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Core Technologies > MIDI > Flashcards

MIDI Flashcards

1
Q

What does MIDI stand for?

A

Musical Instrument Digital Interface

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2
Q

When was MIDI first seen?

A

1980s

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3
Q

What is MIDI? (and what is it NOT?)

A

A digital protocol (language for digital instruments) that consists of commands and messages. It is NOT AUDIO

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4
Q

Sequencing

A

Recording MIDI events to a timeline to trigger a sound

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5
Q

MIDI Commands

A

A series of instructions or commands that move from a controller to the receiving device (sound computer)

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6
Q

4 Note messages sent each time a note is played

A
  1. Note on
  2. Note off
  3. Frequency (pitch)
  4. Velocity
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7
Q

How is pitch assigned?

A

Numbers 0 - 127 with Middle C being 60

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8
Q

What is velocity and how is it assigned?

A

How hard a key is struck; value from 0 - 127

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9
Q

How does velocity change the sound?

A

It can make it louder, or even brighter

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10
Q

How else can velocity be used?

A

MIDI controlled lighting systems; can increase the brightness of a light

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11
Q

What is aftertouch and some of its effects?

A

Additional pressure applied to the key after it has already been pressed; vibrato, swell

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12
Q

Program change

A

Instructs sound computer to change instrument presets (string, piano, synth, etc.), with each having a different program number from 0 - 127

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13
Q

Pitch bend

A

Ability to raise or level pitch on a played note, usually generated by a wheel or lever on the controller

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14
Q

What 2 commands are at work during pitch bend?

A
  1. Coarse control: large steps (0 - 127)
  2. Fine control: smaller steps within each coarse step (0 - 127)
    * total of 16384 steps (128X128)
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15
Q

Continuous Control Messages aka. CC messages

A

A group of 128 additional MIDI commands that aren’t meant for any one specific thing. You can assign any knob or fader to any of the available CC numbers

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16
Q

CC#s are never transmitted by themselves - they come with a second number. What is this?

A

Continuous control value, a number ranging from 0 - 127

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17
Q

What do continuous control values indicate?

A

A CC value of 0 might represent that a knob is to its left position with 127 meaning right position, with 64 being centre

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18
Q

List the 4 most common CC#s and their value ranges

A
  1. Modulation #1; value range: 0=no modulation - 127=maximum modulation
  2. Volume #7; value range: 0=silent - 127=maximum volume
  3. Panning #10; value range: 0=hard left - 127=hard right
  4. Sustain #64; value range: on/off; 0=off or 127=on
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19
Q

How are values on Panning #10 often depicted?

A

-64 (L) - 0 (center) - +63(hard right)

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20
Q

How many pins does a MIDI cable have?

A

5 pin

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21
Q

Can MIDI only use MIDI cables nowadays?

A

No, USB cables work, as well as ethernet, etc.

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22
Q

What direction does information travel in MIDI cables?

A

In one direction - unidirectional, so if you want information to travel back and forth, you need two cables

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23
Q

How are MIDI messages sent through the cable?

A

They are broken down into electrical impulses that are transmitted like a high-speed telegraph

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24
Q

How does cable length affect data transmission? According to MIDI protocol, what’s the max length?

A

The longer the cable, the more susceptible to data loss, so MIDI protocol states cable length should not exceed 50 feet

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25
Q

Why do we connect two different MIDI devices?

A

So that one device can tell the other device what to do

26
Q

What do we call the device that’s transmitting commands?

A

The master

27
Q

What do we call the device that’s receiving the commands?

A

The slave

28
Q

How can we determine whether a device is a master or a slave?

A

By looking at how the cables are connected at the MIDI ports/MIDI jacks

29
Q

MIDI OUT

A

MIDI OUT is transmitting information from the controller, making this device the master

30
Q

MIDI IN

A

MIDI IN is receiving information from the controller, making this device the slave

31
Q

MIDI THRU

A

MIDI THRU daisy chains multiple slaves to one master, and re-transmits MIDI information being received through the MIDI IN

32
Q

How do Channels work?

