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Is an old Hammond organ an electronic keyboard?
MIDI is not a requirement in order for an instrument— be it an electronic keyboard, an acoustic keyboard, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, a drum set, a human voice, etc.— to be judged worthy of being called a “professional” musical instrument.
MIDI allows MIDI-enabled instruments to communicate data with each other and/or with computers or other MIDI-enabled devices (by which I mean non-instruments).
MIDI also allows MIDI-enabled instruments to play back MIDI data files which are used for song tracks, auto accompaniments, or even just patch setups or selection of preset voices/tones. Those particular uses do not necessarily require that the MIDI-enabled instrument have MIDI DIN or USB MIDI ports, since the MIDI files might be stored in the instrument’s internal memory or on a data storage device such as a USB flash drive or some type of data card.
But as extremely useful as MIDI is, every single musical instrument which is being used in a professional capacity does not need to be able to communicate data with each other or with a computer.
Now, if I had my druthers, I personally would want my electronic keyboards to be equipped with both MIDI DIN ports and USB MIDI ports, because I believe that both types have their uses.
But I would not deem an electronic keyboard or a MIDI controller to be a toy and unfit for professional use simply because it lacks MIDI DIN ports. And conversely, I would not deem it to be suitable for professional use simply because it has MIDI DIN ports. For example, the Yamaha PSR-E203 keyboard had MIDI DIN ports, but I would not be inclined to call it a suitable keyboard for a professional keyboardist.
Then again, a talented and creative professional musician can make music with just about anything that can make a sound— and an untalented and non-creative “musician” can make noise with just about any high-quality and expensive musical instrument. It certainly helps to have quality instruments, but it is not the instrument that makes the music— it is the musician who’s playing the instrument.
MIDI is not a requirement in order for an instrument— be it an electronic keyboard, an acoustic keyboard, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, a drum set, a human voice, etc.— to be judged worthy of being called a “professional” musical instrument.
MIDI allows MIDI-enabled instruments to communicate data with each other and/or with computers or other MIDI-enabled devices (by which I mean non-instruments).
MIDI also allows MIDI-enabled instruments to play back MIDI data files which are used for song tracks, auto accompaniments, or even just patch setups or selection of preset voices/tones. Those particular uses do not necessarily require that the MIDI-enabled instrument have MIDI DIN or USB MIDI ports, since the MIDI files might be stored in the instrument’s internal memory or on a data storage device such as a USB flash drive or some type of data card.
But as extremely useful as MIDI is, every single musical instrument which is being used in a professional capacity does not need to be able to communicate data with each other or with a computer.
Now, if I had my druthers, I personally would want my electronic keyboards to be equipped with both MIDI DIN ports and USB MIDI ports, because I believe that both types have their uses.
But I would not deem an electronic keyboard or a MIDI controller to be a toy and unfit for professional use simply because it lacks MIDI DIN ports. And conversely, I would not deem it to be suitable for professional use simply because it has MIDI DIN ports. For example, the Yamaha PSR-E203 keyboard had MIDI DIN ports, but I would not be inclined to call it a suitable keyboard for a professional keyboardist.
Then again, a talented and creative professional musician can make music with just about anything that can make a sound— and an untalented and non-creative “musician” can make noise with just about any high-quality and expensive musical instrument. It certainly helps to have quality instruments, but it is not the instrument that makes the music— it is the musician who’s playing the instrument.
