

Unlike simple MIDI messages like Note On and program change number, sysex messages are sent in a format called a string. This means that the set of sysex messages a piece of gear can receive is different for every make and model. In fact, sysex messages are up to the product manufacturer to define. Sysex, or ‘MIDI system exclusive messages’ are a MIDI message type designed to transmit information about specific functions inside a piece of MIDI hardware. System messages include clock, transport and sysex. MIDI messages are broken down into channel messages and system messages.Ĭhannel messages handle note ons and offs, program and control changes, pitch bends and aftertouch. Even so, MIDI is capable of transmitting a surprising amount of detail. That’s why MIDI numbers are listed on a scale of 0-127 in your DAW. The MIDI standard was defined early in the history of computing and it had limited bandwidth to match the performance of the era’s digital music gear.Įven though MIDI can transmit multiple messages, the resolution of each is limited to 128 steps in up to two values. The different instruction types are called MIDI messages. What are MIDI messages?Ī stream of MIDI carries several different types of information at once.Įach type communicates specific data about the musical performance or the behaviour of the device.
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MIDI is a big subject, so if you want to learn more, head over to our in-depth guide to get the full tour.

Today, it’s used in almost every digital music workflow you can think of. MIDI was first developed in the 80s to standardize the growing amount of digital music hardware.
