MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

DIGITAL INTERFACE (MIDI)

By Sergio Rodriguez, Santiago Rodriguez, Esteban
Puyana and Juan David Vargas
8A
 Is the one and only standard
protocol by which electronic
musical instruments,
WHAT IS IT? computers, software and
other digital controllers
share musical information.
 MIDI are the instructions to
make the music, NOT the sound
music by itself.
It does not contain actual
SOME KEYS TO sounds.
COMPREHEND It is not stored in a digital music
MIDI file. (Well talk later of how
MIDI data is stored)
MIDI is only data that tells other
devices how to make the sound.
 The protocol can handle a
total of 128 notes (from C
five octaves below middle C
through to G ten octaves
higher)
Also it has 16 channels, (so
that 16 separate devices can
MIDIS be controlled per signal
CAPABILITIES chain, or multiple devices
assigned the same channel
so they respond to the same
input) and 128 programs
(corresponding to patches
or voice/ effect setting
changes, well see them
later).
 MIDI works through a set of defined
HOW IT instructions, or MIDI messages, telling a
WORKS? compatible instrument which notes to play,
how hard to strike them, with what effects
(such as vibrato or sustain), and at what tempo
and relative volume. MIDI signals also include
built-in clock pulses, which set the tempo of
the track and permit basic timing
synchronization between equipment.
 When you record music
onto a computer using
MIDI, the software saves
MIDI files are this data as .MID file.
Saved on
SMF format
(Standard
MIDI File).
HOW IS MIDI Space it Sound translated into Saved on Audio
DATA STORED? takes to
save 1
MIDI Format like .MP3
Approximately 10Kb Around 10Mb
minute of (kilobytes) (megabytes)
melody

As MIDI files dont contain

Audio but instructions, the IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
file size of a MIDI file is SMFs DO NOT CONTAIN SOUND,
THEY HAVE INSTRUCTIONS
way much smaller
 The great difference present
between MIDI and digital audio,
is that MIDI records the data of
how to perform the sound, while
digital audio is only the played
DIFFERENCE sound. MIDI is also better for
WITH DIGITAL edition of the song, and it is more
AUDIO versatile, thus, the main
disadvantage is that midi cannot
perform the sound unless it is
connected to special device
capable of playing it
MIDI HISTORY
 In 1860, Hermann Von Helmholtz uses
a series of electromagnetic
generators to create pure tones. In
BACKGROUND: 1897, Thaddeus Cahill created the
19TH CENTURY first synthesizer known as
Dynamophone or Telharmonium. It
was able to create electrical currents
that could alter frequencies.
 In 1964, Robert Moog and
Donald Buchla started working
on their own commercialized
synthesizers independently and
then released them in 1966.
After the release of the Moog
and Buchla synthesizers
companies like Tonus and EMS
BACKGROUND: appeared to become the main
20TH CENTURY competitions of the previously
released synthesizers.
The 80s were characterized by
an avalanche of digital
synthesizers like the USI and by
the creation of the first
instrument that came with MIDI
technology, the Prophet-600.
 Roland, a Japanese enterprise created a new system
that instead of using a sound chip it used a musical
interface. It used a new type of language, a digital
language that used all of the previously used
keyboards.
This new interface became known as MIDI or
Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
MIDI arose from the need of different artists
CREATION OF musicians and composers of improving and
MIDI increasing the possibilities of synthesizers and
rhythm machines to run their creations.
 MIDI has been seen as the universal
protocol for music. After 33 years of
its appearance it is still used by
almost all of the electrical
ACTUALITY instruments in the world.
There have been new tendencies
that are alternative methods to the
MIDI protocol like the OSC (Open
Sound Control) that works as being
open so that it can use different
protocols like UDP or TCP.
 INSTRUMENTS
MIDI instruments are apparels capable of generating sound and
MIDI data too. (Remember that the only thing that MIDI stores is
data, not sound)

