In terms of the strict coverage of the subject matter at hand, it seems that only about half of this book will enlighten readers to the actual hardware/software configuration relationships essential in the utilization of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). Although many a beginner’s primer has started with a chapter devoted to basic computer processing and binary code, etc., these pages are of no help to the layperson or musician who is striving to understand MIDI implementation, a point which can also be brought out in regard to the chapters dwelling on the audio-sensing inner workings of the human ear and the technical aspects of electronic speaker systems in music reproduction. Finally, the chapters devoted to personal interviews of some sporadically chosen amateur and semiprofessional MIDI users will probably do little to help readers organize a functional, up-to-date MIDI system of their own.
The parts of the book that deal directly with the subject matter of its title do so in a fairly clear and concise way. Although there are moments when the reading seems too interwoven and complicated for newcomers, yet too simplistic for professional-level users, the author has, in a broad sense, succeeded in taking a topic of fresh technology (for which a comparatively small amount of literature exists) and laying it out in a rather logical and understandable way.
The author by no means exhausts the full scope of MIDI implementation possibilities, features, and hardware. Only the main structural elements are covered: computers, synthesizers, samplers, and interfaces. The vast bulk of currently available hardware (MIDI equalizers, MIDI expander/noisegates, MIDI patchbays, MIDI compressor/limiters, MIDI special effects processors, reverberation devices, etc.) seems almost conspicuously avoided in these pages (perhaps the author is planning another book).
The edition is beautiful, as Microsoft Press editions often are: the cover graphics are attractive, the text is bold and easily readable, and all the photos, diagrams, and graphic examples are of excellent clarity.
