MIDI and RIFF MIDI File Formats

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) file format represents a Standard MIDI File, as defined by the MIDI Manufacturers Association. A MIDI file contains commands instructing instruments to play specific notes and perform other operations.

The specifications for MIDI and MIDI files can be obtained from the following organization:

The 'RMID' format consists of a standard MIDI file enclosed in a RIFF chunk. Enclosing the MIDI file in a 'RIFF' chunk allows the file to be consistently identified; for example, an 'INFO' list can be included in the file.

The 'RMID' form is defined as follows, using the standard RIFF form definition:

<RMID-form>  RIFF ('RMID' data( <MIDI-data> ))

The <MIDI-data> is equivalent to a Standard MIDI File.


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