Where does this come from, and can I check it?

One cable carries note, velocity and control messages, not audio. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

MIDI let machines talk to each other in 1983

One cable carries note, velocity and control messages, not audio Manufacturers agreed on a common language so keyboards, drum machines and computers could sync. The specification is simple enough that it still runs today, including in modern controllers. It carries instructions rather than sound, which is why a MIDI file is tiny. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Technology trivia

More facts like this

MIDI 1.0 let rival synthesizers finally talkSequential Circuits and Roland agreed the specification in 1983 MIDI 2.0 arrived more than 35 years laterThe update added two-way conversation and far finer resolution A live show needs two separate sound systemsThe audience hears the main system, while the band hears monitors pointed back at them The first practical hi-fi headphones appeared in 1937Beyerdynamic's model was built for monitoring, not listening for pleasure Microphones are chosen for two different jobsCondensers are sensitive and detailed, dynamics are rugged and forgiving The same stage microphone has been standard since 1966The Shure SM58 is a budget dynamic built to survive being dropped

Tags: midi, standards, equipment

MIDI let machines talk to each other in 1983: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: One cable carries note, velocity and control messages, not audio. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.