The MIDI Manual: A Practical Guide to MIDI in the Project Studio

De lo más completo que se puede encontrar. Si quieres entender sobre la ciencia y tecnología MIDI a un nivel completo, este es el libro.

To be honest, I'm very disappointed. After purchasing my first MIDI book back in 1987, I was hoping to receive a new MIDI compendium equal to 2022's demands, containing all necessary information a music producer needs in order to make full use of MIDI commands in a modern studio environment. I was also curious about the chapter which was announced to be included, breaking down the new MIDI 2.0 standards which have been released lately. Now, from a beginner's perspective I'd admit that the book just fulfills the expected minimum requirements. The most important MIDI types, commands and features are explained in general, and there are also many schematics included; however, I have seen simpler ones which are more informative. Fact is that essential MIDI information is mainly listed in Binary format only, just in some rare cases Decimal values are also available. Now, every serious DAW (or any other tool capable of processing/monitoring/manipulating MIDI messages) is relying on Hexadecimal I/O format (e.g. for identifying/entering status bytes, EOX markers etc.), but that's exactly what this book isn't providing at all. Apart from depicting MIDI Control Change Messages, there is no list available which comprises other similar information in a structured way, e.g. grouped per MIDI Message type within a single table. For some MIDI types (e.g. System Real-Time Messages like Active Sensing, System-Common Messages like Song Select etc.) no numerical values are mentioned at all. So, even if you are trying to look up particular command/value details by using the page index, most probably you wouldn't find the information you were looking for. Instead, the book is filled with other topics which have nothing to do with MIDI processing at all, for example common physical media formats (like CD-A/CD-UDF etc.). Advertising MIDI-capable devices - by mentioning well-kown music system suppliers - seems to be also one of the main goals of this book. However, even if System Exclusive Messages are customizable and have not been strictly pre-defined by the MIDI Association, at least the book's author should have included the so-called SysEx Vendor IDs which have been officially assigned exactly to these mentioned companies. To recap: If you are looking for a complete MIDI compendium which is supporting you for transmitting, receiving, monitoring or even programming any MIDI byte sequences to be transferred to/from your musical devices in order to get the best out of your MIDI equipment, this book won't help you at all. It is only scratching at the top of the surface by explaining basic functionalities verbally; but it won't break down the reals facts and contents which a serious MIDI user would really require. Instead of listing all currently defined (or commonly used) MIDI types and commands along with their HEX and DEC formats (or pointing out common vendor IDs in case of SysEx Messages), the author expects that you look up every single command manually (if you are able to find the information at all). Simple tables, carefully grouped and sorted per topic/type would have done the trick. But I guess in this case this book would only consist of no more than 50 pages anymore. For me personally there's nothing left but to stick to my old MIDI book which has 400 pages and is 35 years old in the meantime.

Good information, but not exactly for what I was looking for, specifically. I'm sure others newer to MIDI would benefit from this.

Very well done. From studio/stage level block diagrams down to byte-by-byte message contents and everything in between.

If you've ever stared at a MIDI controller or a DAW and thought, "What am I actually doing?" then The MIDI Manual was written for people like us. When I first picked it up, I was hoping to finally make some sense of MIDI without drowning in a sea of technical jargon again. I have to say, it delivered. Right from the start, it felt like the book was speaking my language. It breaks down everything from the basics of how MIDI works to more advanced techniques like syncing multiple devices, automation, and creative sound design. Even though I thought I had a decent grasp on MIDI, I kept picking up little tricks that made my workflow smoother and my setup more efficient. What I really appreciated was how practical and hands-on the book is. It is not just dry theory—it actually gives real-world examples of how MIDI is used in modern music production. Whether I was working with software synths, drum machines, or external hardware, I kept finding new ways to get the most out of my gear. The explanations are clear, and the writing is engaging enough that I never felt like I was slogging through a boring instruction manual. If I had to point out a downside, I would say that some sections got a bit technical, especially for a total beginner. But even when I hit a part that felt dense, I knew I could always come back to it later when I was ready for a deeper dive. Overall, this book has been one of the best resources I have found for truly understanding MIDI. Whether you are just starting out or looking to refine your skills, I would absolutely recommend it. It made MIDI feel way less intimidating and a whole lot more fun to use.