The Importance of MIDI in a Digital Keyboard

What Is MIDI?

MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface is an industry-wide protocol for signaling digital music that has been in place since 1982. You know all those beeps and boops in your old Nintendo games? Those are MIDI. Nowadays MIDI is a lot more sophisticated and it is hard to differentiate MIDI file audio from real audio. You see, MIDI audio is not actually real audio. It's just a series of digital information that accounts for timbre, volume, pitch, and tempo. Each individual computer, synth, cell phone, whatever might interpret the MIDI file differently based on what MIDI instruments they have available.

How Do I Know If I Have a MIDI Digital Keyboard?

If you have the ports shown above on the back of your instrument then you have a MIDI Digital Keyboard.

What Are The Benefits Of Having a MIDI Digital Keyboard?

There are countless benefits to having a MIDI capable keyboard. MIDI allows your device to act as a MIDI controller for composing on the computer through programs such as Garage Band, Finale, Ableton Live, and more.

MIDI also enables your keyboard to communicated with other electronic instruments. All synthesizers and mixers have MIDI ports for inter-connectivity between instruments, and you'll want to have MIDI on your digital keyboard so that you aren't left in the dust.

Where To Buy A MIDI Capable Digital Keyboard?

Nowadays most keyboards over $100 have MIDI capability. Just check to make sure the MIDI logo is listed on the product's box, otherwise there are no guarantees it has the necessary ports. Also make sure that your keyboard has legitimate MIDI ports and not a USB-MIDI port, as legitimate ports are more standard amongst digital keyboards.