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Music vocabulary · Recording and Production

MIDI

Meaning in music, with examples

/ˈmɪdi/abbreviationCommon term

In music, MIDI means: Short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface: a standard that lets keyboards, computers and other devices send performance data such as which note, how hard and how long.

In Turkish: MIDI

How it is used

Producers record MIDI from a controller, edit MIDI notes in a piano roll and use MIDI to trigger virtual instruments. You hear 'MIDI keyboard', 'MIDI controller', 'MIDI track', 'MIDI file' and 'quantise the MIDI'.

Example sentences

  1. I played the strings on a MIDI keyboard and fixed the timing afterwards.

  2. Send me the MIDI file and I'll try a different piano sound.

Common collocations

  • MIDI keyboard
  • MIDI controller
  • MIDI track
  • MIDI file
  • edit the MIDI
  • DAWShort for digital audio workstation: software used to record, edit, arrange, mix and produce music on a computer, such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live or Cubase.
  • sampleA short piece of recorded sound, such as a drum hit, a vocal phrase or a part of an existing record, that is reused in a new piece of music.
  • trackA single song on an album or release. In a studio or DAW, it also means one separate recorded part, such as the drum track or the vocal track.
  • quarter noteA note that lasts a quarter of a whole note. In 4/4 time, one quarter note usually equals one beat.
  • producerThe person who guides a recording project creatively and practically, shaping the sound, the arrangement and the performances, and often programming or engineering too.

More terms: Recording and Production

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