The term "MIDI" stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This interface was developed in order to have a standard protocol for the production of digital music. A marketable version of MIDI was developed by 1983. There have been improvements and expansions on MIDI in the last 28 years, although MIDI's functions are still true to its definition.
MIDI cables are essential for using MIDI, because they connect MIDI devices to computers or to other MIDI instruments. Today, a wide array of MIDI devices, both old and new, are available, and each has one or more types of ports for a cable. The standard type of MIDI cable is the 5-pin "DIN" transport, which could be used to connect to early computers and other MIDI devices. These connections or transports required extra software and hardware to be installed on a computer, and they were slow in comparison to newer technologies. However, these cables are still the most effective way to connect between two MIDI devices. There are also other types of MIDI transports, such as 7-pin and 13-pin. Before modern ports were developed, computers had serial, parallel and sometimes joystick ports. Connecting MIDI instruments to these computers requires special adapters.
The latest cables are generally up to date with the latest computer technology. Newer cables have USB or FireWire connections, since most recent computers have these types of ports. Strictly speaking, a MIDI cable has 5-pin connectors on both ends, however, there is an array of cables which can be used with MIDI today. The most common cables for modern equipment include MIDI (such as 5-pin) to USB, MIDI to FireWire, and MIDI to MIDI.
The function of a MIDI cable is to connect between two or more MIDI devices, a device and a computer, or multiple devices and computers. This connection allows one piece of equipment to communicate with another piece of equipment. One popular MIDI instrument is the electronic keyboard. These can send MIDI and audio messages. Companies have been making keyboards with MIDI ports for over two decades. There are also instruments called controllers, which include keyboards, drums, guitars, and even wind instruments. Controllers can only send MIDI signals, and also require a type of MIDI, USB, or FireWire cable. Such devices are often used in tandem with digital MIDI-processing software on a computer.