MIDI

MIDI, which means: Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a digital communications protocol. In August of 1983, music manufacturers agreed on a document that is called "MIDI 1.0 Specification". Any device that has MIDI capabilities must adhere to this specific data structure to ensure that all MIDI devices are capable of working together. This protocol is a language that allows interworking between instruments from different manufacturers by providing a link that is capable of transmitting and receiving digital data. It is important to remember that MIDI transmits commands, but it does not transmit an audio signal. The MIDI specification includes a common language that provides information about events, such as note on and off, preset changes, sustain pedal, pitch bend, and timing information. The specification has been updated more recently with specific data structures for handling sample dumps, MIDI time code, general MIDI and standard MIDI files. To see a complete listing of all MIDI data, go to:

There are four main categories of MIDI data. The following charts represent information on the current hexadecimal numbers that are used in MIDI transmission. Each MIDI message includes a Status Byte. If they are required, Data Bytes will follow each Status Byte. Some of the example below have links that may be clicked for more detail about the MIDI event. Channel MessagesChannel Messages System Common System Common System Exclusive System Exclusive System Real- Time System Real- Time