MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) . . .
The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) enables people to use multimedia computers and electronic musical
instruments to create, enjoy and learn about music. There are actually three components to MIDI, which are the communications
Protocol (language), the Connector (hardware interface) and a distribution format called Standard MIDI Files,
or (SMF).
(See Source: http://www.midi.org, for more information.)
MIDI is a wonderful tool which enables musicians (and non-musicians, alike) to create music with digital musical instruments. These devices
include: pianos (such as the Yamaha Disklavier), digital pianos (which are totally electronic in nature), portable keyboards, organs,
sound modules (tone generators), drum machines, sequencers and a variety of other devices including effects units and other MIDI controllers.
When I was in my teens, I did not have any of this technology, but I somehow knew back then that someday it would be possible to create music
using a computer or computerized device. Of course, now all of this is quite a commonplace technology and is available in just about any computer or
musical instrument on the market. So, in the interim, I created music in the conventional way on my upright acoustic piano and the quitar.
Some years later, an electric piano was invented by Harold Rhodes. The instrument was actually originally invented for use by the military and
constructed out of scrap metal from old airplane parts (thus the curved top of the keyboard which resembled a section of an old airplane wing).
These electric pianos were first used in military hospitals to entertain our wounded military personnel. Later on, the instrument was commercially
available by the Fender Corporation, and was then known as the Fender Rhodes piano. The electric piano sound was extremely popular, especially in
recording studios and used often by jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Sergio Mendes and many others. The piano consisted primarily of
"tines" (or varied-length tuning forks) which were struck by rubber mallets when the keys were played, and the two primary advantages were
that this piano did not require periodic tuning (as with an acoustic piano), and the instrument was more portable without a heavy "harp" and
string assembly, soundboard, etc. Electric "pick-ups" collected the vibrations of the tines (similar to an electric guitar pick-up and string) and
this process produced a very pleasing bell-like sound which is now an industry standard. The two popular formats were the "Rhodes 73" and
the "Rhodes 88" (as in 88 keys). I used to own the Rhodes 88 Suitcase Piano, which had its own stereo amplifier on top of which the keyboard
section fit into place. The "stage" version was just the keyboard section on metal legs and plugged into a stand-alone keyboard amplifier.
Other electric or electronic keyboards were being developed by various manufacturers, such as, Moog, Korg, Hohner, Wurlitzer, Kurzweil, Roland, Yamaha, etc.,
and eventually, retail synthesizers were available on the market. My first inspiration into synthesis or synthesized music was the LP recording of
"Switched-On Bach" by Walter Carlos, which was performed on the Moog synthesizer developed by Robert Moog. In this recording,
the notes were produced (or synthesized) individually, and then the tracks were combined using conventional multi-track recording equipment. It was much later when
polyphonic keyboards were realized, but even then there was a rather difficult problem to be solved. The problem was communication between these instruments and
between different electronic technologies used to generate sound by each manufacturer. One company would use one type of triggering method (such as, control
voltage, or "CV"), and another would use a completely different scenario. Also, each company used different expansion cables for their own devices, but
failed to make these compatable with those components under a different brand.
Finally, in the late "70's", several of the primary keyboard manufacturers agreed that there was a need for a general specification and protocol to allow
for a universal standard between digital instruments and between all manufacturers of these devices. Thus was born the MIDI Specification which not only standardized
the digital language between these devices, but also the MIDI cables, or hardware, which connected them. The Yamaha DX7 was one of the first generation of MIDI keyboards
and was quite popular in recording studios across the globe. Later on, in 1991, further developments, standards and conventions were applied to this specification to help the
consistency of performance information on various components. This is known as General MIDI (or GM) and the development of the Standard MIDI File (or SMF).
The MIDI language also made it possible to record perfomances by use of stand-alone "MIDI sequencers", or MIDI sequencing software, which is now quite common on
just about any personal computer platform. The performer or composer could now record individual instruments and combine these tracks to complete full arrangements and then later
edit them, if need be. Editing could include correcting wrong notes, changes in volume and dynamics, selection of instrumentation, tempo changes, quantization of note duration and more.
For some advanced topics in MIDI, click here.
For more information on the MIDI Specification, visit the web site of The MIDI Manufacturers Association at: http://www.midi.org
Mark Prigoff
Digital Jazz Productions
December 2003
