When learning about music production, it's really important for young musicians to know the differences between digital audio and MIDI. Let’s keep it simple!

Digital Audio

• What It Is: Digital audio is a recording of real sounds. Think of it like taking a snapshot of a sound wave. For example, when you record your voice or an instrument, that sound gets saved as a digital file, like an MP3 or WAV.

• Characteristics:

  • Real Sounds: It captures the true sounds of real instruments, including all their tiny details.
  • File Size: These files can be pretty big because they hold a lot of sound information.
  • Editing: You can cut, loop, or add effects to the audio. But if you want to change the pitch of a note, it affects the other notes too.

MIDI

• What It Is: MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Instead of recording sounds, MIDI sends messages about the music. This includes which notes to play and how loud they should be.

• Characteristics:

  • Data Not Audio: MIDI files have instructions, not actual sounds.
  • Compact Size: Since it's just data, MIDI files are much smaller than digital audio files.
  • Flexibility: You can easily change the sound of the instrument, the pitch, and the speed without losing any quality.

Examples

• Digital Audio: Recording a guitar captures every strum and note exactly as it sounds.

• MIDI: When you put notes into a MIDI keyboard, you can change from a piano sound to a synth sound with just one click.

Conclusion

To sum it up, knowing about digital audio and MIDI can help young musicians choose the right tools for their music projects. Digital audio captures real instruments beautifully, while MIDI gives you a lot of options for changing and arranging music. Each one has its own perks, making them both really important in music production!