BASICS
This page outlines the main file formats for music used widely on the Internet, and touches on a few related topics.
For detailed accounts of MIDI and digital audio, see the following:
Ken Davies. A good starting place. Detailed and many links to other resources.
Borg tutorials. Another good beginning place. Contains basics but goes well beyond too.
Jack's MIDI music FAQ.
MIDIPAPA FAQ. Very detailed.
Sonify tutorials. More advanced tutorials.
Web Diner. Basic information about sound files, etc.
On the PC there are 3 main file formats now in use for sound: MIDI files (.mid), wav files (.wav) and MP3 files (.mp3).
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is not a recording of sound but rather a standard set of instructions indicating which notes (pitch and length) are in the piece, their velocity (loudness), etc. and what instrument sound the computer's sound card (e.g. Sound Blaster) should assign. If the MIDI file uses the standard General MIDI set of instruments (e.g. Grand Piano is instrument 0, Bright Piano is instrument 1, etc. ) then the sound card will be roughly in the ballpark. If not, the MIDI file may sound far different from what the originator of the sound heard on his or her computer.
MIDI files are the smallest of the three types and load fast. For older or slower computers they can be very useful. There are media players which are dedicated MIDI players. Many other media players play MIDI files too, as well other formats such as MP3. Since MIDI files sound different on different computers, they are inadequate for many purposes.
Wav files are large digital files that capture the full range of the sound. On a Mac they are called AIFF files. CD's contain such full-spectrum files. These files are so large that loading them and playing them on a software media player is generally not practicable. They are great for CD's, but not for the Internet, given the level of current technology.
An intermediate format exists: MP3. MP3 files are compressed or shortened wav files, about 1/10 the size of wav files. This makes them suitable for media players on a computer and for exchanging on the Internet, but they don't sound quite as good as wav files since part of the spectrum is missing. (Still, sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.)
In addition to these three formats (and other analogous formats), many of the notation programs/sequencers described on the Sequencer page have their own unique file formats. For example, Sibelius files end in .sib, Finale files in .mus. These sequencers do not generally play files from other sequencers, although there is a conversion standardization movement under way. In addition, some sequencers now permit importation of files in other formats. E.g. Sibelius can play some Finale files. Many sequencers can import or create MIDI files, however, and these can be easily shared among sequencers. Some sequencers utilize wav files - those that do hard disc digital recording like Logic or Power Tracks Pro. MP3 files are less used, if at all, by sequencers, at present. Nor will MP3 and other media players play dedicated sequencer file formats. E.g. Winamp will not play Logic files. Media Juke Box will not play standard Finale files.
MIDI instruments, modules, mixers, samplers
Music can be played into a computer using a musical instrument like a keyboard that is equipped with MIDI. Typically this is a piece of hardware, a synthesizer such as a Korg M1 or X5. The PC or Mac computer also needs what is called a MIDI interface, a piece of hardware that translates the MIDI signals for the computer. E.g. M-Audio's Midisport 2X2 interface. In addition, hardware called modules contains sounds, and these sounds ("instruments") can be played by the computer, on command from a sequencer or from a keyboard. Examples of modules are the E-Mu Proteus and Virtuoso, which contain mainly orchestral sounds.
Software has advanced so much that now software synths such as emagic's EVP88 or Sibelius' Kontakt can take the place of the sounds in a hardware keyboard. You can play an external MIDI keyboard but use the sounds of the software synth. Such sounds on CD ROMs are also replacing hardware modules.
Mixers, where the sound signals are recorded and mixed, have traditionally been hardware units. Now a sequencer may have a built-in software mixer.
Samplers are hardware which can record a sound, which can then be processed for use in making music. High-end sequencers with their full range of features can also emulate hardware samplers, e.g. Logic's ES1 sampler.
Is all this complex? Yes, but these are amazing tools we now have at our disposal, for listening and composing, and producing music. I think the main thing is to find some tools you enjoy and do just that with them.
