''Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)''
The original MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) protocol was developed in 1983 by Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi to enable communication between electronic instruments.
== Software Protocol ==
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== General MIDI ==
General MIDI (GM) is a standardized specification for electronic musical instruments and synthesizers, introduced in 1991 by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee.
General MIDI aimed to ensure consistency across devices by defining a uniform set of 128 instrument sounds (called "patches"), such as piano, violin, and drums, organized in a specific program change order, along with standardized channel assignments (e.g., channel 10 for percussion).
This allowed musicians and composers to create music that would sound reasonably similar on any GM-compliant device, solving the patchwork compatibility issues of early MIDI systems.
The standard quickly became foundational in music production, video game soundtracks, and consumer electronics.
== Weblinks ==