What are MIDI files?
An easy-to-understand explanation for Net newbies
When you see
this button on the pages of lyrics on this Web site, and you click on
it, you are activating a link to a MIDI file that will play a
particular song composed on a synthesizer. With a properly equipped
computer, the song will play for you while you browse the lyrics. The
sound quality of the MIDI playback will depend upon the quality of
your computer sound card and of the MIDI software that is installed
on your computer.
What does MIDI stand for?
MIDI stands for "Musical Instrument Digital
Interface," an electronic communications standard originally
developed during the early 1980s for music synthesizers, so that
different brands of synthesizers, commonly known as "electronic
keyboards," could be connected together and played simultaneously
from one master keyboard. As personal computers became
more sophisticated, the line between electronic keyboards and
personal computers became blurred; so that by now, a decent
multi-media home computer can perform all the functions of not only
an electronic keyboard, but also those of a recording
studio. MIDI is an essential tool for contemporary
musicians, who can now collaborate and trade their compositions
across the world via the Internet. There are hundreds of
thousands of MIDI compositions available at thousands of Web sites on
the Internet. If you have ever seen a hotel lounge piano
playing by itself, look for the MIDI control module mounted on the
bottom of the instrument. An acoustic piano retrofitted
with a MIDI module and a motorized playing unit will actually
duplicate and even enhance the original performance of the musician
who recorded the MIDI composition in a studio. Imagine a virtuoso
piano piece playing back with the sound of a flute, or at double the
original speed of performance!
How are MIDI files different from digital sound files such
as .WAV or .AVI files?
MIDI files are to electronic music what sheet
music is to acoustic music. A MIDI file is a set of
computer instructions that contains performance information (not
sound waves) that describes what notes were played, and in what
manner (how fast, how hard, and for how long were the notes
played). So, just as sheet music contains playing
instructions for a musician, MIDI files contain playing instructions
for the computer or synthesizer. The advantage of using
MIDI files is that they are usually much smaller than .WAV or .AVI
files, so they can be downloaded quickly when using a Web page
browser.
Why can't I hear the MIDI files when I click on
them?
Your personal computer must have a
sound card (if you have a Mac, that capability is already built-in)
and software that can decode MIDI files. Netscape
Communicator 4.0 for the IBM-PC has the software plug-in included for
playing MIDI files. (Earlier versions of Web browsers may
need additional software, such as Crescendo, which you can
download
here. Mac versions of browsers can use Crescendo or
a plug-in known as MacZilla to play back
MIDI.) Some Windows PCs may include a more
sophisticated, stand-alone application such as Media Player, or the
Yamaha "soft synthesizer" SYXG50.
You must also have a set of speakers or headphones attached to the audio output jack in the back of your computer. You will not be able to hear a MIDI file by plugging in headphones to the CD-ROM audio jack located in front of your PC.
Why does playing the MIDI music remove the lyrics from the
screen?
On some versions of Netscape Navigator running on
Macs (including my own), the MIDI file does not automatically open in
its own browser window. Instead, it "bumps" the lyrics window in
order to play the file. When you hit the "Back" button, the lyrics
come back, but then the MIDI file stops playing. To remedy this,
click on the musical icon at the upper left corner of the lyrics
page, and HOLD the mouse button to get the pop up menu, scroll the
mouse to select "New Window with this link." Now that you have two
browser windows open, you can click back on the lyrics page, and have
the MIDI musical accompaniment running simultaneously.
Where can I find MIDI files on the Internet?
You can use any of the popular search engines such
as Yahoo, Excite, AltaVista, HotBot, etc. - just enter "MIDI."
How do I save MIDI files so I can play them
later?
If you are using Netscape 4.0 or
later, a small rectangular window will pop up when a MIDI files is
played. On an IBM-compatible, click on that rectangle once with
the right mouse button and select "Save As", then select the location
on your hard drive (or floppy disk) to save the file. The
file will probably be called "Untitled.mid", so you should make up a
name up to 8 letters long, followed by ".mid." (If you
don't change the file name, your next file will save over and erase
the previous MIDI file because the name is the same as the last.) On
a Mac, saving MIDI the file to your hard disk is a bit more
straightforward - the original file name (sometimes fairly long) will
be used.
Can I edit MIDI files?
Yes, you can edit MIDI files, but
you will need special software for composing and editing MIDI
files. This type of software usually allows you to change
the instrument sounds, tempo, add drums and percussion, extra tracks,
reverb, special effects etc., and connect an external keyboard
through a MIDI interface, which is a special type of 5-pin cable
box. Most popular consumer keyboards made by brands such as
Casio and Yamaha have a MIDI interface that will work with a computer
MIDI interface. This means that if you hook up a MIDI
keyboard to your computer, you can not only compose and record your
keyboard songs, but you can also send MIDI files from your computer
to be played out on your keyboard. Some of the well-known MIDI
computer applications include Cakewalk, CyberPlayer, etc.
You can also download and try out freeware or shareware MIDI software
by going to this site on the Internet: