WHAT IS MIDI FILE

STANDARD MIDI FILE

Standard midi file(SMF) is a file extension for an audio file in the MIDI format. SMF stands for Standard Midi Files. SMF files contain the codes for a musical event that include the start of a note, its pitch, length, volume, and musical attributes, such as vibrato.

MIDI technology was standardized in 1983 by a panel of music industry representatives, and is maintained by the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA). All official MIDI standards are jointly developed and published by the MMA in Los Angeles, California, US, and for Japan, the MIDI Committee of the Association of Musical Electronics Industry (AMEI) in Tokyo.

The development of MIDI

In June 1981, Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi proposed the idea of standardization to Oberheim Electronics founderTom Oberheim, who then talked it over with Sequential Circuits president Dave Smith. In October 1981, Kakehashi, Oberheim and Smith discussed the idea with representatives from Yamaha, Korg and Kawai.^[4]

Sequential Circuits engineers and synthesizer designers Dave Smith and Chet Wood devised a universal synthesizer interface, which would allow direct communication between equipment from different manufacturers. Smith proposed this standard at the Audio Engineering Society show in November 1981.^[2]:4 Over the next two years, the standard was discussed and modified by representatives of companies such as Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Kawai, Oberheim, and Sequential Circuits,^[5]:22 and was renamed Musical Instrument Digital Interface.^[2]:4 MIDI's development was announced to the public byRobert Moog, in the October 1982 edition of Keyboard magazine.^[6]:276

By the time of the January 1983 Winter NAMM Show, Smith was able to demonstrate a MIDI connection between hisProphet 600 analog synthesizer and a Roland JP-6. The MIDI Specification was published in August 1983.^[4] The MIDI standard was unveiled by Ikutaro Kakehashi and Dave Smith, who both later received Technical Grammy Awards in 2013 for their key roles in the development of MIDI  .

                                                               (SOURCE FROM WIKIPEDIA)