Although it's showing its age, and it doesn't cover a lot of new developments like sound cards and virtual synths, this is still an extremely valuable book for anyone who wants to understand what MIDI is all about. In this age of loops, samples, and digital everything, MIDI doesn't have the high profile it used to, but it's still in almost universal use by musicians and studios -- even by people who don't know they're using it -- and a good technical understanding of it is really important. This book is still the best source around for that kind of information, so it's no surprise that dozens of college-level courses use it as a standard text. The writing is clear, concise, and often funny -- these guys are two of the best and most experienced writers in the business. You want to know about MIDI? Get this book.