MIDI MAIN
CATEGORIES CONTROLLERS (OR DEVICES)
A MIDI controller only generates MIDI data that's interpreted by a
computer or an audio-enabled MIDI synthesizer. (This will be
explained in the presentation of the other group)
 MIDI
INSTRUMENTS
These are the instruments in the
General MIDI Level 1 sound set.
This implies that it limits the
sounds that can be played, but not
how they should sound
 Permit that 24 voices are active at the
same time (including at least 16
melodic and 8 percussive voices)
Be able to answer to note velocity
REQUIREMENTS instructed by the program
FOR MIDI Support all 16 channels simultaneously
INSTRUMENTS (with channel 10 reserved for
percussion)
Hold polyphony (multiple
simultaneous notes) in every channel
 1 Acoustic Grand Piano
2 Bright Acoustic Piano
3 Electric Grand Piano
4 Honky-tonk Piano
PIANO 5 Electric Piano 1
6 Electric Piano 2
7 Harpsichord
8 Clavinet
 9 Celesta
10 Glockenspiel
11 Music Box
CHROMATIC 12 Vibraphone
13 Marimba
PERCUSSION 14 Xylophone
15 Tubular Bells
16 Dulcimer
 17 Drawbar Organ
18 Percussive Organ
19 Rock Organ
20 Church Organ
ORGAN 21 Reed Organ
22 Accordion
23 Harmonica
24 Tango Accordion
 25 Acoustic Guitar (nylon)
26 Acoustic Guitar (steel)
27 Electric Guitar (jazz)
28 Electric Guitar (clean)
GUITAR 29 Electric Guitar (muted)
30 Overdriven Guitar
31 Distortion Guitar
32 Guitar harmonics
 33 Acoustic Bass
34 Electric Bass (finger)
35 Electric Bass (pick)
36 Fretless Bass
BASS 37 Slap Bass 1
38 Slap Bass 2
39 Synth Bass 1
40 Synth Bass 2
 41 Violin
42 Viola
43 Cello
44 Contrabass
STRINGS 45 Tremolo Strings
46 Pizzicato Strings
47 Orchestral Harp
48 Timpani
 49 String Ensemble 1
50 String Ensemble 2
51 Synth Strings 1
STRINGS 52 Synth Strings 2
53 Choir Aahs
CONTINUED 54 Voice Oohs
55 Synth Voice
56 Orchestra Hit
 57 Trumpet
58 Trombone
59 Tuba
60 Muted Trumpet
BRASS 61 French Horn
62 Brass Section
63 Synth Brass 1
64 Synth Brass 2
 65 Soprano Sax
66 Alto Sax
67 Tenor Sax
68 Baritone Sax
REED 69 Oboe
70 English Horn
71 Bassoon
72 Clarinet
 73 Piccolo
74 Flute
75 Recorder
76 Pan Flute
PIPE 77 Blown Bottle
78 Shakuhachi
79 Whistle
80 Ocarina
 81 Lead 1 (square)
82 Lead 2 (sawtooth)
83 Lead 3 (calliope)
84 Lead 4 (chiff)
SYNTH LEAD 85 Lead 5 (charang)
86 Lead 6 (voice)
87 Lead 7 (fifths)
88 Lead 8 (bass + lead)
 89 Pad 1 (new age)
90 Pad 2 (warm)
91 Pad 3 (polysynth)
92 Pad 4 (choir)
SYNTH PAD 93 Pad 5 (bowed)
94 Pad 6 (metallic)
95 Pad 7 (halo)
96 Pad 8 (sweep)
 97 FX 1 (rain)
98 FX 2 (soundtrack)
99 FX 3 (crystal)
100 FX 4 (atmosphere)
SYNTH EFFECTS 101 FX 5 (brightness)
102 FX 6 (goblins)
103 FX 7 (echoes)
104 FX 8 (sci-fi)
 105 Sitar
106 Banjo
107 Shamisen
108 Koto
ETHNIC 109 Kalimba
110 Bag pipe
111 Fiddle
112 Shanai
 113 Tinkle Bell
114 Agogo
115 Steel Drums
116 Woodblock
PERCUSSIVE 117 Taiko Drum
118 Melodic Tom
119 Synth Drum
 120 Reverse Cymbal
121 Guitar Fret Noise
122 Breath Noise
123 Seashore
SOUND 124 Bird Tweet

EFFECTS 125 Telephone Ring

126 Helicopter
127 Applause
128 Gunshot
MIDI EDITION
 With MIDI you can edit and create
music productions
MIDI contains many tools for
editing music like:
As recently mentioned we can
find lots of virtual instruments
Equalizer, where you can change
TOOLS frequencies of a production
(measured in KHz and Hz)
You can add loops and beats
Record voices
Digital effects
 PRODUCTIONS WITH MIDI EDITION
With MIDI you can master, create and edit
music
You can mix different components of the
program to make an organized music
production
Edition in Midi helps a music production be a
good product
Editing with Midi is a very good option for
music production.
There are several programs to edit, according
to the necessity of the user
 Effects can be added to instruments.
The file for a song or several instruments put
together (can also be a guide track) is smaller.
You can create music without having to have
musicians and live performers which can make
pre production much cheaper.
Since MIDI instructions are specific to each note it
is easier to change one specific instruction of an
MIDI specific sound.
ADVANTAGES Information can be turned into musical notation.
You can convert MIDI information into musical
notation and print out actual sheet music.
You can also make entire sections repeat without
playing them again. And you can rearrange and
re-orchestrate your song as many times as you
like.
 CONCLUSION
MIDI is a very useful tool for musicians to produce their
songs, or other musical products. This is due to the great
advantages that MIDI offers to facilitate the
communication and the interaction between multiple
devices. It has clearly made an evolution in the music
industry, not only for professional producers, but even
also for those who have a minimum interaction with
musical instruments and music in general.
 Images taken from Bing & Google
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