Stands for "Musical Instrument
Digital Interface." It is a connectivity standard that
musicians use to hook together musical instruments (such as
keyboards and synthesizers) and computer equipment. Using MIDI,
a musician can easily create and edit digital music tracks.
The MIDI system records the notes played, the length of the
notes, the dynamics (volume alterations), the tempo, the instrument
being played, and hundreds of other parameters, called control
changes. Because MIDI records each note digitally, editing a
track of MIDI music is much easier and more accurate than editing
a track of audio. The musician can change the notes, dynamics,
tempo, and even the instrument being played with the click of
button. Also, MIDI files are basically text documents, so they
take up very little disk space. The only catch is that you need
MIDI-compatible hardware or software to record and playback
MIDI files.
