---
name: "midish"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "midish"
version: "1.5.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/midish"
---

# midish(1)

MIDI sequencer and filter

## NAME

**midish** – MIDI sequencer and filter

## SYNOPSIS

**midish** \[**-bhv**\]

## DESCRIPTION

Midish is a MIDI sequencer/filter implemented as an interactive command-line interpreter. It supports:

- Multiple MIDI devices handling

- Synchronisation to external MIDI devices

- Filtering/routing (controller mapping, keyboard splitting, ...)

- Track recording, editing, quantisation

- Import and export of standard MIDI files

- Tempo and time-signature changes, user configurable metronome

- System exclusive messages handling

The options are as follows:

- **-b**

  Do not process *$HOME/.midishrc* or */etc/midishrc* and stop on the first error on the standard input. Useful for scripting.

- **-h**

  Print usage information.

- **-v**

  Print additional info before each line of input, useful to front-ends and for debugging.

Once midish started, the interpreter processes the *$HOME/.midishrc* file (or */etc/midishrc* if the latter doesn't exist) and starts prompting for commands. For further information about the syntax of **midish** refer to the “Midish user's manual”.

## FILES

- *$HOME/.midishrc*

  startup script

- */etc/midishrc*

  startup script (if *$HOME/.midishrc* doesn't exist)

## SEE ALSO

[smfplay(1)](/smfplay/1.md), [smfrec(1)](/smfrec/1.md), [midi(4)](/midi/4.md)

*User's* *manual* *and* *tutorial:* **http://www.midish.org/manual.html**