With MIDI, there is good and bad news. The good news is MIDI files require ridiculously little disk space and bandwidth for even the most complex musical scores. The bad news is that a quality synthesizer is required to play solid timbres. The good news is the wavetable synthesizers on todayΓÇÖs high-end PC sound cards perform leagues better than those from just two years ago (inexpensive devices such as RolandΓÇÖs Sound Canvas deliver fairly satisfying music), and there are promising advances taking place with software synthesizers. YetΓÇôand despite the ubiquitous use of MIDI in professional musicΓÇôyou canΓÇÖt rely on the quality of any given sound card in any given PC. So, when the playback machine is under your control or for noncritical music, MIDI is great. Otherwise, go with digital audio.
But why is MIDI so great? Glad you asked. MIDI lets you hook a keyboard to your computer, and play one performance after another, building up essentially any kind of music conceivable (see Figure 6), using sounds that convincingly emulate traditional instruments or have unique electronic timbres. While a certain talent, skill, and knowledge is required to take advantage of this technology, MIDI sequencers can overcome an individualΓÇÖs musical shortcomings. If youΓÇÖre interested in producing your own music for a multimedia presentation, try a sound card from Ensoniq or Yamaha. Along with a MIDI sequencer, such as Twelve Tone SystemsΓÇÖ Cakewalk Pro or Opcode SystemsΓÇÖ Vision (see the review on page106), youΓÇÖll have the tools to become the next Brian Eno.
