MIDI:

For those of you new to midi, let me try and explain how it works. The computer software stores music as a string of time-specific events. These include the selected sound (an instrument from the sound card), the time at which it is sounded (relative to an at-zero starting time), its velocity (the strength of the initial impact), its note value (the pitch), duration (length), and any manipulation (pitch bend, vibrato, chorus, etc) that occurs during its sounding.

Basically, the software encodes this string of musical events and stores them for synchronized playback in much the same way as word processing interprets keystrokes on an alpha-numeric keyboard, stores them, and then reproduces the finished result on a printed page. In this sense, the midi file consists of musical "letters" which are strung together to become the song, much like the alpha-numeric keystrokes become words, sentences, paragraphs, and eventually an entire essay.

Midi stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and has become the standard means of allowing computers, synthesizers, digital recorders, effects modules, and many other digital musical devices to communicate with each other. It is a marvelous tool for the composing, arranging, and playback of musical scores and enables the musician to write, review, refine, and eventually record his or her music.

It has made the music-creating process much faster and simpler. No longer must one sit at the piano with music paper, pencil, and eraser, and then hope for the best at a rehearsal or performance. The music is always readily available for instant editing, revision, and enjoyment.

As I mentioned, this is mostly what I do with my computer and is the primary reason I got involved with computing in the first place. No longer do I have to assemble a band, find a place to play, deal with other musicians and their no-shows, personal problems, or shortcomings, or hassle with neighbors whose musical tastes may differ from mine (I use headphones). The benefits far outweigh the cost, and the results are most rewarding!

It has certainly made my musical endeavors a lot more fun and easier, too. Chances are you'll find me with the headphones on and Cakewalk software open while I listen, edit, and update my midi files. Beats t.v.!

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