The general convention is that middle C is assigned to the MIDI note value of 60 such that all the notes you can possibly play are in the range of 0 to 127 in MIDI implementation.
But because audio software developers have different viewpoints of how things should be done, the end result is that most DAWs (i.e., Digital Audio Workstations) do not have the same implementation of what middle C actually is in a music production software program.
Thus, some DAW developers assign middle C to a note name that makes the most sense to them rather than following a said standard like the scientific pitch notation wherein middle C is quite frankly C4. However, by virtue of playing midi note 60, almost every DAW will of course play the "sound" of note C4 (261.626 hertz) even though the note on your piano roll will be labeled differently.
So when you play a pure sound at C5 in Image-Line's FL Studio the frequency of that note will show the value of 261.626 Hz. On the other hand, when you play a pure sound at "C3" in Cubase the frequency will also show 261.626 Hz.
But because audio software developers have different viewpoints of how things should be done, the end result is that most DAWs (i.e., Digital Audio Workstations) do not have the same implementation of what middle C actually is in a music production software program.
Thus, some DAW developers assign middle C to a note name that makes the most sense to them rather than following a said standard like the scientific pitch notation wherein middle C is quite frankly C4. However, by virtue of playing midi note 60, almost every DAW will of course play the "sound" of note C4 (261.626 hertz) even though the note on your piano roll will be labeled differently.
Middle C on different DAWs
Digital audio workstation | Middle C |
|---|---|
| Image-Line's FL Studio | C5 |
| Steinberg's Cubase | C3 |
| Presonus Studio One | C3 |
| Ableton Live | C3 |
| Cakewalk Sonar | C5 |
Summary
At the end of the day, the major difference between DAWs in relation to middle C is only a matter of the name used in the piano roll but the actual tuning is the same with most DAW programs unless tampered with.So when you play a pure sound at C5 in Image-Line's FL Studio the frequency of that note will show the value of 261.626 Hz. On the other hand, when you play a pure sound at "C3" in Cubase the frequency will also show 261.626 Hz.
