Everything Musical: A Beginner's Guide To MIDI

Computers are already a necessity these days – from desktops to cellphones to musical instruments. They have evolved into an essential tool, both for personal or business use.

Composing articles, spreadsheets, and other content has become a lot easier because languages for working with the alphabet and numbers are preloaded. However, computers do not feature a language for music – and this is exactly what MIDI is all about.

MIDI stands for musical instrument digital interface.

This is not audio, but a set of codes that represent dynamics, tempo, pitch, and other musical parameters. It is the language of computers that activate sounds. With the introduction of the latest MIDI controllers, more features have been integrated that has now made it an indispensable tool for making, recording, and producing music.

If MIDI is a new concept to you, here is a guide to help you learn more about it.

How It Works

MIDI is a digital signal, which is a sequence of binary digits like zeros and ones. Every computer or instrument understands this signal and then responds to it accordingly.

These messages communicate essential information, which includes the note pressed, how hard it is pressed (velocity), pitch bend, vibrato, and when key pressure changes (after-touch). Any instrument capable of understanding MIDI will then read and convert these messages (the standardized numbers) into sounds.

Aside from that, MIDI can also be used for other functions. For instance, it can produce light shows and effects in theater productions. Basically, it can be used to control all digital devices capable of reading and processing it.

Advantages

MIDI has become popular among musicians, professional presenters, and producers because of some advantages it offers.

Small file size

Compared to audio files, MIDI files are tiny when stored on computers. They are kept as a sequence of numbers instead of a complex audio file like WAV and MP3.

The size might not be a concern if you have plenty of storage space. But with a smaller file size, the work your system must do is significantly be reduced. Also, sending files to another person is faster with MIDI.

Editable

Since MIDI is stored as a series of numbers, it can easily be altered to your heart’s content. For instance, the velocity values can be altered should you want your piano to build in volume as the chord progresses. Also, changing the note in a piano roll can be done with ease.

Budget-friendly

Not everyone can have a full live drum kit or a string quartet. But with MIDI, you can take any virtual instrument and create different tracks without breaking the bank. Nothing can stop you from recording an entire symphony without an orchestra if you use MIDI.

Versatile

Depending on the musician’s requirement, MIDI signals can be sent through different input devices. An MIDI instrument is more than just a keyboard; you can send messages via MIDI using an electronic drum kit.

Disadvantages

MIDI comes with cons, too, but it all boils down to personal taste and whether you have good virtual instrument plugins.

Transmitting vocal data is not possible

Since MIDI is a series of numbers, vocals can’t be sent digitally. Recording your vocals to audio files is still necessary, and this means using an XLR input, not MIDI.

Accuracy is not guaranteed

When sharing files with other people, the track may not sound as good as it does to you. Accuracy is only assured if the file receiver uses a playback device similar to the one used for production.

MIDI is an essential tool for creating amazing songs and other audio. Knowing how it works, along with its pros and cons, can help you decide if you should take advantage of affordable deals and promotions at Music Majlis, and use it in your home studio.

Author Bio:

Amrit Shivlani is the Founder and CEO at Music Majlis, a community-driven e-commerce platform that offers a wide variety of musical instruments and equipment for every musician and sound professional. The company's goal is to make music-making, recording, producing and mixing accessible and available to everyone.