Bio: My Name is Daniel Taeschler and I am a senior Mechanical Engineer. I also have a very strong interest in computer programming and music. I can play bass guitar and am also trying to teach myself C++.
Keywords:
-Music Theory
-Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
-Status Byte
-Data Byte
-mp3
-Hip-Hop
-Electronic Music
-Track/Song
-Analog Signal
-Digital Signal
Multimedia Suggestions:
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-Interactive visual of changing sound effects through computer, getting different sounds from the same note
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Abstract: The MIDI standard created in 1983 started a digital music revolution for both artists and the music industry. Its simple logic to blend music and binary code in computer software made it easier than ever to compose a song. The efficiency behind the conversion also made it very adaptable over the years. MIDI technology has helped introduced Hip-Hop as one of the driving forces behind music for years. More modern, electronic music has recently been on the rise, again shifting the sale of music from albums and singles to live shows.As technology evolves, so will the ability to adapt music using MIDI interfaces.
MIDI Changing the Music Scene
Imagine if you had the ability to playanymusical instrument, only by knowing the theory of music. The physical skill required to perform with each instrument is no longer necessary to make a professionalsong. The development of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard revolutionized music by bringing it into the digital age, introducing a myriad of artists and remodeling the music industry’s business structure. Soon after the invention of computers, methods of converting musical notes into computational data were pursued. It was not until 1983, however, thatMIDIwas created by a Japanese and American technology team. The theory behind MIDI instruments, explained below, allowedmusicians to choose whichever instrument desired and then alter the noise further to make a unique sound. In addition, multiple instruments can be played on any of the inherent 16 MIDI channels of one interface. Before its invention, digital music was made by altering the signal of the sound using analog methods. Analog became cumbersome quickly as it required tedious physical manipulation to achieve a precise sound. When MIDI was first introduced, it was not immediately accepted because of the lack of technology available to the common public. Nevertheless, as personal computers became more mainstream and the Internet began to allow the download of new applications, artists startedto develop their music solely through MIDI. Entire new branches of music soon emerged, such as Hip-Hop, Trap, Dub Step, House, Trance, and many more. Once the internet became common across the globe, MIDI music also had a strong impact on the music industry as well, causing a drastic shift to the original business framework of selling albums.
Electronic music before the standard of MIDI was very erratic between manufacturers. MIDI technology came alongside the digital revolution in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Record sales began declining in the late 1970s because in one aspect, “the record player of 1977 was based on exactly the same technology as the phonograph of 1877.”[14]Consumers felt as if the music had industry lost its capacity for innovation and were in a rut of technological advance. In addition, analog synthesizers, shown below in Fig. 1, process was much more cumbersome for the user.
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Figure 1: An example of an analog synthesizer in the 1970's, created by Bob Moog(center). Notice the massive amounts of machinery in the background.
Operators needed to connect and disconnect cords and optimize an array of musical properties. For many years, manufacturers had attempted to create digital synthesizers and other electronically-based instruments. For the most part, however, these products only worked efficiently alone. They could not be connected to other synthesizers and layer sounds because the “internal clocks,” or the programming behind how the note is transferred into computer data, did not correspond between individual machines. Connecting the machines could lead to bizarre and unwanted results from the produced sound. In response to the diversity among digital music equipment and the dropping sales over the past couple years, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) met in 1981 to try and develop a digital standard for all future electronic instruments [11]. In 1982, a Japanese company, Roland, and an American one, Sequential Circuits, developed synthesizers that operated though a MIDI interface, and a showcase in January 1983 persuaded NAMM to consider it as the next possible digital standard [11]. The innovative and ingenious design behind MIDI technology is why it was and still is such a powerful tool for musicians.
