The Most Important Audio Discovery of the Last 50 Years!!!!

To me, the most important audio discovery of the last 50 years is without a doubt MIDI.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was first launched to the public in 1983, although the first MIDI synthesizer - the Prophet-600 - was actually released in 1982.

A lot of people don't understand what MIDI is or what it actually does. It's easy to make the mistake of thinking that MIDI is something that makes sound, or makes music. Well, it does play a vital role in making music without the use of an actual instrument, but MIDI is actually the language spoken, or the information used, between two (or more) devices to communicate with each other; for example a keyboard and a computer. When a note is played on the keyboard, it sends this MIDI information to the computers virtual instrument. This information contains no sound, but simply tells the computer what sound it should make. The information has the pitch of the note being played, the length of time that it is played and the velocity or volume that it should be played. The computer reads this MIDI message and makes noise. Simple right?

Synthesizers had been used for many years before this, but the discovery of MIDI has drastically improved the ways that we can use synths. There are endless possibilities that we can use to our adventage. MIDI gives us the option to record a melody, but then go back and change it to our desire, or even change the instrument that plays the sound. We can send the MIDI information to multiple instruments at once and compose full songs without needing to pick up an instrument! Many music purists will disagree, arguing that using MIDI in this way is not as musical or creative, or doesn't take musical talent to create. However, MIDI doesn't need to replace real or analog instruments; it's just another option and that can't be a bad thing.

Using virtual instruments and MIDI has played a HUGE part in the way that I have learned to write and record music, especially with drums. I love to write my own music at home. Being a guitarist, I obviously don't have the money or time to have access to a drum kit, but I can easily load up a drum sampler and create drum tracks for my songs, using the same kind of information that can be used to imitate a piano or a synthesizer; pitch, length and velocity. Sure, it will never replace the natural imperfections and feel of a real drum kit, but it allows me to do everything myself which is awesome and greatly benefits my learning and creativity.

(A drum track created in ProTools using MIDI information)

Without the discovery of MIDI, modern music would not be anywhere near as advanced as it is now. So many of these new sounds that you hear from electronic artists and producers would not have been discovered and the task of making good music at home without access to different instruments not be nearly as easy as it is for us now.