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"Lectures in Beginning MIDI," part 1

What's MIDI!?

MIDI is a communication standard for music and electronic instruments that was created about fifteen years ago by musical instrument manufacturers from all over the world. Suppose that Chang from Shechuan, China, is speaking to Quinn the Eskimo via "tin-can telephone."

If Chang and Quinn understand only their own languages, it's obvious that no communicaton will happen. But what if both of them just happened to be fluent speakers of Yiddish!

Yes, these two would be able to communicate, and we might be a step closer to world peace. In this example, MIDI is sort of like the "Yiddish" that both of these people happened to know.



You probably know what a synthesizer is. It's an instrument that can produce many different sounds. Yamaha has sold a lot of synthesizers that make some pretty good sounds, but one of the really hot ones right now is the CS2x. Take a look at the rear panel of the CS2x, and you'll see some round connectors that have a few holes around the edge. These are MIDI connectors!

CS2x
CONTROL SYNTHESIZER
YAMAHA CS2x

Here's another synthesizer --- not made by Yamaha. We'll call it "sleazy synth." Use a MIDI cable to connect the CS2x's MIDI OUT to the MIDI IN of "sleazy synth," and then play the keyboard of the CS2x. Hey! the CS2x and "sleazy synth" sounded together!

CS2x Images

When you play the keyboard of the CS2x, a MIDI message for the note you played is transmitted from MIDI OUT. The message passes through the MIDI cable and is received at the MIDI IN of "sleazy synth," which interprets the message and produces the sound that it considers appropriate. This is the basic idea of MIDI.



Regardless of its manufacturer or country, as long as a device can understand MIDI it will be able to communicate musical information with another such device! Isn't that great?!

Every synthesizer that can use MIDI actually contains a computer which converts the notes you play into MIDI data, or interprets incoming MIDI data as musical information. MIDI messages are digital, which means that maybe that computer that you're using right now can handle them! ... That's right! You'll find out more in part 2.


Text: Shouichi Karasaki (Kamonegi House)

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