The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
enables people to use multimedia computers and electronic musical instruments to create,
enjoy and learn about music. There are actually three components to MIDI, which are the
communications Protocol (language), the Connector
(hardware interface) and a distribution format called Standard MIDI
Files.
Protocol
The MIDI protocol is an entire music description language in binary
form. Each word describing an action of musical performance is assigned a specific binary
code. MIDI was designed for keyboards, so many of the actions are percussion oriented. To
sound a note in MIDI language you send a "Note On" message, and then assign that
note a "velocity", which determines how loud it plays. Other MIDI messages
include selecting which instrument to play, mixing and panning sounds, and controlling
various aspects of electronic musical instruments.
Standard MIDI Files
When MIDI messages are stored on disks, they are commonly saved in
the Standard MIDI file format, which is slightly different from native MIDI protocol,
because the events are also time-stamped for playback in the proper sequence. Music
delivered by MIDI files is the most common use of MIDI today. MIDI is the primary source
of music in many popular PC games and CD-ROM entertainment titles, and thousands of MIDI
files are available on the Internet for recreational use. Just about every personal
computer is now equipped to play Standard MIDI files.
One reason for the popularity of MIDI files is that, unlike
digital audio files (.wav, .aiff, etc.) or even compact discs or cassettes, a MIDI file
does not need to capture and store actual sounds. Instead, the MIDI file can be just a
list of events which describe the specific steps that a soundcard or other playback device
must take to generate ceratin sounds. This way, MIDI files are very much smaller than
digital audio files, and the events are also editable, allowing the music to be
rearranged, edited, even composed interactively, if desired.
With the recent introduction of the Downloadable Sounds
format, MIDI files can also contain standardized samples of musical instruments, sound
effects, or even dialogue, which are used to recreate an exact copy of the sound intended
by the composer. MIDI files with DLS are the ideal solution for composers of all kinds who
want the predictable playback of digital audio, but also need the compactness and/or
interactivity of Standard MIDI Files for delivering their music. Check out some of the
Midi Karaoke Song Files available for Download on this site. Click Here
Connector
According to the MIDI 1.0 Specification, the only approved MIDI
connector is a 5-pin DIN connector, It is certainly possible to send MIDI messages
using other connectors and cables, but with more and more variations it becomes harder and
harder to guarantee connectibility among various products. The MMA does not currently
approve the use of any other connectors for MIDI 1.0, but will most likely adopt a new
connector for the next generation MIDI specification.
Meanwhile, since many personal computers do not
have space for a 5-pin DIN connector, many manufacturers have decided to use either a
serial port or a joystick port to connect to MIDI instruments. A few MIDI instruments are
actually equipped with an 8-pin "mini DIN" serial port, which makes it possible
to connect those devices directly to some computers. But the only way to connect a 5-pin
DIN equipped MIDI device to a computer's joystick port is via a special adapter cable,
which usually must be purchased separately.
Unfortunately, many of these "Sound Card
MIDI adapters" are available, but not all are designed according to the electrical
standards.
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