MIDI CC Messages Explained: Mod Wheel, Sustain, Expression

What is a MIDI CC message?

A MIDI CC message reports that a continuous control changed: a wheel, knob, fader or pedal. Notes say which key you pressed, while CC messages describe everything you do to shape the sound around those notes.

The MIDI Association's message summary defines Control Change as a channel message with two data bytes: a controller number from 0 to 119 and a controller value from 0 to 127. Controller numbers 120 to 127 are reserved for Channel Mode Messages such as All Sound Off and All Notes Off^[1]. Because the message includes a MIDI channel, a CC on channel 1 does nothing to an instrument listening on channel 2.

If you are still getting comfortable with notes, velocity and channels, start with our MIDI tutorial for beginners. This article stays on controllers only.

• Status Says "this is a Control Change on channel N". Your DAW handles this part for you.
• Controller number Which control moved, for example 1 for the mod wheel or 64 for the sustain pedal.
• Value Where the control is now, from 0 to 127. A knob sweep sends a stream of these values.

Which MIDI CC numbers should producers know?

You only need about a dozen CC numbers for everyday production. The names below come from the MIDI Association's Control Change table^[2]; the right-hand column is typical use, and any given synth or plugin may do something else with the same number.

Many numbers in the table are marked Undefined, for example 20 to 31 and 102 to 119. Those are the safest choices when you set up a controller knob for your own custom mappings, because no instrument expects a standard meaning from them.

What is the difference between CC1, CC11 and CC7?

CC1 is a general performance control with no fixed job, CC11 shapes dynamics inside a part, and CC7 sets the part's overall level. Using them for those separate purposes keeps your mix and your performance from fighting each other.

The MIDI Association notes that most products hardwire the mod wheel to CC1 and default the sustain pedal to CC64, and that on most products the wheel can be set to send other CCs such as CC2 or CC11. In the same article a Yamaha product specialist explains that CC1 does not have a fixed function and must be assigned per program^[3]. So the mod wheel adds vibrato on one preset and opens a filter on the next.

A practical rule for CC7 and CC11

Set CC7 once per part and leave it alone, or ignore it entirely and use the mixer fader. Draw swells and fades with CC11, so a string line can breathe from 40 to 110 over two bars without changing its place in the mix. Many orchestral sample libraries map dynamics to CC1 or CC11, so check the instrument's manual before drawing.

How does the sustain pedal (CC64) work?

The sustain pedal sends CC64. In the MIDI Association table, values of 63 or lower mean off and 64 or higher mean on^[2], so most pedals simply send 0 when released and 127 when pressed.

In the piano roll, sustain shows up as a controller lane, not as longer notes. That matters when you edit: shortening a note has no audible effect if the pedal is still down, and cutting a clip in the middle of a pedal press can leave notes ringing. If notes hang after you stop playback, send All Notes Off (CC123) or All Sound Off (CC120), which most DAWs do through a panic or reset command.

1. Check polarity
   Press and release the pedal while watching the DAW's MIDI input meter. If sustain is on when your foot is off, flip the polarity switch on the pedal or the keyboard's pedal setting.
2. Record pedal with the part
   Record CC64 in the same take as the notes so the pedal lands exactly with your playing.
3. Clean up changes
   Lift the pedal a few ticks before each chord change, then press again just after the new chord. This avoids blurred harmonies.
4. Include CC64 when splitting clips
   If you cut a clip, make sure every pedal-on has a pedal-off inside the same clip.

How do you map a MIDI CC to a plugin parameter?

Every major DAW has a learn function: select the parameter, move the hardware knob, and the DAW links that CC to it. The details differ by DAW, and our guide to MIDI mapping for live performance covers building whole performance layouts.

Ableton Live

Press Ctrl+M on Windows or Cmd+M on Mac to toggle MIDI Map Mode^[4]. Click the parameter, move the control, and exit map mode. Live's Takeover Mode decides what happens when the knob and the parameter disagree: None jumps immediately, Pick-Up waits until the knob reaches the current value, and Value Scaling converges smoothly^[5].

FL Studio

Right-click the knob and choose Link to controller, then move the hardware control with Auto detect on. For several links in one pass, the Multilink controllers button (Ctrl+J) lets you tweak software targets and then move hardware controls in the same order^[6]. Project links are saved with the project; global links work in every project unless a project link overrides them.

Logic Pro

Select a parameter, choose Logic Pro > Control Surfaces > Learn Assignment, move the hardware control, then click Learn Mode or press Cmd+L to finish. Logic ignores note messages while learning, so you can keep playing^[7].

How do you draw CC automation in the piano roll?

Open the MIDI clip, choose the controller lane you want, and draw values with the pencil or breakpoints. The data lives inside the clip, so it moves and loops with the notes.

In Ableton Live, pick MIDI Ctrl from the clip envelope Device chooser, then choose a controller; Live offers most controller numbers up to 119, and controllers that already hold data show an LED^[8]. In Logic Pro, click Show/Hide Automation in the Piano Roll, set the Automation button to Region, and choose a MIDI controller from the pop-up menu^[9]. FL Studio users usually record the knob and edit the result as an automation clip, covered in how to use automation clips in FL Studio.

Should you use MIDI CC or DAW automation?

Use MIDI CC for performance gestures that belong to the notes, and DAW track automation for mix moves. CC data travels with the MIDI clip and exports with a MIDI file; track automation can reach any plugin parameter, even ones that ignore MIDI.

A good split: mod wheel, expression, sustain and pitch bend stay in the clip, while volume rides, send levels and effect sweeps live in track automation. If a plugin parameter has no CC input, map a CC to it with the learn functions above, or automate it directly. Our DAW automation guide covers the track side.

• Knob does nothing Check the MIDI channel on the controller and the track input, then confirm the synth preset actually uses that CC.
• Parameter jumps Switch to Pick-Up or Value Scaling takeover, or set encoders to relative mode if the controller supports it.
• Two controls fight A clip CC lane and a track automation lane on the same parameter will overwrite each other. Keep one source per parameter.
• Wheel changes the wrong thing Some keyboards let you reassign the wheel to CC2 or CC11. Check the controller's editor app.

Pressure is a separate message type from CC, so aftertouch has its own lane in most DAWs. For that side of expression, see our sibling guide to aftertouch and velocity curves.