A Beginner's Guide To MIDI

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Connecting M.I.D.I. Equipment
So, how do the master keyboard and another keyboard or M.I.D.I. module fit together?
M.I.D.I. information is transmitted down M.I.D.I. cables. These are fitted with M.I.D.I. plugs, which come in the shape of the 5-pin DIN plug. Chosing these as connectors wasn't a particularly bright idea since, unlike XLR's for instance, input and output connectors are identical, and there is no standard for 5-pin DIN wiring. A 5-pin DIN lead is therefore not always necessarily suitable for use as a M.I.D.I. lead. On top of this the connectors themselves aren't always robust.
A M.I.D.I. master keyboard will have M.I.D.I. sockets - usually hidden on the back where you can't see them during normal use. The M.I.D.I. instructions leave the keyboard from the M.I.D.I. Out socket, travel down the M.I.D.I. cable, and are received at the module's M.I.D.I. In socket.

This enables one keyboard to send instructions to another keyboard, or module, but what happens if there is more than one device which needs to be controlled?
The M.I.D.I. data needs to be passed from the first receiving module to the second. This is done via the M.I.D.I. Thru socket which simply echoes what is received at the M.I.D.I. In. Note that the information isn't passed along the chain via the M.I.D.I. Out socket which only transmits information that is originated by the instrument to which it belongs. This method of connecting M.I.D.I. devices is called Daisy Chaining: