Digital Sound Processing
for Music & Multimedia
Andy Hunt & Ross Kirk
CHAPTER 4
MIDI:
Connecting Instruments Together
Chapter 4 is all about MIDI. The links provided here take you to detailed technical specifications and manufacturer specific information that is too bulky to go in the book.
4.1 Musical Background
Church Organ
history
and
picures
.
4.2 The environment from which MIDI emerged
Rick Wakeman
.
Lots of information on
Analogue Synthesisers.
"
Before there was MIDI
" - an article describing pre-MIDI technology.
4.3 The Development of MIDI
The
History of MIDI
.
Description of
Polyphony and Multitimbral instruments
.
Different types of
MIDI control device.
4.4 Designing Instrument Connections
Introduction to MIDI.
What is MIDI?
4.5 The MIDI Specification - Hardware
Electrical Specification
of MIDI (with circuit diagrams).
MIDI Hardware Projects.
'Hardware Web'.
4.6 The MIDI Specification - Messages
Read the
Tutorial on MIDI and Synthesis
from the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA).
All about
MIDI Channels, Voices and MIDI modes
(from Philip Rees).
MIDI
'Control' Messages
.
The
complete specification
can be purchased from the MMA.
MIDI
Technical information
site.
4.7 Format & Construction of MIDI Messages
Intro to Binary & Hexadecimal for MIDI.
Summary of MIDI messages
in binary and hexadecimal.
The MIDI language.
The MIDI specification
described in detail
.
4.8 Extensions to the original MIDI Specification
The
General MIDI (GM)
specification.
Another one
from the MMA and an
overview
.
The
Standard MIDI File (SMF)
specification and
more details
.
Download files from the
Ultimate MIDI file collection
or search for the hundreds of references to downloadable MIDI files on the World Wide Web.
Tutorial on how
MIDI timing
works.
The
MIDI Time Code (MTC)
specification and a
SMPTE tutorial.
.
The
MIDI Sample Dump
standard.
4.9 Limitations of MIDI
Read an article about some of the
problems with MIDI
.
Also described in the
description of ZIPI
.
4.10 The future of instrumental connections
The
MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA)
keep up-to-date information about the MIDI standard, and the latest developments.
XMIDI
- a proposed development of MIDI.
Some thoughts on the
future of MIDI.
4.11 Summary
Harmony Central
's MIDI resource page. Lots of links and information.
Manufacturers
of MIDI hardware and software.
MIDIWeb
- MIDI resources.
The
MIDI Farm
(general help, info and MIDI files).
How to use
MIDI on a web-site
.
Return to '
Supporting Information for Readers
'.
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'Digital Sound Processing' Home Page
.