Over the last decade we have seen an increase in the amount of music technology in the classroom. From computers to Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), loop pedals to launchpads, the modern music classroom is rich in technology. But there is something that links all of these together – MIDI.
Designed in the 1980s, MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is essentially a communication protocol that connects instruments and digital devices to computers. It allows the communication of ‘musically useful’ digital information (on pitch, timing, attack etc.) which is used to generate sounds, typically through a sound module and then amplifier.
A DAW is a piece of software that brings together audio and MIDI. (For this article, I will be using screenshots from Soundtrap.) It is a digital workspace where music can be created, edited, imported and exported. Within a DAW, you can input music directly using MIDI; alternatively, you can import MIDI files and edit them.
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