"MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a digital, non-proprietary hardware and software protocol for data communications among electronic musical instruments and computers."
"A common analogy is the player piano. The piano roll contains a description of the musical performance which is transmitted to the player piano through a mechanical process. The actual sound is created by the piano not the piano roll. Similarly, MIDI data produces no sound by itself. Instead MIDI data, like the piano roll, contains a description of the musical performance which, when received by a synthesizer, can be rendered as sound."
Dr. Estrella also includes a glossary, which I am certain I will refer to in the future (especially the near future of Music Technology class). Also helpful is the key may of general MIDI drums - something which any MIDI keyboard owner will probably find useful.
(quotations taken from the article, "Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Guide to MIDI")
In "The MIDI-Digital Audio Shuffle," article's authors debate the pros and cons of MIDI versus digital audio. They explain the difference between the two (MIDI is not actually a form of audio, but rather a set of instructions that allows hardware and software to communicate).
Both these articles would be helpful to music educators further exploring sequencing and recording technology. As a student only beginning to explore both facets, it's very helpful to have an explanation of what MIDI is, how it functions, and how it compares to digital audio, as well as a useful, brief reference guide. I feel like the more I work with MIDI, the better I will be able to utilize it in the classroom, as right now my understanding of the system is still much more theoretical than practical. It seems like there's so much you can do with it.
I've found MIDI to be a wonderful and useful technology, both in the classroom, and for my own private use. As a young composer, I would spend many hours on primitive music notation software composing my own symphonies, concerti, and other pieces for various instruments. And I always thought it was fun the hear the music that I created played back to me!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this resource has helped to clear up some of the fogginess surrounding MIDI technology. I'm sure that there are a number of music educators out there who are familiar with the basic concept, but lack personal experience. Hopefully you'll have a better idea of how to take full advantage of this technology after the next few weeks of class.
ReplyDeleteThere are many uses for this MIDI technology. I don't have a burning desire to know more about MIDI technology, though the articles were educational, if sometimes punishing to sift through. I'm grateful for those individuals who take it upon themselves to act as pioneers in this field. They allow for a more enriching experience for our music students.
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