MIDI files are files that end with the extension .mid or .midi. These are described as digital or electronic sheet music. A MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) file is a set of computer instructions that triggers sounds already contained within a computer or digital musical instrument. Computers can read MIDI files much like the player pianos of yore could read the instructions on a punched paper roll in order to "play" a song.
MIDI files are much smaller than MP3 or Wave audio formats, which makes them attractive for things such as Web page background music, video games, karaoke and ringtones. But they don’t sound as good as MP3 files. Most people that have heard a ringtone probably can attest to this. They can’t be burned to audio CDs, and or played on an iPod or other MP3 player. You can, however, convert MIDI files to MP3 files.
The easiest, and cheapest, way to convert MIDI files to MP3 is to use an online converter program. A simple online search will direct you to many options. Simply use the online program to upload a MIDI file from your computer. You'll then need to choose the format you want the file converted into, in this case MP3, although other formats are generally available. The program will then process your request and turn your MIDI files to MP3. All that's left is for you to download the MP3 file back to your computer.
You can also convert MIDI files to MP3 directly without using an online service — you'll just need the appropriate program. There are many of converter programs out there, and they can be found simply by searching for "free MIDI to MP3 converter" on a search engine. Once you've converted MIDI files to MP3, they can be played directly off your computer, burned to a CD or played on an MP3 player.
Most of the online converters and downloadable conversion programs will also allow you to change MIDI files into WAV files — those are files that end in a .wav extension.