Before the 80’s, there was no standard interface to control electronic instruments, just a bunch of proprietary interfaces unique to each manufacterer. But in 1983, amazingly they actually standardized on MIDI, and it remains a useful standard to this day, with any new versions of MIDI being completely backwards compatible, so your Yamaha DX7 from the 80’s is still just as viable to use today as the day it was new!
Should mention Open Sound Control which is also pretty good.
Not exactly a competitor, it was supposed to provide a richer, real time interface. Still popular for certain use cases, including beyond music.
MIDI.
Before the 80’s, there was no standard interface to control electronic instruments, just a bunch of proprietary interfaces unique to each manufacterer. But in 1983, amazingly they actually standardized on MIDI, and it remains a useful standard to this day, with any new versions of MIDI being completely backwards compatible, so your Yamaha DX7 from the 80’s is still just as viable to use today as the day it was new!
DMX is a similar protocol for lighting.
Sure, there’s artnet and sacn, but most gigs still use good old DMX.
I hate to tell you this but DMX passed away in 2021
Should mention Open Sound Control which is also pretty good. Not exactly a competitor, it was supposed to provide a richer, real time interface. Still popular for certain use cases, including beyond music.
This really is a perfect example. I did a lot of MIDI things as a kid!