MIDI+(Musical+Instrument+Digital+Interface)

toc =Introduction=

MIDI is an industry standard technology which represents musical information (note, instrument, volume, pitch, expression, tempo, length, etc.) in bits of digital information. This allows for plug and play compatibility between MIDI-equipped equipment such as keyboards, samplers, drum machines, sound modules, computers, etc. Since no actual audio passes through the MIDI cables, one advantage of this digital technology is that sound quality is not degraded or distorted by analog cable noise. =History= The idea for MIDI came from the need to make live musical performances easier to manage. In the late 70's, keyboard/synthesizer players were using multiple machines from different manufacturers and it was incredibly complicated to change sounds in the middle of a song without jumping from machine to machine on the fly.

In 1981, at the [|Audio Engineering Society], Dave Smith and Chet Wood developed the concept of an industry standard interface for inter-connecting electronic musical instruments for plug and play compatibility. They named the project Universal Synthesizer Interface.

In 1982, Smith and Wood requested a meeting of the major manufacturers of synthesizers and introduced the first set of MIDI specifications.

//Dave Smith demos MIDI at convention in '83// http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_tecnology_hall_fame/

By 1983, Sequential Circuits of the USA (eventually sold to [|Yamaha]), and [|Roland] of Japan introduced the first keyboards with MIDI. By 1986, virtually every electronic instrument worldwide had a MIDI plug on it. =Applications= =Example Setups=
 * control the sounds of one midi instrument from another.
 * record onto a computer from any midi-equipped input instrument
 * easily edit recorded MIDI mistakes such as wrong note played
 * change instrumentation (trigger horn or strings sounds via keyboard performance). This allows the user to be a one-man virtual orchestra with knowledge of only one instrument, by recording one part at a time, changing the instrumentation to any [|General Midi instrument] and playing them back simultaneously.
 * file format standard used in creating and sharing ringtones in cell phones
 * recording and controlling automations useful in controlling light shows, theme park rides, studio recording equipment such as the Line 6 POD.
 * Valuable for recording intricate parts. Users can slow down tempo of the song, record the part at a slower speed, then speed it up without loss of sound quality.
 * Practice tool uses include isolating an instrument out of a recorded MIDI composition for studying purposes, or muting one instrument out of a composition so that you can play along with it yourself.




 * Control sounds from module and blue synth via the grey keyboard:**

[|http://www.mtsu.edu/%7Edsmitche/rim419/midi/HTMLs/MIDIIN%7E1.HTM]


 * Controlling a sampler, sound module, and synth which are playing back a midi file from the sequencer:**



http://www.philrees.co.uk/products/pix/v3app.gif

http://www.tweakheadz.com/images/MIDI.gif == =Sources=
 * Computer-based MIDI recording system:**

Jones, R.B. “Midi” __rbjones.com.__ March, 6 2003. 

Hullabaloo. "MIDI" 2005. __Hullabaloo.com__ http://www.hullabaloo.com.au/midi.htm

MIDI Manufacturers Association. “Making Music with MIDI” 2005. 

Midi.com. “**, 2005.** http://www.midi.com/

Peterson, George. “The 2005 TECnology Hall of Fame” __Mixonline.__ Sept 1 2006. 

=Links= Free midi files (good for ringtones) http://www.free-midi.org/free-midi-files-11.htm http://www.mididb.com/ midi tutorials [|http://www.borg.com/%7Ejglatt/tutr/miditutr.htm]