MIDI MATTERS

-copy words from Fenderstratboy (Band Width)

What is MIDI ? MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and is , loosely speaking , a standard for allowing musical instruments to talk to one another digitally .

In the late 70's & the early 80's, keyboards and synthesizers were becoming more and more affordable. This is where Sequential Circuit's synth designer Dave Smith stepped forward & proposed a digital standard for musical instruments in a paper for the Audio Engineering Society.

MIDI Connections have developed over the years too. Most computers in facing used to be handled by serial connections which are now run by USB or Firewire. The standard 5pin DIN physical connector has been maintained throughout however.

Now, all the VST(Virtual Studio Technology) instruments use MIDI and they incorporate it in various ways.

The most important MIDI parameters musicians occupy themselves when they write music, is velocity, which defines how loud a note is played. There is also aftertouch, which is extra pressure applied after you press a key and sustain and can be useful is some VST instruments such as Akoustik Piano. Pitch bend can also be used, when you're trying to emulate a guitar, or play in exotic tunings.

When musicians write using MIDI, they'll have to be accustomed to the idea of a piano roll. Even if you record everything via a MIDI keyboard,there will be times when you'll need to edit your work. Piano rolls can be a little tiresome, because you see the notes as in a piano, but in a vertical manner, but this is a discomfort you'll just have to handle.

If you're thinking of making music, think about MIDI.