A2 Development of MIDI

Aim : Explain how MIDI 1.0 works to create music

Objectives

All - Decode MIDI binary to give the correct values of MIDI data

Most - Cross-reference MIDI values to specific parameters

Some - Describe some of the various applications of MIDI

What does

What is it used for?

Functions

Products

MIDI is a programming language.

It allows different devices to talk to one another.

MIDI

What is MIDI?

TB-303

TR 808

isolated

How did MIDI affect Synths?

USB

MIDI Hardware

MIDI is used to communicate to and from electronic musical devices. Not just musical notes!

What is MIDI?

MIDI is a binary computer language...

MIDI cables carry data not sound!

Musical Instrument Digital Interface

To use MIDI with your hardware you can interconnect devices directly or use a sequencer to play the sounds to those devices or itself using VSTs, inbuilt MIDI chip or external equipment.

The MMA (MIDI Manufacturers Association)

"The MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) is the non-profit trade association responsible for development, promotion, and protection of MIDI technology.

"Compliance with our Specifications and Recommended Practices enables thousands of products from hundreds of companies to interoperate. We provide forums for developers to coordinate changes to the MIDI specification, which today remains one of the most relevant standards in the entertainment industry."

MIDI Software

Virtual Studio Technology (Virtual Instruments)

5 pin din

mean?

MIDI Based / Home Studios / Bedroom Composer

Studio

Other protocols and languages used in Music Technology

Impact on performing...

OSC

MIDI 2

MIDI 2.0 - Released Feb 2020

Impact of MIDI on recording

Sequenced parts used alongside live recordings either to "double track" a musicians part or replace entirely.

Timing became critical when syncronising MIDI and live tracks... why?

Sometimes MIDI sounds would remain in the digital realm; othertimes they would be recorded as audio. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?

The evolution of the electric guitar allowed guitarists to take the limelight away from saxophonists and trumpets. MIDI allowed the musician freedom from the instruments, or a 'singer' the freedom to escape from the musicians.

Typically a band has never been needed to write music, merely perform it (orchestras rarely jam) now one person could write, record and publish from the comfort of their home.

Which genre utilised MIDI backing track more than any other from the 80s to present day?

Impact of new connectivity standard on development of synthesisers

MIDI 2.0 is 32 bit and backward compatible. It tries to communicate to all devices and any that don't respond with their name, manufacturer and functions (think parameters available to edit) it treats as MIDI 1.0

32bit means varables of over 4 million bytes rather than the current 127 bytes; a viable replacement for DMX lighting as well as microtonal music options. Instead of having only 128 possible pan locations, velocities, notes you can now have a range of 4 million!

OSC (Open Sound Control)

GM MIDI was adopted by ALL major manufacturers of MIDI hardware. Being open source is now used by all manufacturers.

What kind of synthesisers did this alienate?

How did this affect studios?

How did this affect musicians?

What musical genres were able to progress as a result of this technology?

OSC has created the ability for tablets and phones to control sequencers (such as Logic X) wirelessly, or over ethernet, far faster than MIDI would have allowed.

OSC is the next evolution of control data. Whereas MIDIs primary function has been to allow instruments to communicate OSC is designed to allow devices to talk to each other.

This allows tablets to replace the

QWERTY Keyboard, MIDI Keyboard and

mouse as the primary form of interaction with

the sequencer for some applications.

This has led to the creation of specific hardware solutions for common tasks.

...meanwhile in Essex...

80s

"Open Sound Control (OSC) is a protocol for networking sound synthesizers, computers, and other multimedia devices for purposes such as musical performance or show control. OSC's advantages include interoperability, accuracy, flexibility and enhanced organization and documentation."

Wikipedia

Depeche Mode

90s

Prodigy

2000+

Underworld

You no longer needed to be classically trained and have a huge amount of facilities to create music.

Andy C

Synth-Pop, Pop, Techno, DnB... the list could include every genre as composing became accessible and sounds more available.

Further reading (revision)

Guide to how MIDI works

https://www.nyu.edu/classes/bello/FMT_files/9_MIDI_code.pdf

Guide to technical data of MIDI in binary and hex

http://www.somascape.org/midi/tech/spec.html

GM synthesizers are required to be able to:

Allow 24 voices to be active simultaneously (including at least 16 melodic and 8 percussive voices)

Respond to note velocity

Support all 16 channels simultaneously (with channel 10 reserved for percussion)

Support polyphony (multiple simultaneous notes) on each channel

= middle C

= velocity

New Status On 8 4 2 1

- Channel -

Data 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Data 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Write a definition and example of use for the following MIDI terms...

A sample message for turning on a note (middle C) on MIDI channel #5... whats the velocity?

status byte data byte data byte

10010100 00111100 01111111

MIDI 1.0

GM MIDI

Channel Messages

MIDI Sample Dump

MIDI System Messages

Transfer samples from a computer sequencer to sampler.

the atypical MIDI message sending a particular midi device details of channel, note and velocity

Master/Slave external MIDI sync, MIDI clock (96 clocks for each four bars of music)

1991

MIDI 1.0

1983

Song Select

Tune Request

Bank Change

Like bank select but for songs

Enables MIDI controlled analogue synths to tune themselves

change the bank of sounds a device is using. Combine two channels for 14bit data utilising MSB (most significant bit) on one and LSB (least significant bit) on another.

"Song Position Pointer"

(SysEx)

System Exclusive Messages

General MIDI devices contain the same set of 128 standard sounds, stored in a specified order. Each product creates these sounds using its own unique capabilities dependent on its internal MIDI board, the goal is to have them all sound similar enough when playing back GM data. This is how Logic knows what instrument to play when it loads up .mid data.

Start, stop and continue messages to show where in a song you are - used for drum machines and reel to reel machines.

A way to transfer settings and other data from a specific MIDI device to another (for backup). Each MIDI dump starts with the manufacturers ID then a code for the instrument that way only that instrument in the chain will ever pick up those settings if sent from a sequencer prior to bar 1 of a sequence.

Aims and objectives

Standard MIDI Files (SMFs) are an export format for software sequencers or hardware workstations. They organize MIDI messages into one or more parallel tracks, and timestamp the events so that they can be played back in sequence. A header contains the arrangement's track count, tempo and which of three SMF formats the file is in.

Type 0 contains the entire performance, merged onto a single track

Type 1 files may contain any number of tracks that are performed in synchrony.

Type 2 files are rarely used and store multiple arrangements, with each arrangement having its own track and intended to be played in sequence.

MIDI modes

Mode 1: omni on/poly

This will play all MIDI data from the sequence on one device regardless of channel - so whole compositions including the drum part will playback on one keyboard sound

Mode 2: Omni on/mono

Play all parts but Monophoniclly

Mode 3: omni off/poly

Most common set up: device responds only to its own MIDI channel and plays polyphoniclly

Mode 4: Omni off/mono

Play different mono sounds on different channels. This allows different sounds to be played from one device, or for the six different strings on a guitar to be separated into six separate channels rather than polyphoniclly.

We discover an alien race millions of light years away, what elements of

music would we need to send to the aliens in order for them to play the piece?

List some genres explaining how MIDI could have allowed them to evolve

Starter Activity

How could MIDI affect performance and studio techniques?