Josh Drye

March 31, 2004

MIDI, which stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, was one of the first efforts to begin synthesizing (no pun intended) music and computers. It standardized settings and sounds, so that a midi file created on one computer by one user could be interpreted properly by another program and user. It performs useful functions to musicians, allowing them to compose music, arrange and orchestrate pieces, and print scores (MIDI Making 11-13). Dr. Don Bowyer at the University of Alabama at Huntsville Music Department gives further detail by noting that, "The third generation of CAI [Computer Assisted Instruction] music software, as defined by G. David Peters, began in 1981 with the introduction of 16-bit computers and the definition of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard. These 16-bit desktop computers were dramatically faster than their 8-bit predecessors, but it was the MIDI standard that had the greatest impact on music CAI. According to David Williams, 'MIDI became the lingua franca of music technology.'*** The MIDI standard allowed computers and music synthesizers to communicate with each other using a standard language, with more than fifty MIDI-enabled music CAI programs developed between 1984 and 1992" (Bowyer para. 5).

The MIDI Manufacturers Association Incorporated notes that there are three different uses of MIDI. One is simply a protocol by which compatibility between systems is established. The second is a MIDI file which can be played and edited on another computer. The third is a standard MIDI connector to hook instruments to the computer (MIDI Technology 2-9). They further note that, "When you use MIDI to make music, you aren't limited to playing just one instrument. No matter what sort of MIDI Controller (keyboard, guitar, wind, drums, etc.) you actually use, you can make it sound like just about any instrument you can imagine (and some that are only in your imagination). Most digital pianos and other MIDI instruments come with hundreds of different sounds (pianos, trumpets, violins, guitars, basses and more) which you can play yourself or play via a MIDI sequencer to create fully orchestrated music" (MIDI Making 10).

John McEnary, Associate Professor of Music at Orange Coast College, has compiled a list of significant events in the history of MIDI. A few highlights include: