Midi Data Flow
The first thing to do is going to be to establish a framework for understanding the flow of data.
A MIDI device is an item such as a keyboard, synthesizer, or sequencer. There are two ways in which the device can communicate with other devices.
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The device may have a MIDI controller built in. In a large number of instances today, this means that it has a USB connector that attaches to the computer or other similar device.
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The second option to use 5-pin DIN connectors. These connectors are used to connect multiple devices in a daisy-chain configuration. A MIDI controller is attached as one of the devices in the daisy-chain.
The following references describe the specifications and concepts behind USB MIDI controllers.
When the USB MIDI controller is attached to a computer, a software driver is used process the communication between the controller and the computer. This driver is normally downloaded from the web site of the vendor for the controller, and there will be different versions for different operating systems.