[Home]  [Edit this page]  [Recent Changes]  [Special Pages]  [Help
MIDI

MIDI Format

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Created in 1983, it is a method of storing musical information digitally, like a CD or MP3, except for an important fundamental difference.

While wave files and MP3s record sounds and the wave patterns that make them up, a MIDI file store tones, instruments, and durations. This is somewhat equivalent to the difference between a recording and sheet music.

While the fundamental MIDI data remains the same on every computer, every computer will play that music a little differently, depending on the way an instrument is represented by the computer, just like sheet music will sound different depending on the kind of piano you use. Wave files and MP3s sound basically the same on every computer.

The MIDI standard is found on keyboards, computers, and other forms of sound equipment. It has the advantage of being much smaller storage-wise than wave files or even MP3s, although sound quality varies dramatically with the hardware. MIDI is also only good for instrumental tracks--no vocals or unusual sound effects.

http://www.midi.com

last edited (December 18, 2002) by chrisarts, Number of views: 2920, Current Rev: 3 (Diff)

[Edit this page]  [Page history]  [What links here]  [Discuss this topic]  [Printer Friendly]  

Members

Username:

Password:


Register
Forgot Password?




Programmers Heaven - for .NET, Java, C/C++ and WEB Developers!
© 1996-2008 Community Networks Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited. Violators of this policy may be subject to legal action. Please read Terms Of Use and Privacy Statement for more information. Development by Tore Nestenius at .NET Consultant - Synchron Data.