Synchronization between hardware and software for the purposes of music was the main goal for MIDI inventors. MIDI hardware originally accomplished what many original synthesizer manufacturers cannot, match clock speeds between any digital controllers, ensuring that none of the erratic behaviors between digital controllers occurred. First, a cable was constructed to accomplish this task, paired with a software interface. The cable took the internal clocks of each machine present and synchronized them with the help of a MIDI interface present on the computer [5]. Digital instruments were then created to have MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU ports allowing instruments to connect into one computer. The IN port receives messages from the software, and the OUT port outputs the modified signal back to the computer. Lastly, the THRU port creates an exact copy of a MIDI message, allowing the user to “daisy chain” instruments [5]. Now playing multiple instruments became simple, all from a single personal computer. The software MIDI used, however, also simplified the analog process explained above by describing music in binary terms.
MIDI broke the information of musical data from various instruments and converted it into a variety of numerical values that can be understood and manipulated by software on a computer. Figure 2 below shows a simple example MIDI message.
Status Byte / Data Byte 1 / Data Byte 210010100 / 00111100 / 01111111
Figure 2: Example MIDI message seen by computer in binary.
The first section, the Status Byte, denoted whether the note was on or off (1001=on), and which channel to send the signal through (0100=5). The first Data Byte was the note of the sound (00111100 = 60 = middle C). Lastly, a value denoted the velocity, or speed at which the note was struck both to initialize and terminatethe sound in a certain manner. Values lie between -127 and 127, with 127 being the strongest velocity, or loudest note (01111111 = 127) [5].As technology advanced, the messages became more complex, accounting for musical properties such as pitch, bend, timbre, and much more. All of these channels then combine to make a unique noise. For the first time, musicians could store their own unique recorded sounds, replay the sound, and play a different instrument on top of it, all from one interface [9].Instruments, suddenly, were no longer needed, “[t]he MIDI message itself [did] not contain the actual sound the instrument makes, but rather the action of playing the note, which note was played, how fast or slow it was which program can be used to play this note back,… and a moment when a note is played.[9]” With the programmability afforded by computers, samples can easily be altered by changing the binary data that representedthem. Thus, not only were there already multiple instruments at a musicians fingertips, but each sound can also be modified to balance well as a whole song. The image in Figure 3 below shows this process in action, with each of the major sections explained in the blowout.
Figure 3: Screenshot of modern MIDI interface.
These simplistic methods allowed for an outburst in music genres, as well as a completely new ways to compose music.
With new possibilities now available to musicians, they quickly began adaptingto the digital breakthrough, developing revolutionary genres that altered the mindset of many record labels. MIDI had created a drastic shift in the music environment; “‘it’s all because of MIDI,… Because of that, musicians of all levels have access to very high technology.[6]’” The rapid spread of composition capabilities led to many new music cultures connected to MIDI technology, with Hip-Hop as one example. In the 1980s, the music industry attempted to maintain fewer clients that make proportionately larger amounts of money. The current recession of the time left the music industry to “lack the courage to embrace artistic innovations.[14]” However, Hip-Hop would soon change this practice while also becoming the first genre to benefit from the invention of MIDI. Disk Jockey’s (DJ’s) of the erabegan using turntables with a MIDI interface. Despite being limited to only two tracks, since vinyl records were used at the time, this new type of sound quickly grew on American consumers [14]. DJs would play songs over each other, remove certain levels of the sound, replay a specific section, or scratch the vinyl disc. Rather quickly, powerful record labels began picking up rap artists to increase sales with a new musical innovation that had not existed previously. The music industry began its first major business shift as rappers started to develop a large foothold in the music market, but another was soon to follow.
As the Internet and digital communication has become more widespread, digital music and MIDI controllers had yet another significant impact on the music industry due to the increased accessibility of music to the public. Figure 3 below is a depiction of music sales over the span of 40 years with an interesting trend around the Y2K Internet boom.
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Figure 4: Sales rates over a 36 year span overlapping the rise of the internet.
After a short decline of sales, Napster was invented, a computer program that allowed users to download any song he or she wanted with unprecedented convenience, and it took a major toll on the music industry’s album sales. With more access to music online and many smaller artists releasing their work for free as well. With advanced MIDI controllers, artists like Deadmau5, Skrillex, and Pretty Lights made fortunes at the box office, but much of their music was released for free online[15]. With simple computer integration, they can spend less time producing and focus more time on making a more enjoyable live performance. It is through these venues that the electronic artists of today are primarily gaining fame. Based on how well artists can manipulate the MIDI data, the quality of the music will improve. Manipulating sounds entails tweaking the sounds of each instrument through the MIDI interface within a song, the software doing the work, altering each byte for the musician until it sounded correct. A novice would not be able to create a professionally designed track immediately, but must understand how the MIDI interface affects each sound with various options. This method made a unique combination of creativity and engineering. A novice will not be able to create a professionally designed track immediately. A simple conversion to mp3 through MIDI software also made it easier for electronic artists to share their data with each other [7]. Musicians could then learn from each other and develop more interesting music by incorporating the techniques of other artists. Electronic music has become one of the quickest developing branches of music because of the quick spread of information within the community.
The MIDI standard has evolved with the advances in technology, still making it a very powerful tool. “Despite the blinding speed of technological progress, 21 years after its birth, the MIDI standard is still heavily in use - a testament to its strength of concept.[4]”The simple yet efficient conversion of music to binary information done by the MIDI standard made it easy to manipulate and stack sounds. Before MIDI, sound modulation was cumbersome and many of the available products did not integrate with other manufacturer’s models. Rap started from the ability to play and mix two tracks at once and further expanded to become a major part of the music industry’s revenue during the 1990s, switching its entire business model in the process. When MIDI controllers became more complex, a whole new genre of electronic music became popularized. With help from the internet, Electronic Music affected the music industry even more, as artists began releasing songs for free, promoting live performances.The music industry of the 80’s had changed once again, “a decade ago, few would have predicted these two particular genres would drive industry-wide growth.[15]” The online surge of music created more influences for many artists to create unique sounds.MIDI technology will continue to drive many of the musical innovations for years to come.
Works Cited
[1] Anonymous. “30 Years of MIDI,” Keyboard Journal, Vol. 39, No. 11, pp. 14-15, Nov 2013.
[2] Anderton, Craig. “MIDI,” MIDI for Musicians, New York: Amsco, 1986.
[3] Darling, Cary. “Consumer Electronics; MIDI has the music industry Buzzing,” The Orange County Register, California. January 16, 1991, Evening Ed. Pg. M01.
[4] Eisengrein, Doug. “Modernized MIDI,” Proquest, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 58, Feb 2005.
[5] Hass, Jeffrey. “Introduction to Computer Music: Volume One,” Indiana University Center for Electronic and Computer Music, ch. 3, pp. 1-14, January 2013.
[6] Henken, John. “Sounding Off by the Numbers,” Los Angeles Times, California. October 16, 1988, Morning ed. Pg. L66.
[7] Ross, Nick. “The Real Reason why the Music Industry Collapsed,” ABC Technology and Games. May 25, 2012.
[8] Goodell, Jeff. “Rolling Stone Technology: MIDI,”Rolling Stone, issue 774, Nov 1997.
[9] Guerin, Robert. MIDI Power!: The Comprehensive Guide,2nd ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2005.
[10] Lau, Paul. “Why Still MIDI?” Canadian Musician, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 32. December 2008.
[11] Manning, Peter Electronic and Computer Music, 1st ed. Cary, North Carolina: Oxford University Press, 2004.
[12] McMahon, Frank. “MIDI Music Round-up,” Video Systems, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 41-45. Oct 2004.
[13] Mueth, Larry “MIDI Technology for the Scared to Death,” Music Educators Journal, Vol. 79, No.8, pp. 49-53, Aplril 1993.
[14] Tschmuck, Peter. The Digital Music Revolution, 1st ed. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012.
[15] Waddell, Ray. "Really big shows: Live music faces growth prospects in 2012: big overseas opportunities--and the rise of electronic dance music and hip-hop as forces."Billboard21 Jan. 2012: 30.Academic OneFile.Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
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