INCLUDES AUDIO
We’ve come a long way in our use of MIDI. When the standard was introduced in the 1980s, getting different instruments made by different manufacturers to communicate with each other was a huge step forward. Decades later though, with MIDI firmly established and built into every piece of music hardware and software, we’ve transcended the basics, and human ingenuity has brought us to new creative heights.
What is MIDI?
For those needing a refresher, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the staple digital language we use to communicate musical performance data from controller to instrument. You don’t need to comprehensively understand what MIDI is and how it works in order to use it inside your DAW, but know that without it, making music via a computer would be limiting and isolated.
All digital instruments, including synths and samplers, make use of the MIDI protocol to transmit performance data that we can manipulate with precision. Even when we use a computer-compatible (digital) hardwaredoesn’t produce sound. It relies on electrical signals to transmit data, unlike traditional keyboard instruments like the piano or organ, which produce sound acoustically.
