First of all, MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
MIDI files are played on your computer like a player piano plays sheet music.
Code in the file tells the computer when to play notes, which notes to play, and which instrument to play them on.
There are a number of ways that MIDI files are created.
My favorite, and probably the simplest, is a wonderful program I have called MIDIScan.
MIDIScan lets me use my scanner to scan ordinary sheet music into my computer.
The program converts the sheet music into MIDI files, and I can choose which instruments play which parts.
MIDI files are wonderful because they are so much smaller than WAVE files.
The difference between MIDI and WAVE files is that WAVE files can be made from any sound your microphone can hear.
MIDI files are not recorded with a microphone; they are usually created with a sequencer.
MIDI files are made up of tracks, one track for each instrument.
Since only tones are played in MIDI files, it is not possible to hear human voices.
In order for you to hear MIDI files on your computer, you need a MIDI compatible sound card and speakers.
If your computer is correctly configured to play MIDI files, you should be hearing "Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffet as you read this.
So, Now that that's over, have fun in the world of MIDI!
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