MIDI was created in 1982 to allow different brands of musical electronic instruments to "talk" and share data with one another. The name MIDI is an acronym that stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface." MIDI data is an efficient medium of representing musical performance information that makes MIDI an attractive protocol for computer applications, which produce sound in multimedia presentations and computer games. Thanks to the publication of the General MIDI System specifications, there has been wide acceptance of the most common PC/MIDI interfaces and support for MIDI in Microsoft Windows and other operating systems. The development of the MIDI system has been a major catalyst in the unprecedented explosion of music technology. MIDI has put powerful computer instrument networks and software in the hands of less technically versed musicians and amateurs and has provided new and time-saving tools for computer musicians. Over a short period of time, it has become the standard in the music industry for synthesizers, electric piano and other kinds of electronic instruments (MIDI guitar, MIDI strings, MIDI saxophone, MIDI percussion, etc.) to communicate and share data with each other. It is vital with computers because it allows electronic instruments to send and play back data for musical applications, such as sequencing, notation and ear training. A MIDI interface is what is used to connect the computer with the electronic keyboard or instrument. MIDI data files are extremely small when compared with sampled audio files. This is because the MIDI file does not contain the sampled audio data, it contains only the instructions needed by a synthesizer to play the sounds. There are actually three components to MIDI, which are 1) communications protocol (language), 2) the connector (hardware interface) and 3) a distribution format called Standard MIDI Files. Entry-level MIDI interfaces can transfer data in two directions simultaneously with only an input and an output and also with an optional MIDI THRU port. MIDI cables connect instruments by means of MIDI In, MIDI Out, and MIDI Thru jacks. The MIDI Thru jack provides a direct copy of data coming into the MIDI In jack, providing the ability to "daisy-chain" several instruments and devices together. The major potential of MIDI is realized when a network of instruments and other musical devices are connected to a computer by means of a MIDI interface. Intermediate and advanced level MIDI interfaces can provide extensive synchronization to tape capabilities. Some provide extra MIDI ports, which allow you to address more than 16 MIDI channels in your studio. Most larger interfaces also function as MIDI patch bays, to help route MIDI data in and out of the instruments in your studio. Almost all MIDI devices are equipped to receive MIDI messages on one or more of 16 selectable MIDI channels. MIDI Interface Entry-Level Product Features The first MIDI interfaces for PC were MPU401 units, which operated out of the computer’s serial port. Roland Corporation was a major manufacturer of these early, serial port-based MIDI interfaces for DOS software application. Today, it would be very difficult to find any units that can handle DOS. If you find a unit capable for Windows 3.1 or PC DOS, it will likely be MPU401 capable. There are some soundcards today that still offer MPU401 MIDI interface capabilities, such as some of the Turtle Beach cards made by Voyetra. Please note that many soundcards that claim to be MIDI compatible may need another piece of gear to complete the "interface." We call them Sound Card MIDI Cables. They plug into the 15-pin joystick port on a standard SoundBlaster-style sound card and complete a one in and one out MIDI interface. While this is an inexpensive and easy solution, and suitable for most novice users or "hobbyists," it may be less efficient than a dedicated interface, which may be needed in more critical situations, especially where timing is an issue — such as when synching other devices like tape decks or video to your audio software. Another reason for considering a dedicated MIDI interface unit is that you may need more ports (32 or more channels of MIDI), for multiple MIDI modules and/or keyboards. Midiman makes the Winman 1x1, which is a card that works with Windows 3.1, 3.1.1, and Windows 95. This is a bit-bit card and should function well with older music software. MIDI Interfaces are now available in many ports, including serial, parallel and Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. Older computers will likely require a serial port interface. Newer computers will take advantage of USB, which makes them faster and easier to install and work with. Parallel port units were initially more expensive but over time, serial port, parallel port and USB port units are now priced about the same. The advantage of the serial device is that most people are using their parallel port for the printer and have one or two open serial ports (unless they are using one for their mouse). The advantage of a parallel interface is that they are faster than serial port interfaces. The advantage to both serial and parallel devices, when they first came out, was that they opened up MIDI for the laptop computer, which couldn’t take a soundcard or MPU401 card. The advantages of USB port interfaces are speed and flexibility. The USB interface is easy to install, it can be daisy-chained together with other devices and the higher speed has allowed for