What is MIDI?
| Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
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The Musical Instrument Digital Interface was developed in the early 1980s as a way of allowing musical instruments from a variety of manufacturers to communicate. The MIDI specification defines the electrical characteristics of the MIDI interface and the communications protocol used. To the user the physical interface appears as 3 different types of MIDI ports: MIDI In; MIDI Out; and MIDI Thru. These ports can be connected together using MIDI cables, which are in fact cables that use 5-pin DIN connection plugs. MIDI enables you to hook together computers, musical instruments, and synthesizers to make and orchestrate digital sound. The term is used to describe the standard itself, the hardware that supports the standard, and files that store information that the hardware can use. MIDI files contain instructions for musical notes, tempo, and instrumentation. |
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