Nuts and Bolts of MIDI Technology


Nuts and Bolts of MIDI Technology

Playing, creating and learning music got easier the day MIDI technology was discovered. It is a rewarding experience to know how to maneuver playing musical instruments. It does not matter what your goal in music is “performing privately at home, developing your skills as a composer of music or as an arranger, or playing in a band” understanding MIDI will be of great help. Devices that use the MIDI technology are many, ranging from digital musical instruments to personal computers to cell phones. All MIDI devices, however, have one thing in common they speak the “MIDI language”. This language outlines the music playing process in a similar way as sheet music. MIDI messages outline the notes to play and how long you should play them as well as which tempo you should play on. The messages further describe the musical instruments to play and the relative volumes to observe.

Audio and MIDI are dissimilar

ViolinIf you hear someone say that MIDI sound is not clear, you should understand that they do not know what MIDI is and how it works. Imagine if you give the sheet of a very famous song in the hands of a person who has the ability to read music but has little knowledge of playing violin. Adding salt to the wound, you give that person a very antique violin. The listeners would certainly hear a poor music. On the contrary, take the same musical sheet and pass it on to the leader of an orchestra. The quality of the song will be unmatchable. So you see MIDI is dependent on the quality of the device and will tell you how the music fits with the instruments.

Since MIDI is a language of description, it is tremendously flexible. MIDI data performs based on instructions, but not the sound recording of the digital version and this makes it easy to alter the performance. This involves changing an incorrectly played note, changing the tempo of the song or changing the variety of the instruments used.

Musical InstrumentsIt is possible to transmit MIDI data amongst musical instruments that are compatible with MIDI data. Moreover, MIDI data can also be stored in a standardized file format and played later. In both cases, the performance that results is dependent on the competence of the recipient device. MIDI is valued far and wide due to its ability to create, play and learn about music. This is because it gives you the ability to change, fix, remove, slow down, or speed up any part of a performance.

The major Parts of MIDI

Originally, Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) made it possible to define a physical connector as well as a message format to control and connect devices instantly. In a few years, Standard MIDI Files were established as storage formats, making it possible to recall performance later. The MIDI Protocol or “the MIDI Messages specification” is the most critical part of MIDI. The protocol has messages that help in describing music. There are messages that can communicate to the MIDI devices on what to play, what should be the speed of playing and for how long should it be played. The other part of MIDI is the physical transport for MIDI. MIDI data can be transported through various media such as Bluetooth, USB and FireWire, among others.

As a shop owner, I have sold various types of electronics but this is one product that has greatly improved my profit margins. Welcome to my store where you will get all types of MIDI controllers and interfaces. I offer quality products that have not been used before. I always ensure that my prices are not as high as those in other stores. I stock the latest products so as to ensure that you are fully satisfied with the kind of service you receive in my store.