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Revision as of 20:18, 13 December 2021

Revision as of 13:43, 14 July 2022

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== Compatibility issues ==

=== Initial difficulties with MIDI files ===

In line with their policy of using .RIFF for all Windows 3.1 "multimedia" files, Microsoft introduced a new variant on the existing [[MIDI|MIDI file]] format used for storing song information to be played on electronic musical instruments. Microsoft's "new" MIDI file format consisted of a standard MIDI file enclosed in a RIFF "wrapper", and had the file extension [[Musical Instrument Digital InterfaceMIDI#RIFF-RMID files|.RMI]]. Since the existing MIDI file format already supported embedded "tagging" information, the advantages to the user of having a new format were not obvious.

The MIDI Manufacturers Association have since embraced the RIFF-based MIDI file format, and used it as the basis of an "extended midifile" that also includes instrument data in "[[DLS format|DLS]]" format, embedded within the same .RMI file.