A

All MIDI commands must be transmitted on a specific channel, and a sound computer will only respond to commands sent on a matching channel
e.g. if a controller is sending different commands on 16 channels, but the sound computer is set to only respond to channel 4, it will only follow the commands set to channel 4

33
Q

Multi-timbral

A

A MIDI device’s ability to play multiple instruments at one time aka. can respond to more than one channel at a time
e.g. think of your keyboard outputting both piano and string sounds at the same time

34
Q

What is the Voice of the sound computer?

A

The sound-producing section of the sound computer

35
Q

Monophonic

A

A device only being able to play one voice (one note) at a time

36
Q

Polyphonic

A

A device being able to play more than one voice (note) at a time, and the max amount of voices would be its polyphony
i.e. guitars are 6 voice polyphonic instruments

37
Q

Voice stealing / Robbing polyphony

A

When you exceed the maximum number of voices, the sound computer will turn off other voices that are sounding to not exceed the number of voices possible

38
Q

Sequencer

A

Device that allows you to record and playback MIDI information

39
Q

List advantages of MIDI sequencing

A
  1. You can change the sound being assigned at anytime
  2. You can edit just about any aspect of the recorded events, e.g. pitch, duration, timing, velocity, etc. without affecting the quality of the sound at all
40
Q

List the 2 types of sequencers

A
  1. Linear sequencer

2. Pattern sequencer

41
Q

Linear sequencer

A

Store and playback MIDI in the same chronological order in which it was recorded; similar to a tape recorder

42
Q

Pattern sequencers

A

Stores MIDI in block/chunks of information, which can later be arranged into a song
e.g. drum machines

43
Q

List the 2 modes of Pattern sequencing

A
  1. Pattern mode

2. Song mode

44
Q

Pattern mode

A

A mode of pattern sequencing, used for creating patterns or sections of the song
e.g. drum beat, verse, chorus, or bridge

45
Q

Song mode

A

A mode of pattern sequencing, used to organise patterns into a bigger arrangements, indicating which patterns play and when in the song’s timeline

46
Q

List the two methods of entering in MIDI information

A
  1. Real-Time sequencing

2. Step-Writing

47
Q

Real-Time sequencing

A

Records incoming MIDI info as it’s performed to a moving timeline

48
Q

Step-Writing

A

Entering one note at a time (non-moving timeline) and is a more data entry approach that doesn’t have the pressure of playing in time

49
Q

How do sequencers measure timing?

A

Musical bars, beats, and ticks

50
Q

PPQ

A

Parts Per Quarter note

51
Q

Ticks

A

Ticks are the smaller shorter parts within a beat

52
Q

Quantization

A

Rounding timing to the nearest tick and adjusts MIDI event timing placement

53
Q

What is the standard MIDI file?

A

.mid

54
Q

What are the 2 types of MIDI files?

A
  1. Type 0

2. Type 1

55
Q

Type 0 .mid

A

Regardless of how many tracks were in the sequence, all MIDI events are merged into a single track

56
Q

Type 1 .mid

A

Retains the multi-track format of a sequence and is the most common in music production workflows

57
Q

General MIDI

A

A set of guidelines that a manufacturer can choose to follow when designing their sound computer, ensuring that the MIDI information sequenced on it will play correctly (no piano part suddenly playing tuba) on any other General MIDI compliant device, regardless of manufacturer (actual timbre of instrument will vary between developers)

58
Q

List the 4 key things that are true for every General MIDI-compatible device

A
  1. 16 part-multitimbral
  2. Sound computer has to be at least 24-voice polyphonic
  3. Device needs to have a bank of 128 specific instrument programs in standard order
  4. Drums will always be on channel 10, and use a standard drum map
59
Q

How many channels are in the MIDI protocol?

A

16

60
Q

What does PPQ do?

A

Measures the timing resolution of a sequencer

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