Part 2: MIDI Cables & Connectors Many different "transports" can be used for MIDI messages. The speed of the transport determines how much MIDI data can be carried, and how quickly it will be received. 5-Pin MIDI DIN Using a 5-pin "DIN" connector, the MIDI DIN transport was developed back in 1983, so it is slow compared to common high-spee...

Part 3: MIDI Messages The MIDI Message specification (or "MIDI Protocol") is probably the most important part of MIDI. MIDI is a music description language in digital (binary) form. It was designed for use with keyboard-based musical instruments, so the message structure is oriented to performance events, such as picking a note and then striking it...

Standard MIDI Files ("SMF" or *.mid files)   Standard MIDI Files ("SMF" or *.mid files) are a popular source of music on the web, and for musicians performing in clubs who need a little extra accompaniment. The files contain all the MIDI instructions for notes, volumes, sounds, and even effects. The files are loaded into some form of 'player' ...

 Unlike audio file formats like MP3 files and CDs, MIDI files contain individual instructions for playing each individual note of each individual instrument. So with MIDI it is actually possible to change just one note in a song, or to re-orchestrate an entire song with entirely different instruments. And since each instrument in a MIDI p...

An explanation of music synthesis technology and how MIDI is used to generate and control sounds. This document was originally published in 1995 at a time when MIDI had been used in electronic musical instruments for more than a decade, but was still a relatively new technology in the computer industry. All these years later, the PC industry has ch...