''Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)''
The original MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) protocol was developed in 1983 by Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi to enable communication between electronic instruments.
== Software Protocol ==
MIDI doesn’t contain audio data; it’s is a set of commands that a synthesizer, sampler, or software interprets to generate sound. This makes MIDI files tiny compared to audio files—think kilobytes versus megabytes. The commands are:
{| class="wikitable"
! Status Byte (Hex) !! Message Type !! Data Bytes !! Description
|-
| 0x8 || Note Off || 2 || Stops a note from playing; data bytes set the note number (0–127) and release velocity (0–127, often unused).
|-
| 0x9 || Note On || 2 || Starts a note with ; data bytes are note number (0–127) and velocity(0–127, loudness; 0 acts as Note Off).
|-
| 0xA || Polyphonic Key Pressure || 2 || Adjusts pressure on a specific one note; data bytes are note number (0–127) and pressure value (0–127).
|-
| 0xB || Control Change || 2 || Modifies Changes a controller setting(e.g., volume, pan, modulation); data bytes are controller number (0–127) and value (0–127).
|-
| 0xC || Program Change || 1 || Changes the Switches instrument patch; data byte is program number (0–127, e.g., piano, guitar).
|-
| 0xD || Channel Pressure || 1 || Applies pressure to all notes on a channel; data byte is pressure value (0–127).
|-
| 0xE || Pitch Bend || 2 || Shifts Bends pitch up or down; two data bytes form a 14-bit value (0–16383, 8192 = no bend).
|-
| 0xF || System Messages || Varies || System-wide commands(e.g., sync, start/stop); data bytes vary by message type.
|}
The 16-channel system lets one controller command multiple devices or voices independently. For example, Channel 1 could trigger a drum kit while Channel 2 plays a bassline.
MIDI doesn’t contain audio data. This makes MIDI files tiny compared to audio files—think kilobytes versus megabytes.
== Hardware Protocol ==
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_1.0 - wikipedia on MIDI 1.0
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Instrument_Digital_Interface - wikipedia on MIDI in general
* [http://tgv777.free.fr/index.php/fichiers-midi/ MIDI Files] [https://musical-artifacts.com/artifacts?order=most_downloaded&q=midi+soundfont MIDI SoundFonts]
* [https://youtu.be/LFWBqUK4G_Q E1M1 Using 40 Different Soundfonts! Comparison w/ Doom MIDI] by [[Doomkid]]
[[Category:Peripherals]]
[[Category:Music and sound]]
[[Category:DIY]] [[Category:Hardware]]