even more accurate timing of MIDI events. Soundcards also have options for MIDI. Upgrading to a high quality soundcard makes a lot of sense. The higher quality engineering and workmanship reduce interference and noise that are more common in inexpensive components in existing cards. Turtle Beach makes good quality soundcards with MIDI capabilities. Intermediate/Advanced Level MIDI Interface Product Features Intermediate and advanced level MIDI interfaces may include multiple MIDI in and outs and more accurate timing of MIDI events. They may also have the ability to transmit and receive MTC (MIDI Time Code) and/or SMPTE and/or LTC for synching to, for example, audiotape, video or MTC capable sequencers. Some companies offer ADAT sync or "Super Clock" and "stack ability" — the ability to connect many units together and use them as a network. Some even offer "time stamping" to prioritize the units with certain software, such as units from E-Magic. The reason some users need more than 16 channels of MIDI is because they are doing orchestration that may have 60 pieces and need to "trigger" 60 different voices or instruments. You would need one MIDI channel for each voice. sync is a great reason to have a second output, a dedicated out or in for your MIDI time code. The more advanced MIDI interface units may have several MIDI controllers, a synth-style keyboard (not weighted), a weighted keyboard (feels like a piano), and a set of MIDI drum triggers. These would be plugged into your MIDI interface on MIDI ins one, two and three, respectively. Now you also have several sound modules, that all provide different sounds and they occupy MIDI outs, say one through four. You may want to use the weighted keyboard to control the module on out #3 but you now change songs and want to use the weighted keyboard to control the module in out #1. If you have a patch bay, you simply push a few buttons to change it over; without a patch bay you must physically unplug the cable from unit #3 and move it to the #1 sound module. Patch bays are very handy devices for musicians with multiple sound modules and for recording studios. It saves a lot of time plugging and unplugging devices. You simply call up the scene with the correct routing. There are many sequencing packages for MAC and PC that will transmit/receive MTC. This is necessary for the following reasons. If a consumer is using audio on tape, he/she can strip the tape (usually an outside track — track four on a four-track, track eight on an eight-track, etc.) with a sync track. This way, the MIDI tracks will stay locked to the tape recorder, thus freeing up the tracks on the tape recorder. The artist never needs to record the MIDI tracks to tape — which allows for changes in the MIDI mix — until the very end. At the very end (mix down), the MIDI tracks are recorded with the analog information for the master two-track stereo recording. This kind of recording requires a SMPTE/MTC Synchronizer, which is built into high-end MIDI Interfaces. There are many people who work with MIDI and video and they require this ability to sync the video to audio and MIDI. These high-end MIDI interfaces will include a SMPTE/MTC Synchronizer. Sometimes these software packages require extra MIDI ports, which allow you to address more than 16 MIDI channels. Many musicians are now using multiple sound sources. An advanced setup might include two different soundcards, two wave table synthesis drivers (the computer makes the sound), multiple keyboards and modules. By having a sequencing software application (such as CuBAse by Steinberg, Performer by Mark of the Unicorn, Calkwalk by Calkwalk, etc.) that can address multiple MIDI ports, you can address multiple MIDI ports and separately send MIDI information to all these different devices without leaving the computer — no switches to throw, no cords to unplug and plug-in. Recommended Entry Level MIDI Interface Products: * USB Midisport 1x1, 2x2. These are particularly good for most computers made over the last two to three years. Earlier computers may need a Portman PC/S (serial interface) or Portman PC/P (parallel) and you can always use a sound card MIDI cable for PCs with "SoundBlaster" style sound cards. My bias is that all external MIDI interfaces should have a green LED light or MIDI Data light to verify that MIDI data is being transferred. Without a light, you may experience difficulty knowing where to trouble shoot MIDI data exchange problems when you don’t see the data transfer taking place. Obviously, many soundcards will not have any MIDI data lights. This is one reason to go with an external, stand-alone MIDI interface. * For quality soundcards with MIDI interface capabilities for any level of use, I recommend Turtle Beach Montego II Audio Accelerator. * Yamaha has just released its UX96 USB device that will provide MIDI in and out with indicator lights and host jacks. This allows 32 channels in and 96 channels of MIDI out. It is powered from the USB jack and is both Macintosh and Windows compatible. Many musical instruments from many different manufacturers have two host jacks on the back. This allows for single cable connection between the UX96 and the keyboard/sound module. * Macman 1x1, 2x2, Macman 1x3 or Minimacman 1x1. Other recommended manufacturers are E-Magic, Steinberg or Motu. SoundBlaster soundcards with MIDI interfaces are also possible but not as reliable, especially when synchronizing with other sound sources. Older serial Macs may be able to use