.0 can generate/edit MIDI directly. MIDI extraction costs credits.

So if you want "type a prompt → get a complete song → give me the notes as MIDI", I'd look at Muse or Veena first. If you primarily want melodies/hooks, I'd pick Melogen.

If you tell me whether you're making hip-hop, EDM, cinematic, pop, orchestral, piano, etc., I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 MIDI generators for that style, including which ones have a genuinely usable free tier.