I always watch synthesia videos on youtube and actually use them to learn how to play piano pieces I like. I recently bought a digital piano that says it can use MIDI. The thing is, I don’t have any idea how it works and where to start.
In: Technology
MIDI is a way to communicate with digital instruments, by sending simple messages back and forth. These messages can play and stop notes, set what sounds the notes use, as well as send numbers that let us control aspects of the sound in real time. These messages can also be used to control non-musical things, and send much more complex information, but that’s less common.
Over the years, different ways of connecting instruments together have been innovated. In the beginning MIDI was connected using special cables. Now it’s generally sent over USB, but software exists to get it from one instrument to another in any way you want, even over the Internet.
MIDI has limitations, and different standards have tried to replace MIDI, like OSC and MIDI2. While useful, MIDI is still going strong.
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