Nat 3Nat 4Nat 5HigherAdvanced Higher

MIDI

MIDI is performance and control data that tells devices what to play, rather than storing recorded sound.

Level relevance: introduced at Nat 3; tagged for every later level where the same concept remains useful.

Explanation

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It does not record audio itself. Instead, it stores instructions such as pitch, note length, velocity, controller movement, and timing. A MIDI track can trigger a software instrument or external hardware device. Because MIDI is editable, it is useful for correcting timing, changing sounds, and experimenting with arrangements without re-recording audio.

Topics

MIDISequencingPerformance data
Curriculum statussupporting vocabulary
Review statusdraft

Related terms

Sequencer

A sequencer records and organises MIDI or audio events in time so they can be played back accurately.

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Quantisation

Quantisation moves notes or events closer to a timing grid to make a performance tighter.

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Tempo

Tempo is the speed of the music, usually measured in beats per minute.

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Velocity

Velocity is a MIDI value that usually represents how hard a note is played.

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