Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
MIDI

MIDI

4 4.6
A system that lets electronic musical instruments and computers send control messages to each other
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : MIDI
  • The band decided to record their next song using a MIDI interface for better sound control.
  • MIDI keyboard
  • MIDI instrument
  • MIDI cable

And all of those things will be recorded by your MIDI sequencer and then reproduced.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Computer software and MIDI devices offer wonderfully flexible accompaniments that simulate instrumental groups.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The music producer used a MIDI file to compose the track on his computer.

  • First off, we use MIDI as the basis of all of our signals.

  • Middle C, for instance, is generally assigned the MIDI note number 60.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Another important MIDI application in education is that of the MIDI keyboard laboratory.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Let's discuss the connection of a MIDI keyboard through an interface to a computer.

    Academic text (1994)

  • MIDI can connect computers or acoustic instruments to electronic instruments through a MIDI interface.

    Academic text (1994)

  • During the lesson, the teacher demonstrated how to connect a MIDI keyboard to a laptop.

Synonyms

musical instrument digital interface
vsMIDI
  • Specialized
3.9

A way for electronic instruments and computers to send musical data to each other

is the abbreviated form used instead of the full phrase

Compounds

Midi-Pyrenees
7.7

A region in southwest France that became part of Occitanie in 2016

How Automatic

MIDI
  • Specialized
4 4.6
mechanical piano
  • Archaic
6.2
concert piano
  • Specialized
1 3.8

Surface Forms

MIDI singular
MIDIs plural

Morphology

MIDI = M + I + D + I

This is an acronym formed from initials, and its technical meaning cannot be inferred from the letters themselves by a typical learner who does not already know the term's expansion or usage.

Etymology

The word MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a name that tells you what it does: it lets electronic musical instruments and computers 'talk' to each other using simple digital messages. So, a MIDI connection lets one device tell another to play notes, change sounds and stay in time, which is why musicians use MIDI to control many instruments at once.