Sound Engineering Courses, Music Production Courses, DJ Courses, Manchester, UK
Musical Instrument Digital Interface
In 1980 musical instruments began communicating via MIDI. By enabling musical information to be exchanged between connected electronic instruments MIDI opened up vast new possibilities in music.
MIDI allows one person to have total control over a number of instruments simultaneously. As a result, a revolution in the production of electronic music and an explosion of musical styles has occurred. The flexibility that MIDI control offers has changed the course and production of music beyond all expectation.
Since its launch, MIDI has become the universal ‘language’ used in audio applications around the globe today. Whether your interest in sound is a creative outlet, or a professional necessity, a working knowledge of MIDI is essential. For this reason, MIDI is at the very heart of the entire music industry.
The global music industry saw huge changes begin to take place from the late 1970s.
A previously closed industry dominated by just a few multinational companies, such as Polygram and EMI, began to split up as a result of the particular circumstances of the time.
The impact that microchip technology had within music, in terms of the accessibility to professional recording equipment, shifted the control of business away from large corporate bodies. Much of today's industry is in the hands of independently run companies handling their own affairs.
A prime example of this is the School’s city centre base in a dedicated music complex, housing pro studios and programming suites, in addition to record labels, music management and a record pressing company. This puts M.M.S students right alongside people earning their living in the music industry.
Clearly, the U.K. music industry now exists in virtually every town and city. As such, immense diversity and progression in music has occurred during the past few decades, creating a growing demand for suitably skilled people in an array of exciting new careers.
The development of digital music distribution via the internet has, most recently, opened up the industry to anyone with the technical know-how and the music within them.
With affordable equipment and the development of the music industry away from London the revolution in electronic music began...
Today, the collaboration between technology and music means that, with people using computers to create music on, iTunes etc to sell music on and iPods to listen from, a complete ecosystem for music creation, distribution and playback exists, without anything actually being physically manufactured. The producers and bands embarrassing this new world do so on a level playing field with the big record companies because it costs nothing, is instant, goes global, and infinitely increases choice for music fans wherever they may be.
The impact of social networking sites on the way people are consuming music and spreading the word between themselves is unprecedented. It made the Arctic Monkeys the fastest selling debut album ever and Lily Allen famous before she had ever done a gig, never mind had a record deal:
"...the whole thing took no more than three hours before she published it. We were getting so much feedback that it went from being a bit of fun to a double A-side for the second single."
Producers Future Cut, commenting on Lily’s track "Nan, you’re a window shopper"
Manchester and music have always gone hand in hand with each other. The city’s popular music roots in the jazz cafes and ‘blues’ parties of the 1950s and 60s spawned the cult ‘Northern Soul’ scene, putting Manchester on the musical map even before the dawn of ‘Punk’. It was with the ‘do-it-yourself’ ethic of Punk that Tony Wilson began his infamous Factory empire, borrowing a few hundred pounds to record Joy Division’s first album. Later, as New Order, they returned the favour, investing money into an old yacht warehouse... the Hacienda was built. Along with the Boardwalk, the Hacienda provided a stage for up-and-coming bands such as The Smiths and James, before the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses hit the headlines, and plain old Manchester became ‘Madchester’, the most talked about city on earth... until of course it became ‘Badchester’. The legendary Konspiracy Club was lost, and even the Hacienda’s doors closed. For a time it seemed that it was all over...
A new Manchester has emerged.. the likes of Badly Drawn Boy and the Doves; fresh clubs; new independent record shops; well over one hundred city centre bars; the stunning Bridgewater Hall; a massive BBC relocation to Media City; and a thriving underground music scene sum up the city today. With this rich musical heritage it is no wonder that Manchester is such a focus of productivity in music.
