At one point in time, (I think maybe in connection with some mobile phone being able to play .midi files?) MIDI songs was (incorrectly) referring to a style/type of music rather than the transport/protocol we use for sending notes between instruments/devices, or the file format.

I'm still since then always assuming the above when someone says "MIDI music"; they really mean "really basic/simple music" or just straight up "chiptune" sometimes.

It has nothing to do with MIDI really, just a misnomer.

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neonstatic 7 hours ago | parent [-]

A more appropriate term is "chiptunes". I also heard people refer to it as keygen music.

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vardump 5 hours ago | parent [-]

If it's a tracker module of some kind with very short looping samples, then yeah, it's a chiptune.

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teddyh 3 hours ago | parent [-]

IMHO, a “chiptune” is music for an FM synthesis chip, like on the NES, the SID chip in Commodore 64, or the AdLib sound card for PC. A “mod” or “tracker music” is music made for a range of platforms in a rather narrow time-band, that could play digital samples, but could not reasonably store entire songs recorded digitally, like the Amiga, Atari ST, or early PC’s like 386s or 486s.

	▲	vardump 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Those are SID etc. tunes. Not chiptunes.