loopMIDI Alternatives — And When You Do Not Need It At All

loopMIDI is one of those utilities that quietly props up half the music-software world. It is free, it is tiny, and it does exactly one thing: it creates named virtual MIDI ports on Windows so two applications can pass MIDI to each other. The trouble starts when a tutorial written for Windows gets followed on a Mac, or when someone installs it to solve a problem their own software already solved. This guide covers the real alternatives per platform, plus the increasingly common case where the answer is "you do not need it".

What does loopMIDI actually do?

loopMIDI creates named virtual MIDI ports on Windows — software loopback cables that one application writes into and another reads out of — and nothing else.

It is written by Tobias Erichsen and built on his teVirtualMIDI driver, the same driver that underpins rtpMIDI and that several commercial MIDI apps bundle inside their own installers. The loopMIDI window is deliberately plain: a list of ports, a name field, a plus button and a minus button. Create a port, leave the app running in the tray, and every MIDI-aware application on the machine can see that port as both an input and an output.

That minimalism is the strength and the limitation. loopMIDI never looks at the bytes passing through it. It does not transpose, filter, merge intelligently, convert to keystrokes, or do anything else — it is a wire.

What is the best loopMIDI alternative on Mac?

The built-in IAC Driver in Audio MIDI Setup, because loopMIDI is Windows-only software and macOS has shipped an equivalent virtual MIDI bus since 10.5 at no cost.

Enabling it takes under a minute:

1. Command-Space → type Audio MIDI Setup → Return.
2. Window → Show MIDI Studio (Command-2).
3. Double-click IAC Driver. It looks greyed out until you enable it.
4. Tick Device is online.
5. Under Ports, rename Bus 1 to whatever your app expects or to something descriptive, then click Apply.

# Prove the bus exists before you open a DAW
system_profiler SPMIDIDataType

# With SendMIDI installed, list everything and fire a probe note
sendmidi list
sendmidi dev "UCM Bus" on 60 100

One genuine difference: an IAC bus is a single shared pipe, visible to every CoreMIDI client at once. loopMIDI ports behave the same way, so migrating a Windows routing diagram to macOS is usually a one-to-one swap of port names. The full IAC guide covers naming conventions and the one annoying failure mode where Device is online refuses to stay ticked.

Is there a loopMIDI for Linux?

You do not need one — the ALSA sequencer creates and routes virtual MIDI ports natively, with aconnect for routing and the snd-virmidi module when you want fixed device nodes.

# Every sequencer client and port currently registered
aconnect -l

# Optional fixed raw-MIDI nodes, if an app demands /dev/snd/midiC*D*
sudo modprobe snd-virmidi midi_devs=2

# Route client 128 port 0 into client 129 port 0
aconnect 128:0 129:0

# Tear a connection down again
aconnect -d 128:0 129:0

# Live view of what is actually arriving
aseqdump -p "Universal Controller"

The conceptual shift is worth internalising: on Windows you create a port and then both apps pick it from a dropdown. On Linux every client publishes its own ports automatically, and you connect them with aconnect. There is nothing to create in the common case. Our ALSA virtual MIDI guide goes through persistence, PipeWire interaction and JACK bridging.

Do I still need loopMIDI on Windows?

Not if your MIDI source already registers its own virtual port — an app bundling teVirtualMIDI gives your DAW something to listen to without a second install.

Universal Controller MIDI is an example. Its Windows installer registers a signed teVirtualMIDI port, and the app is deliberately tiered about what happens next:

1. Driver registered. You get a named port, and your DAW sees it on the input side.
2. No routable port yet. The app falls back to the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth included with Windows so you can hear the controller immediately — handy for confirming the controller works, but not a DAW route.
3. Driver blocked. If endpoint security quarantined the driver, install loopMIDI, create a port named exactly Universal Controller MIDI, restart the app and it routes there automatically.

So loopMIDI keeps its place in the toolbox — it is the safety net when a driver install goes sideways, and it is still the cleanest way to create extra named buses that exist independently of any one application. Details and pnputil repair commands live in the Windows virtual port docs.

loopMIDI alternatives compared

Pick by platform first, then by whether you need the port to do anything beyond carrying bytes.

How do I replace loopMIDI without breaking my routing?

Create the replacement port with the exact same name the sending app expects, then restart the DAW so it re-enumerates MIDI devices.

Migration order that avoids an afternoon of confusion:

1. Write down the current port names before you change anything. Your DAW's mappings are bound to names, not to the driver.
2. Create the new port with the identical name. On macOS rename the IAC bus; on Linux name the client's port in the app's settings.
3. Quit every DAW and MIDI app. Device lists are cached at launch almost everywhere.
4. Start the sending app first so the port is live, then start the DAW.
5. Enable the port as an input. Enabling it as an output is the classic mistake — it is your DAW that needs to read.
6. Delete the obsolete ports. Two identically named ports in a dropdown is a problem that will absolutely bite you during a gig.

When loopMIDI is still the right answer

Keep it when you need named buses that exist independently of any application — for example a fixed CLOCK bus every app in your template points at.

Three setups where a standalone port manager genuinely earns its place on Windows:

• Template-driven studios. Fixed port names baked into DAW templates, created once and present at every boot regardless of which apps are open.
• Chains of three or more apps. A step sequencer feeding an arpeggiator feeding a DAW needs a port between each stage, not just one.
• Driver recovery. When a bundled driver is blocked by endpoint security on a locked-down machine, a user-level loopMIDI port is frequently the fastest route back to a working rig.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best loopMIDI alternative on Mac?

The built-in IAC Driver in Audio MIDI Setup — loopMIDI is Windows-only software, and macOS has shipped an equivalent virtual MIDI bus since 10.5 at no cost.

Is there a loopMIDI for Linux?

You do not need one: the ALSA sequencer creates and routes virtual MIDI ports natively, with aconnect for routing and the snd-virmidi module when you want fixed device nodes.

Do I still need loopMIDI if my app creates its own virtual MIDI port?

No — an app that registers a teVirtualMIDI port already gives your DAW something to listen to, so loopMIDI becomes an optional fallback rather than a requirement.

Is loopMIDI free?

Yes, loopMIDI is distributed free by Tobias Erichsen for Windows, and it is built on the same teVirtualMIDI driver that other Windows MIDI applications bundle.

How many ports can loopMIDI create?

The default configuration allows up to 16 named ports, which is far more than most setups ever use.

Can loopMIDI change or filter MIDI messages?

No — loopMIDI is purely a virtual cable, so if you need to rewrite notes, remap CCs or convert MIDI into keystrokes you need a translator such as Bome MIDI Translator Pro.

The practical takeaway

If you are on macOS or Linux, stop looking for a loopMIDI download — your operating system already ships the capability and the instructions above are the whole job. If you are on Windows, check whether your MIDI source registers its own port before installing anything.

And if the thing you want to get into your DAW is a game controller, download Universal Controller MIDI — it creates the port on all three platforms and feeds it from a DualSense, Xbox pad, Switch Pro controller or 8BitDo. The free tier covers one port, one controller and three saved presets; Pro at $89 one-time adds the mapping editor and multi-port fan-out. Next: creating a virtual MIDI port step by step.