What Does MIDI Stand For?

Do you know, what does MIDI stand for? The question has been asked by legions of musicians who have sought to enhance and manipulate their sounds on a computer. While other methods of interaction between electronic musical instruments and computers have proved cumbersome, MIDI reigns supreme as an efficient industry standard. But what is it?

Musical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface." The first version of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface was developed in 1983 by synthesizer companies who wanted their machines to be compatible, so the ideas behind the technology are not new. MIDI allows for an effective exchange of musical information between electronic instruments and a computer.

Notes Versus Sound
Armed with knowledge of what MIDI stands for, it's worthwhile to explore how it does what it does. MIDI data is acquired in the form of raw digital information, not sound. This is different from a microphone or amplifier, which only picks up a sound and repeats it. MIDI turns a keyboard's functions into a code, and information rather than sound is recorded. For example, while you are playing a synthesizer, MIDI records the pitch, volume and musical characteristics as 1s and 0s. In this way, it reproduces sound based on pure information rather than analog sound waves.

Editing Potential
With the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, editing potential is limitless. This is because music and sounds using MIDI are in pure, coded form. Recorded analog sounds are limited by acoustics and equipment. MIDI is purely digital and can be tweaked infinitely. Furthermore, even when you are using wireless MIDI, the sound transferred does not rely on natural acoustics or specific instrument characteristics.

Once you know what MIDI actually means and understand that it's a digital format, you'll have a better idea of how instruments work together and how you can shape sounds through digital data.