MIDI
Technology & Computing abbreviation · File Format
| Stands for | Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a file format abbreviation also used in entertainment.
Technical standard and file format that transmits musical performance data, such as which notes are played, how hard and for how long, between instruments, computers and software, rather than recorded sound. MIDI files use the .mid extension.
Example: Plug the keyboard into the computer over USB-MIDI and record your part in the DAW.
Usage notes
Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits and Ikutaro Kakehashi of Roland led its creation; the specification appeared in 1983, and both men received a Technical Grammy in 2013. General MIDI (1991) standardized 128 instrument sounds, which defined early PC game music and phone ringtones. MIDI 2.0, adopted in 2020, adds higher resolution and two-way communication.
Related abbreviations
More file format abbreviations
- KML – Keyhole Markup Language
- LNK – Windows shortcut (Shell Link) file
- M3U – MP3 URL playlist
- M4A – MPEG-4 Audio file
- M4V – MPEG-4 Video file (Apple)
- MD – Markdown
- MKV – Matroska Video
- MOBI – Mobipocket e-book
- MOV – QuickTime Movie
- MP3 – MPEG-1 Audio Layer III
- MP4 – MPEG-4 Part 14
- MPEG – Moving Picture Experts Group