WHAT IS THIS MIDI
ALL ABOUT
MIDI is the acronym for Musical
Instrument Digital Interface. Throughout its existence, MIDI has gained
acceptance with industry professionals by leaps and bounds. Not only does it
allow for faster creation and composition of music, it allows the composer to
become the proverbial one-man band.
MIDI was introduced in 1983. It
was developed in cooperation between the major music industry electronic
instrument manufacturers including Roland, Yamaha, Korg and others. No one ever
dreamed the kinds of sounds that could be created and accessed using such a
powerful communications protocol.
The MIDI protocol allows
electronic devices (usually synthesizers, but also computers, light show
controllers, VCR’s, multi-track recorders, etc.) to interact and work in
synchronization with other MIDI compatible devices. Using a master controller
device such as a keyboard, one can play or trigger sounds from other electronic
devices remotely. This eliminates the need for one keyboardist to perform with
nine or ten keyboards around him. He can play all the keyboards through one
simply by connecting them using MIDI. The other keyboards can be off-stage; he
never has to touch them, yet he can play them.
The best analogy for MIDI is to
liken it to the linking of two computers via modems. The same way the computers
share information via modem, electronic devices share it via MIDI. It does not
send the actual musical note, but the information about the note. It can send
messages to synthesizers telling it to change sounds, master volume, modulation
devices, which note was depressed, and even how long to sustain the note.
MIDI has been continually
expanded to include other features for the professional musician. Some of note
include MIDI Time Code (allowing synchronization of video and audio), Sample
Dump Standard (allowing for the transfer of digital audio files) and MIDI Show
Control (allowing control of devices used in theater).
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This information was compiled
using too many sources to list. So, to anyone who has written on the
subject--THANKS!
