Turning notes into sounds - Patches

• MIDI instruments must turn MIDI note messages ( which just say ‘play note 47 at velocity 30’ or some such ) into sounds.
• The term ‘patch’ refers to a particular sound. This term comes from ancient days when a synthesiser would use a ‘patch panel’ of sockets and wires to wire up different internal components to create a particular sound.
• A patch defines the sound of a range of notes.