Article by: Terry Wilhite

1. Think of your TV and VCR when you connect your MIDI equipment. The transmitting source goes into the IN. As you know, “Out from Antenna” goes into the TV. With MIDI, the thought process is no different. The transmitting device, say my WX-5, is the “transmitter” and goes into the “IN” of the synthesizer. 

2. Just as a VCR can transmit or receive, most MIDI devices can do the same. Continuing our setup, I could then run a MIDI cable from the OUT of my synthesizer to the IN of a drum machine to trigger it using a key on my WX-5.

3. The THRU on some MIDI devices is simply an additional OUT.

4. Just as dozens of channels come into your home and you turn to the channel you want to see on your TV, a MIDI device has to be “tuned” or set to the channel that you want to receive. Of course, with MIDI you can also set devices to transmit on the channel of your choice. For example, my WX-5 transmits on channel one. If I want my synthesizer to receive channel one, I have to set it to receive MIDI on channel one. If the drum machine is in the chain of instruments and is set to receive channel 10, only the drum machine will respond to information transmitted on channel 10.

5. Not exactly digital satellite quantity, MIDI has only 16 channels on which to send and to receive (unless more sophisticated routing equipment is used). The instruction manuals with your MIDI equipment will provide a wealth of information. 

With very little effort, you can have a nice MIDI studio. With a little investigation, you can have your orchestra of digital instruments responding to your every command.