MIDI Music (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

It has been over 25 years since the MIDI standard was established  giving birth to all sorts of synthesizer New Wave music in the 80′s . It  is amazing that the General MIDI Standard is still supported today with a number of newer extended formats available. I am disappointed in some ways that MIDI has not really become a household name defining music composition, electronic music programming and as a general form of study for music enthusiasts. My impression is that MIDI is still considered as some kind of BLACK BOX used by hardcore dance music creators or known as a file format used for ring tone use only.

MIDI is so much more than that and can truly be a wonderful tool to take advantage of. Here is a list of some scenarios that make good use of MIDI.

- A MIDI instrument (keyboard, violin, guitar, drums etc,) connected to a computer with sequencing and notation software will allow you to record your compositions in a digital format. Afterward, the MIDI can be automatically translated into a musical score that can be printed.

- A synthesizer keyboard can be set to emulate 100′s of different traditional instruments and also play some electronic sounds. These selections can e programmed and saved as a patch which can make live performances very easy to setup. The exact keyboard setup can be saved as a patch and then transferred back into the keyboard instantaneously via MIDI when required. No knob adjusting prior to each song. Just selection the new settings via the computer or transfer a set number of patches and preset a number of buttons on the keyboard for the performance.

- Non musical instruments can be programmed using MIDI like lights, and mixing consoles.

- Performance Control. Lights, curtains and other show aspects can be controlled by MIDI allowing precise timing to ensure special effects to create the proper mood of the performance is applied on cue.

- When recording or composing a song, the audio mixing console can use a favorite setting saved as a MIDI file. This allows changes over time to be applied to certain channels being recorded automatically without human intervention. This does not apply to MIDI instruments only but to the specific audio channels being recorded which can be digital or analog.

MIDI should not be confused with actual music. A MIDI file only includes a set of instructions and no music or sound. MIDI is heavily used in the entertainment industry but little is known within the general populous. MIDI over LAN could be a great way of allowing home automation and other benefits that could make a physically challenged individual more productive. MIDI is not just for music and I would love to see more non music related applications being made available in the future.

DRM

Digital Rights Management has been an issue since the day it was released. DRM tries to prevent the copying of the material or conversion to other formats. Users have always found ways to circumvent this DRM technology by purchasing specialized software tools or even utilizing some FREE software tools. Recently APPLE announced that much of their music library will be DRM FREE in the iTunes Store. This is welcome news and will allow more users to take advantage of the iTunes Store and download more paid music files. Users will always copy and use one file in multiple locations. This has always been the case even as far back as records and cassette tapes. Users will still continue to purchase songs from iTunes and other music download sites regardless of how easy copying a commercial song may become now.

HOW SMALL WILL MP3 PLAYERS GET?

I recently purchased a small MP3 player just for the fun of checking out a very small unit. The product is manufacturered by a company called Newsmy.

Newsmy B007 MP3 Player - Image: Newsmy

The B07 MP3 player with built FM reciever + transmitter from Newsmy is the size of a fat USB memory drive. I just had to see how well something this small with a built in LCD display can perform and even be functional. I was certainly surprised at the sound quality from such a small unit. It plugs into a USB port for recharging and the transfer of music. The unit I purchased came with 2 Gigs of ram. Amazing nowadays how much memory is available in these small packages. The FM radio picks up all the typical radio stations my home stereo system picks up and then some. This tiny little unit also has a built in voice recorder too. Really sweet. I will be posting a complete review soon on this little gem of a MP3 player.