Home Media Players People Sequencers
This page outlines the main file formats for music used widely on the Internet, and touches on a few related topics.
For detailed accounts of MIDI and digital audio, see the following:
Ken Davies. A good starting place. Detailed and many links to other resources.
Borg tutorials. Another good beginning place. Contains basics but goes well beyond too.
Jack's MIDI music FAQ.
MIDIPAPA FAQ. Very detailed.
Sonify tutorials. More advanced tutorials.
Web Diner. Basic information about sound files, etc.
On the PC there are 3 main file formats now in use for sound: MIDI files (.mid), wav files (.wav) and MP3 files (.mp3).
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is not a recording of sound but rather a standard set of instructions indicating which notes (pitch and length) are in the piece, their velocity (loudness), etc. and what instrument sound the computer's sound card (e.g. Sound Blaster) should assign. If the MIDI file uses the standard General MIDI set of instruments (e.g. Grand Piano is instrument 0, Bright Piano is instrument 1, etc. ) then the sound card will be roughly in the ballpark. If not, the MIDI file may sound far different from what the originator of the sound heard on his or her computer.
MIDI files are the smallest of the three types and load fast. For older or slower computers they can be very useful. There are media players which are dedicated MIDI players. Many other media players play MIDI files too, as well other formats such as MP3. Since MIDI files sound different on different computers, they are inadequate for many purposes.
Wav files are large digital files that capture the full range of the sound. On a Mac they are called AIFF files. CD's contain such full-spectrum files. These files are so large that loading them and playing them on a software media player is generally not practicable. They are great for CD's, but not for the Internet, given the level of current technology.
An intermediate format exists: MP3. MP3 files are compressed or shortened wav files, about 1/10 the size of wav files. This makes them suitable for media players on a computer and for exchanging on the Internet, but they don't sound quite as good as wav files since part of the spectrum is missing. (Still, sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.)
In addition to these three formats (and other analogous formats), many of the notation programs/sequencers described on the Sequencer page have their own unique file formats. For example, Sibelius files end in .sib, Finale files in .mus. These sequencers do not generally play files from other sequencers, although there is a conversion standardization movement under way. In addition, some sequencers now permit importation of files in other formats. E.g. Sibelius can play some Finale files. Many sequencers can import or create MIDI files, however, and these can be easily shared among sequencers. Some sequencers utilize wav files - those that do hard disc digital recording like Logic or Power Tracks Pro. MP3 files are less used, if at all, by sequencers, at present. Nor will MP3 and other media players play dedicated sequencer file formats. E.g. Winamp will not play Logic files. Media Juke Box will not play standard Finale files.
MIDI instruments, modules, mixers, samplers
Music can be played into a computer using a musical instrument like a keyboard that is equipped with MIDI. Typically this is a piece of hardware, a synthesizer such as a Korg M1 or X5. The PC or Mac computer also needs what is called a MIDI interface, a piece of hardware that translates the MIDI signals for the computer. E.g. M-Audio's Midisport 2X2 interface. In addition, hardware called modules contains sounds, and these sounds ("instruments") can be played by the computer, on command from a sequencer or from a keyboard. Examples of modules are the E-Mu Proteus and Virtuoso, which contain mainly orchestral sounds.
Software has advanced so much that now software synths such as emagic's EVP88 or Sibelius' Kontakt can take the place of the sounds in a hardware keyboard. You can play an external MIDI keyboard but use the sounds of the software synth. Such sounds on CD ROMs are also replacing hardware modules.
Mixers, where the sound signals are recorded and mixed, have traditionally been hardware units. Now a sequencer may have a built-in software mixer.
Samplers are hardware which can record a sound, which can then be processed for use in making music. High-end sequencers with their full range of features can also emulate hardware samplers, e.g. Logic's ES1 sampler.
Is all this complex? Yes, but these are amazing tools we now have at our disposal, for listening and composing, and producing music. I think the main thing is to find some tools you enjoy and do just that with them.
Home Media Players People Sequencers