Minimacman, Macman or the USB MIDISport 8x8 because these models have both a USB and a serial interface built in. Recommended Intermediate/ Entry MIDI Interface Products Again, USB MIDI Interface models are the easiest method for connectivity. Because of the pricing and the simplicity of the UX96, this product is recommended for both entry and intermediate level usage. But USB will not work with older Macs and Windows 95 and DOS operating PC computers. In addition, Midiman makes a variety of intermediate level products: PC users — USB MIDISport 4x4, Portman (4x4s parallel) or the BiPort 2x4 with SMPTE (serial) and Mac users — USB MIDISport 4x4, or the BiPort 2x4 with SMPTE (serial). For quality intermediate level soundcards with MIDI interface capabilities, I recommend Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Audio Accelerator. This card goes far beyond entry-level soundcards with two line inputs, six-channel output, a headphone input, digital signal pass-through, acoustic echo cancellation, 1028 MIDI voices and hardware acceleration of MP3 files. There is even an option to add a wave table daughter board to the card for an enhanced MIDI sample set. Recommended Advanced Level MIDI Interface Products PC Users: USB Midisport 4x4, USB Midisport 8x8, Portman 4x4s (parallel), or the BiPort 2x4 with SMPTE. Mac Users: USB Midisport 4x4, USB Midisport 8x8, or the BiPort 2x4 with SMPTE (serial). Both platforms: Yamaha has released a UX256 USB device with a single 1U half-rack space unit that is capable of controlling up to 256 channels of MIDI. This device is cross-platform (Mac and Windows). The UX256 is powered by its own AC adaptor and has MIDI thru and Merge capabilities. Thus, it allows any of the MIDI connections to be easily rerouted in software without physically plugging and unplugging any cables. Recommended Professional Level MIDI Interface Products USB Midisport 8x8 (this unit is both USB and serial) is good for both Mac and PC users. Yamaha makes a SW100XG card that works in both Mac and PC platforms. It will do digital audio and has a full complement of XG sounds and drum kits, and also has a MIDI interface. A card like this has advantages because you can do all of your sequencing internally (no modules required) and, if you like, hook it up later to external modules. Additional Insight: Odds and Ends and Much More Other major brands to consider are Steinberg, E-Magic, and MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn) which offers 10 external MIDI interfaces from single in and out to multiple ins/outs with serial, parallel and USB devices. Roland has a couple of USB models in their sound modules. Yamaha makes products for everybody, from beginning to advanced musicians and film scorers. There are a number of MIDI interfaces built into a sound module produced by Yamaha and Roland. In many of these sound modules, the modules offer no room for adding more sound devices. Products that do offer expansions are preferred for future growth. Midiman offers products for every level of MIDI interface use, including products for older PC and Mac operating systems. In general, Apple has done a better job of supporting the music biz than Microsoft, and they have an arm that is dedicated to helping manufacturers develop products for the Mac in the music industry. Mac got a head start in the earlier days with musicians for music creation. Macs are known for being more stable because they don’t crash as often. PCs have more options for sound cards and for software, and usually at more reasonable prices. Many professionals use both platforms equally and most serious music software today is created for both platforms. Most studios use both platforms, but Mac is still more often the platform of choice for music. In summary, use what your friends and colleagues use and go with that platform. However, it’s more about individual software and hardware needs than Mac vs. PC. Both platforms are equal to the task of recording and production. The single most important piece of the puzzle is the quality of the drivers for the MIDI interfaces. Hardware cannot work without a software driver. Compatibility is determined by the driver. And finally, stick with known, established manufacturers, not distributors of overseas companies pushing brands that have little or no performance history. In addition, look for manufacturers who have both phone and online technical support. A Creative MIDI Interface Option Be aware that many of today’s quality keyboards offer a built in TO host jack for direct serial connection to a computer. This means that no MIDI interface is required, just a cable. For the bulk of consumers, this interface is more than adequate. Many keyboards will then allow hook-up to their MIDI jacks. so the keyboard acts like a MIDI interface. All that is required is a driver to tell the serial port on the computer (Mac or PC) to send the MIDI information. Most companies like Yamaha, Roland and Korg have these drivers on their Web sites. This is, by far, the easiest way to connect a keyboard to a computer. And when your needs expand, you can add a stand-alone external MIDI Interface, sound module with MIDI capabilities or soundcard with more sophisticated MIDI capabilities. Essential Web MIDI Resources: Macintosh
MIDI User’s Internet Guide: Tutorial
on MIDI and Music Synthesis: MIDI
Manufacturers Association: Music
Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI):
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