MIDI

MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Through this equipment, which was first introduces in 1983, music producers and recording artists can synchronize various types of equipment, such as electronically recorded music, computers and others in order to edit and create audio recordings. There is no signal associated with MIDI. It simply transmits digital data to an audio recording to mix various sounds. The software sets the pitch and intensity of the music and there are controls for volume and tempo.

When you play a musical composition on a MIDI controller, the machine channels the message through its Out connector. This corresponds to striking a key on a piano and hearing the sound of the note. The channel messages are termed Note On, Note Off and Aftertouch. When you press Middle C with a certain velocity, the instrument sends a Note On message. When you change the pressure of the key, this is called Aftertouch and one or more of these messages can be sent. When you release the key, this is called Note Off.

Storing files on a MIDI does not take up a lot of space because they are simply recordings of data. With several computer programs and a MIDI, one can actually compose the music for a full orchestra. A typical file consists of a header chunk and one or more track chucks. There are three different types of formats and each one is specified in the header. Format 0 only has one track, Format 1 can have many tracks of the same song and Format 2can have many tracks of different songs. Most sequencers do not support Format 2. There are also Karaoke files and text files.