Musical Instrument Digital Interface, - Hol.gr

The serial interface
was chosen by MIDI
manufacturers because
it is less expensive and
more efficient than a
parallel interface. The
speed of a MIDI serial
interface is 31,250 bits
per second. There are
10 bits needed for
every MIDI digital
word or 3125
messages per second.
Snap your finger and
think about how many
many events could be
transmitted during that
time. Consequently,
the serial interface
speed is more than
adequate for most
music applications.
There are many different
types of MIDI connections.
The MIDI Out sends
digital messages from one
MIDI device and into the
MIDI In of another MIDI
device.
In order to really
understand the concept
of digital information,
we must be familiar
with the decimal, binary
and hexadecimal
counting systems.
Understanding Decimal,
Binary,& Hexadecimal,
will help us to learn
about the three counting
systems and how they
are applied to MIDI
The MIDI Thru connector receives a copy of any digital message coming into the MIDI In connection
and sends a duplicate of this information out of the MIDI Thru port into the MIDI In of a third MIDI
device. This allows the user to have more than two MIDI devices connected as a studio. The MIDI Out
port from the second or third device in the diagram below would not work because it is sending MIDI
information from that particular synthesizer. The MIDI Thru port is receiving the MIDI In information
and passing it on to the next device.
When MIDI devices are linked together by a series of MIDI In and MIDI Thru connections, it is referred
to as a Daisy-Chain Network.
A MIDI interface may only
have two connections, a
MIDI In and a MIDI Out.
Copies of MIDI In information may be sent to numerous
devices by using MIDI Thru Boxes, known as Star
Networks.
Example of a MIDI Echo / MIDI
Merger