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MIDI: a protocol that enables computer, synthesizers, keyboards, and other musical
device to communicate with each other.
By the end of the 1970s, electronic musical devices were becoming increasingly common
and affordable. However, devices from different manufacturers were generally not
compatible with each other and could not be interconnected. Different interfacing models
included analog control voltages at various standards (such as 1 volt per octave, or the
logarithmic "hertz per volt"); analog clock, trigger and "gate" signals (both positive "V-
trig" and negative "S-trig" varieties, between −15V to +15V); and proprietary digital
interfaces such as Roland Corporation'sDCB (digital control bus), the Oberheim system,
and Yamaha's "keycode" system.
Interfaces
The original physical MIDI connection uses DIN 5/180° connectors. Opto-
isolating connections are used, to prevent ground loops occurring among connected MIDI
devices.
The MIDI transceivers physically and logically separate the input and output lines,
meaning that MIDI messages received by a device in the network not intended for that
device must be re-transmitted on the output line (MIDI-OUT) by means of a "soft
through". This can introduce a delay, one that is long enough to become musically
significant on larger MIDI chains.
MIDI-THRU ports started to be added to MIDI-compatible equipment soon after the
introduction of MIDI, in order to improve performance. The MIDI-THRU port avoids the
aforementioned retransmission delay by linking the MIDI-THRU port to the MIDI-IN
socket almost directly. The difference between the MIDI-OUT and MIDI-THRU ports is
that data coming from the MIDI-OUT port has been generated on the device containing
that port. Data that comes out of a device's MIDI-THRU port, however, is an exact
duplicate of the data received at the MIDI-IN port.
File formats
[edit]Standard MIDI (.mid or .smf)
MIDI messages (along with timing information) can be collected and stored in
a computer file system, in what is commonly called a MIDI file, or more formally, a
Standard MIDI File (SMF). The SMF specification was developed by, and is maintained
by, the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA). MIDI files are typically created using
computer-based sequencing software (or sometimes a hardware-based MIDI instrument
or workstation) that organizes MIDI messages into one or more parallel "tracks" for
independent recording and editing. In most sequencers, each track is assigned to a
specific MIDI channel and/or a specific instrument patch; if the attached music
synthesizer has a known instrument palette (for example because it conforms to
the General MIDI standard), then the instrument for each track may be selected by name.
Although most current MIDI sequencer software uses proprietary "session file" formats
rather than SMF, almost all sequencers provide export or "Save As..." support for the
SMF format.
An SMF consists of one header chunk and one or more track chunks. There exist three
different SMF formats; the format of a given SMF is specified in its file header. A
Format 0 file contains a single track and represents a single song performance. Format 1
may contain any number of tracks, enabling preservation of the sequencer track structure,
and also represents a single song performance. Format 2 may have any number of tracks,
each representing a separate song performance. Sequencers do not commonly support
Format 2. Large collections of SMFs can be found on the web, most commonly with
the extension .mid but occasionally with the .smf. These files are most frequently
authored with the (rather dubious) assumption that they will be only ever be played
on General MIDI players.
Synthesizer:
Sequencer:
• It can be a stand-alone unit or a software program for a personal computer. (It used
to be a storage server for MIDI data. Nowadays it is more a software music
editor on the computer.
• It has one or more MIDI INs and MIDI OUTs.
Track:
Channel:
Timbre:
• The quality of the sound, e.g., flute sound, cello sound, etc.
• Multitimbral - capable of playing many different sounds at the same time (e.g.,
piano, brass, drums, etc.)
Pitch:
Voice:
Patch: