What is MIDI and how does MIDI work?<\/b><\/p>\n
The MIDI standard (Musical Instrument Digital Interface \/ MIDI 1.0), published in 1983, is a method of data transmission used to control MIDI-compatible hardware. MIDI does not transmit sound; it transmits messages that control the operation of MIDI devices. MIDI data was originally transmitted between different devices via DIN cables, but nowadays the data is mostly transmitted via USB cables and also wirelessly. An example of how it works: you press a key on the keyboard \u2013 let\u2019s say it\u2019s the note \u2018C\u2019. A MIDI message is sent from the keyboard, telling, for example, a music notation programme on a computer (also known as a sequencer) that the note \u2018C\u2019 has just been played; the programme then marks this on the stave, i.e. records the information about the note played and the time it was played on the timeline. The message also contains a range of other information, such as how hard or for how long the key is pressed, whether the instrument\u2019s sound is changed whilst playing, and so on. After this, the notation programme can play back the note just recorded, and the note is played by the sound source inside the keyboard. The notation programme therefore instructs the sound device within the keyboard to play the note \u2018C\u2019, and there is no need to touch the keys.<\/p>\n
What types of MIDI devices are there?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are many different types of MIDI devices available. A computer is a MIDI device if it is equipped with MIDI ports and suitable software for MIDI control. In addition, there are samplers used to record real sounds, such as vocals and guitar, as well as drum machines or electronic drums, which contain either synthetic drum sounds or sounds recorded from real drums. MIDI allows these devices to be combined into a single system. MIDI keyboards do not always include a sound module; such keyboards, or controllers, are used to control a separate MIDI sound module to generate sounds. There are various types of controllers; some mimic traditional instruments, such as the MIDI saxophone. A MIDI saxophone looks much like a standard saxophone, but does not function without electricity or the MIDI protocol. MIDI controllers are also available for traditional instruments. For example, a MIDI controller designed for a guitar can be fitted to the instrument, allowing the guitarist to play sounds from any MIDI sound module whilst incorporating the guitar\u2019s own characteristics. In principle, a MIDI controller can be fitted to any non-MIDI device and used to control another MIDI device. MIDI controllers are available as various construction kits, which can be adapted according to one\u2019s imagination.<\/p>\n Prehistory: the era before MIDI<\/b><\/p>\n Elvis and Chuck Berry recorded their first tracks using a single microphone and a single magnetic tape track. Back then, all the musicians involved in the performance and vocals would gather in the recording booth at the same time, and the song would be recorded in one take, ready for release. Magnetic tape was an expensive commodity, and it wasn\u2019t easy to make multiple re-recordings \u2013 or \u2018takes\u2019 \u2013 especially for artists at the start of their careers. Later, in their 1960s recordings, The Beatles used a four-track recorder, which meant that, in practice, a song could be recorded across four separate tracks in the studio. One track was for the guitar, another for the bass, the third for the drums and the fourth for the vocals. Sometimes the vocals and guitars were recorded simultaneously so that, in addition to the drums and bass, something else \u2013 such as backing vocals \u2013 could be added to the three remaining tracks. It was also possible to be creative by filling all four tracks with a successful take and then recording that successful take onto one track of a new 4-track tape. So, with a bit of creativity, we were able to make use of as many as seven tracks. However, this was already quite a challenge: the first recordings had to be absolutely perfect, and after that the new three tracks also had to be recorded to the same standard as the earlier ones. It could often take weeks to record a single demanding track. In the early 1970s, 8-track magnetic tape came into general use, and many well-known artists of the 1970s, from Queen to Led Zeppelin, were able to make use of it. The first synthesisers and drum machines also began to shape the sound of music at that time, but even their sounds still had to be recorded onto tracks on magnetic tape, which was in limited supply. In the early era of popular music, from the 1950s to the 1970s, playing and singing errors are more evident on popular recordings than in the 1980s and beyond. Sometimes a compromise had to be made regarding the final result when the studio time funded by the record company and the \u2018magnetic tape budget\u2019 ran out.<\/p>\n The Impact of MIDI<\/b><\/p>\n Before MIDI, equipment manufacturers had their own methods of controlling their devices, but there was no universally compatible, device-independent standard. The sounds of synthesisers and other digital devices were recorded onto magnetic tape in the studio, on their own tracks just like other instruments. If you wanted to change a recorded sound, you had to play and record the composition all over again. In the tape era, editing and experimenting with new versions was a slow and expensive process.<\/p>\n MIDI introduced a new way of making recordings and using digital equipment. A major advance was that it was no longer necessary to record a musical composition as it was onto expensive tape; instead, the composition could be previewed and edited endlessly using a MIDI device or software until it sounded ready for recording. The notes were entered into a notation programme, and the programme was instructed to play the piece on a MIDI-compatible device onto which sounds had been stored. Whilst the piece was playing, the sounds could be changed mid-performance to explore what new nuances could be added to the music. Alternatively, one could play the melody on a MIDI device capable of producing sounds and see which notes appeared in the notation software. MIDI devices could be daisy-chained together using cables. For example, five synthesisers could be connected in a chain, and by playing a single keyboard, the sounds of all five devices would be produced simultaneously. The MIDI data from these sounds could then be compiled in a notation programme. MIDI control also offered one overwhelming advantage over human performance: it was able to command the instruments it controlled to operate in perfect rhythm. This lack of human error did not particularly bother electronic music producers; indeed, it became the new norm in this sector of the music industry. However, this flawlessness bothered some people to such an extent that, even at an early stage, MIDI software used for music production began to include a \u2018human-like\u2019 function that mimicked the way a human plays. For example, an error-free drum track would first be created, and then a human-like naturalness would be added to the performance. The use of MIDI to control sound equipment reduced the need for \u2018real\u2019 instruments and the musicians who played them, especially as the soundscape of the synthesisers controlled by it developed rapidly. On the other hand, thanks to the possibilities offered by MIDI, many artists were inspired to produce tracks using only artificial sounds. It is no coincidence that a whole host of well-known electronic music artists emerged after the turn of the 1980s.<\/p>\n All these developments, made possible by the MIDI standard and the devices and software that followed, greatly accelerated studio work. As studio time and material costs fell, the capital required for recording decreased and, at the same time, the barrier to entry for new artists into the music business was lowered. On the other hand, as prices fell, new artists were also able to purchase equipment themselves or hire studio time more cheaply. A new trend began to emerge: artists could submit their music to record labels in a sufficiently finished state for evaluation, making it easier to secure a recording contract.<\/p>\n Computers and MIDI<\/b><\/p>\n Computers were capable of performing a large number of calculations in a short space of time, but their sound chips were nevertheless relatively limited. Even the best sound chips found in computers were not sufficient, as the multiple tracks mentioned earlier were required to produce comprehensive recordings. For example, whilst the Commodore Amiga excelled with its sound chip in computer-generated output (e.g. demos, games), the Atari ST excelled as a studio computer thanks to its built-in MIDI ports. Whilst melodies produced on the Commodore Amiga were heard in games and demos, songs produced on the Atari were played on the radio and on MTV.<\/p>\n The Atari ST computer series was particularly popular amongst music-makers thanks to its built-in MIDI ports. MIDI remains the standard today, but Atari has long since faded from the scene. There is still software available that harks back to the Atari ST\u2019s golden age of MIDI-based music production. For example, Apple\u2019s Logic Pro has been influenced by C-Lab, the company that released Notator for the Atari ST in 1988, whilst another well-known programme is Cubase for the Atari ST, developed by Steinberg and released in 1988. Both are still going strong: Notator has changed its name and ownership a couple of times, whilst Cubase continues to be developed under Steinberg\u2019s umbrella. So why did the Atari ST take the top spot in the music industry in the 1980s, even though the Amiga completely outclassed the original Atari ST\u2019s sound capabilities both then and now with its advanced built-in sound chip? In the 1980s, there were several computer platforms suitable for running MIDI software, including Apple\u2019s Macintosh, the aforementioned Amiga and NeXT, but their biggest problem was the price. In the 1980s, good computers suitable for music-making cost a lot, it needed more than monthly salary of a well-educated person at the time. Although MIDI software began to appear for other, more affordable computers, such as the IBM PC, as early as the late 1980s, the Atari ST remained for a long time the easier and more ready-made platform for MIDI work, both in terms of software and connectivity.<\/p>\n Like more expensive computers well-suited to music production, the Atari ST had the ports required for MIDI control built in. The Atari ST was the first so-called \u2018consumer-priced\u2019 device capable of running MIDI software with ease. The basic model, with \u2018prices starting from\u2019 around 5,000 marks and featuring a high-resolution black-and-white display, was perfectly adequate for music production. Atari\u2019s more expensive and powerful MEGA ST models were also significantly cheaper than their competitors and enabled a wider range of music-making possibilities. The Atari ST, in its various versions, has been an integral part of the recordings of, amongst others, Fleetwood Mac1<\/sup>, Jean-Michel Jarre2<\/sup>, Mike Oldfield3<\/sup>, Depeche Mode4<\/sup> and Queen5<\/sup>. In the late 1990s, electronic music artist Fat Boy Slim6<\/sup> produced an entire hit album on the Atari ST and continued to produce music primarily on the Atari thereafter. The Finnish artist Darude\u2019s mega-hit \u2018Sandstorm\u20197<\/sup> was also produced on the Atari. The Atari ST has influenced music since its release in 1985 right through to the 2000s.<\/p>\n The Atari\u2019s processing power proved more than adequate for programmes that controlled other devices and recorded data from them. The software made it easy to create digital MIDI tracks. The computer\u2019s screen, user interface, keyboard and mouse made it straightforward to understand the functions needed for composition and for controlling MIDI devices. Although it would have been possible to do the same things with MIDI devices alone, without a computer, they often had screens that were too small, limited keypads and incompatible operating systems to produce music easily. With MIDI software installed on a computer, the functions of all devices could be controlled from a single, highly refined user interface. This made editing tracks much quicker. This also gave designers of standalone MIDI devices the freedom to tailor the physical characteristics of their own devices (e.g. control buttons, display) to suit the device\u2019s own, unique functions. A driver for the MIDI device was built into the computer\u2019s music software, and once the driver was installed, the software was able to \u2018communicate\u2019 with the device via MIDI messages and display the device\u2019s features to the user.<\/p>\n MIDI today<\/b><\/p>\n MIDI remains the standard used to control musical instruments. MIDI has expanded in terms of its data transmission methods: in addition to the old DIN cable, USB-MIDI and wireless BLE-MIDI (Bluetooth Low Energy) are now available. The old MIDI 1.0 standard has been replaced by the MIDI 2.0 extension, which is compatible with MIDI 1.0. The MIDI 2.0 data transfer method is better suited to the capabilities of newer peripherals that require higher data transfer speeds and greater precision. The most common MIDI device today is simply a MIDI controller \u2013 more specifically, a keyboard or similar instrument. It is used to control virtual software instruments or real sound samples \u2013 such as a guitar or vocals \u2013 stored in music software on a computer, tablet or similar device. In practice, all the sounds and functions of standalone MIDI devices are already available in modern music production software. The soundscapes of the 1980s can be loaded into modern music production software, and there is no need for a whole host of synthesisers to produce different sounds. In principle, apart from a computer or a modern mobile phone, no separate devices would be required to make music. However, a large proportion of commercial music is still produced using more than one device and in a studio. Although much music production nowadays relies heavily on software instruments, there remains a strong hardware component: controllers, synthesisers and drum machines \u2013 both in the studio and in live performances. The live music experience is likely to keep MIDI devices alive for a long time to come. However, successful \u2018bedroom artists\u2019 \u2013 who use a single device \u2013 are already a permanent fixture as technology continues to evolve, and the term \u2018MIDI\u2019 may never become familiar to them.<\/p>\n Incidentally, a fully functional Atari ST studio has been set up at The Computer Museum of Kallio. The \u2018orchestra\u2019 is led by an Atari Mega ST, on which Steinberg\u2019s Cubase 3.1 software has been installed. The Atari is connected to a Korg M1R synthesiser, and the museum also houses an Akai S1000 sampler, a Yamaha TG-77 synthesiser rack module, a Lexicon PCM-70 reverb unit, a Mackie 1202-VLZ-Pro mixer and a Roland D50 keyboard. The Atari studio also houses an Atari SLM804 laser printer, complete with its control unit and hard drives, which remains unconnected for the time being. Add to that Atari\u2019s Calamus publishing software (in Finnish, ed.), DynaCADD software and graphical user interface add-ons to enhance the user experience, such a setup would have been a real dream come true for many in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A large part of this set-up was donated to the museum in November 2025. Both the studio and its equipment, as well as the museum itself, are designed to be used.<\/p>\n References:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1) \u2018Making Tracks with MIDI\u2019, Start Magazine Vol. 3 No. 1 \/ Summer 1988 https:\/\/www.atarimagazines.com\/startv3n1\/makingtrackswithmidi.php 4) Depeche Mode \u2013 Songs of Faith and Devotion 1993 (Album) \u2013 https:\/\/w.wiki\/Ezrm The article was written by Tuomo Ryyn\u00e4nen and Jani Puustinen at The Computer Museum of Kallio (2026). The article is part of the I love 8-bit\u00ae publications. You can find out more about and try out the computers featured in this article at the travelling I love 8-bit\u00ae exhibitions organised by The Computer Museum of Kallio. The exhibitions can be borrowed from the museum in accordance with the exhibition agreement. The Computer Museum of Kallio brings the computer culture \u2013 which was once thought to have been lost \u2013 back to the future\u00a0 through its I love 8-bit\u00ae events.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pioneers of digital music production What is MIDI and how does MIDI work? The MIDI standard (Musical Instrument Digital Interface \/ MIDI 1.0), published in 1983, is a method of data transmission used to control MIDI-compatible hardware. MIDI does not transmit sound; it transmits messages that control the operation of MIDI devices. MIDI data was … <\/p>\n
\n2) Atari Magazine No. 14, July\/August 1990 \u2013 JEAN MICHEL JARRE Paroles d’artiste… https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/atari-magazine-fr-s2-14\/page\/116\/mode\/2up
\n3) Mike Oldfield Earth Moving 1989 (Album) – https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Earth_Moving<\/p>\n
\n5) Atari ST User (February 1989) \u2013 Queen Calls \u2013 https:\/\/www.goto10retro.com\/p\/atari-queen-magic
\n6) Fatboy Slim \u2013 You\u2019ve Come a Long Way, Baby \u2013 https:\/\/w.wiki\/GYmY
\n7) Darude on how he made \u201cSandstorm\u201d \u2013 \u201cThe melodies, chord progressions and sound selection were the key\u201d \u2013 https:\/\/checkcheck.com.au\/darude-how-he-made-sandstorm\/<\/p>\n
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