MIDI export solves a different problem than stems do. Stems give you the AI's actual recorded instrument sounds, split apart so you can remix or replace them. MIDI gives you the underlying notes and timing with no sound attached at all, which is what you want if you plan to perform those notes with entirely different instruments.
Full track vs vocal melody export
Studio supports two MIDI export modes. Exporting the full track gives you MIDI data for the whole arrangement — useful if you want to rebuild the entire song with your own sound palette, say for a live band arrangement or a completely different genre reinterpretation. Exporting just the vocal melody gives you a single MIDI line tracking what the AI vocalist sang, which is useful if you want to reharmonize it, transpose it for a different singer's range, or play it on a lead instrument instead of singing it.
Bringing it into a DAW
Import the MIDI file into your DAW as you would any other MIDI performance, then assign each track to a virtual instrument, sample library or hardware synth. AI-generated MIDI, like any performance capture, often benefits from light cleanup:
- Check quantization — tighten timing on parts that need to be mechanically precise, but keep some natural timing on parts meant to feel human.
- Review velocity data — AI-generated MIDI can sometimes need velocity smoothing or manual dynamics shaping once it's on a new instrument that responds differently to velocity than the original.
- Reassign articulations if your sample library supports them (legato, staccato, sustain) since the raw MIDI note data won't include your library's specific articulation switches.
When to use MIDI instead of stems
Use stems when you like the AI's instrument sounds and want to remix, rebalance or partially replace them. Use MIDI export when you want to discard the AI's instrument sounds entirely and perform the same notes with your own sound palette — a composer wanting to rescore a piece for orchestra, or a producer wanting to play the melody on a completely different synth patch, are both MIDI use cases rather than stem use cases.