MIDI 

Introduced in 1985, The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) technical standard is a solution to synchronizing instruments from different companies. MIDI allows musicians to use electronic sounds in songs with perfect timing and create complex arrangements with little notation expertise.

The MIDI Association

The MIDI Association oversees the standards for full MIDI compatibility among all devices. The group is a vast a community connecting artists and developers using MIDI technology worldwide.

Find more information on the MIDI 2.0 Repository on Microsoft’s GitHub page.

MIDI Workbench

Leading the initiative is the Yamaha Corporation, developing the MIDI Workbench. The MIDI Workbench will serve as the main testing and compliance software tool for developers and manufacturers. The project is spearheaded by Andrew Mee, lead designer of Property Exchange, a core element in MIDI 2.0 technology.

ProtoZOA

Canadian company AmeNote’s ProtoZOA is a Raspberry Pico protoyping tool for MIDI 2.0 instruments. The firmware provides source code that hardware developers can place into their MID 2.0 devices.

AmeNote and MIDI 2.0 Working Group Chair Mike Kent has shared “plans to release most of the ProtoZOA source code as Open Source with a permissive license.” The advancement, he says, “will allow even non-MIDI Association members to use the code to develop MIDI 2.0 products.”

Funding for development of the ProtoZOA comes from the MIDI Association. The organization is also donating free ProtoZOAs and TB2 Groovesizers to those of its members who are volunteering in prototyping.

Additional MIDI 2.0 Advancements

Developers can now test MIDI 2.0 features for quality assurance, such as the MIDI Universal Packet, MIDI CI Discovery, USB MIDI 1.0 to 2.0 translation, and more.

With a hardware and software foundation for MIDI 2.0 in place, manufacturers and developers can use MIDI 2.0 advanced features. Maintaining full backward compatibility with existing MIDI 1.0 gear will also become more readily accessible.

MIDI Association President Athan Billias closed the press release with a statement on the latest development. “Since MIDI’s genesis, companies that are traditionally fierce competitors have chosen cooperation as the best way to solve difficult problems — and to contribute those solutions at no charge back to the global community, for the benefit of musicians, artists, and engineers everywhere,” he said.

Find more information on MIDI 2.0 on the MIDI Association website. 

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) was created by a group of manufacturers in 1983, led by the late Dave Smith. MIDI allows musical instruments to connect to computers, phones and other devices.

The first major focus of the MIDI Fund is focusing on is development of a MIDI curriculum and certification program to raise awareness about MIDI in education at secondary and post-secondary schools. Manufacturer and reseller staff members will also gain opportunity to be certified through the new program.

Find more information on the MIDI Fund and donate on The NAMM Foundation website. For more information about MIDI, including MIDI 2.0, visit The MIDI Association website.

MPE is the newest MIDI standard that supports per-note expressive control, allowing more levels of expression in creating music. The previous MIDI specification handles things like pitch and modulation from a jogwheel or joystick, and it controls all notes together.

The MPE Working Group also released a 1.0 editorial revision in March 2021 to make the standard easier to learn.

A short statement from the MPE Working Group explains the change: “No technical design changes were made while every point of confusion or misinterpretation we’ve encountered over the past few years has been addressed,” it reads. “All the implementation rules are now gathered together into section 2, Detailed Specification. Further, the best practices and appendices have been elaborated to provide greater detail and examples.”

A MIDI 2.0 MIDI-CI (Compatibility Inquiry) standard will come soon for MPE devices. This standard will allow MPE devices to use bidirectional communication, enabling devices “speak” to each other and automatically configure to work together.

Along with releasing this update, the MPE Working Group certified and updated their specification with various DAW, plugin and instrument developers.

MPE v1.1 is now available for free on Midi.org.

The device plugs into the USB port of a computer or compatible device to deliver low latency Bluetooth MIDI.  Through automatic pairing, the device connects standard Bluetooth MIDI controllers and WIDI (Wireless MIDI) devices using BLE 5 technology.

The device also offers bi-directional transmission and reception of any MIDI message. MIDI 2.0 compatibility transmits all MIDI notes, CC, MIDI clock, long SysEx and MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) – all over the airwaves. Wireless MIDI on the device operates within a range of 65 feet without obstacles with under 3ms of low latency.

WIDI also eliminates outside interferences using smart connectivity algorithms and adaptive frequency hopping.

The virtual capability of the WIDI Bud Pro eliminates cables and connects entire MIDI setups with advanced WIDI technology. A WIDI App for Android and iOS allows users to manage more complex Bluetooth MIDI groups by adding up to five WIDI devices. Multiple groups of devices organized in the app can also run simultaneously. Two of the devices are required to pair two MIDI devices, and only one device to pair with Bluetooth MIDI.

WIDI Bud Pro is now available as pre-order for $34.50 USD (normally for $69). Shipping begins in August 2021. Find more information on WIDI Bud Pro on the CME Pro website.

MultitrackStudio 10’s updates include support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) as well as MIDI 2.0 per-note controllers and pitchbend settings. The new standard of MIDI 2.0 and MPE allow expressing notes like playing a traditional wind, string or percussion instrument. In turn, MPE parameters on devices and plugins like the Roland A-88MKII and Xfer’s Serum now work fully within the DAW.

MultitrackStudio lets users build and record songs and arrangements in a track-by-track process, similar to a tape-based recorder. This simple approach proves ideal for songwriting and quickly recording live instruments. It comes loaded with effects and tools for time-stretching, mastering and a matrix sampler. The new MIDI 2.0 standard along with MultiTrackStudio 10’s ease of use introduces its users to a brand new realm of creativity.

One-Man Band

MultitrackStudio 10 offers many levels of their software at several affordable price points. The Lite version of MultitrackStudio  is free to download and provides up to three audio tracks. The registered versions with additional features are $69 for the Standard edition and $119 for the Pro edition.

Registered MultitrackStudio licenses purchased before October 28th, 2021 are $23 to move to the latest version, then $39 to upgrade from Standard to Pro. Purchases of MultitrackStudio after that date are eligible for a free upgrade. Once upgraded to version 10, future updates are free for the lifetime of the software.

MultitrackStudio is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac, and iOS as an iPad and remote app. Find out more information and more on Midi 2.0 on the MultitrackStudio website.

MIDI 2.0 provides faster and clearer communication environments between digital instruments and software, and more expressive control over singular notes. Selector has set out to explain the basics of MIDI 2.0 and the future of MIDI instruments as the new standard becomes more available.

MIDI 1.0 History

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) technical standard was introduced in 1985 as an answer to synchronizing instruments from different companies. MIDI allows musicians to use electronic sounds in songs with perfect timing and create complex arrangements with little notation expertise.

In 1983, founders Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits and Ikutaro Kakehashi of Roland along with Korg, Yamaha, Moog and Kawai agreed to use MIDI 1.0 in all of their future products.

MIDI’s inception came with the rise of of home computing, samplers and digital synthesizers. That powerful timeline of inventions and innovations also brought a new generation of music makers to the forefront.

The MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA), founded in 1983, oversees the standards for full MIDI compatibility among all devices. In 2016 the MMA rebranded as The MIDI Association, a community that connects artists and developers using MIDI technology worldwide.

The Association adopted the complete suite of MIDI 2.0 specifications in their annual 2020 meeting. MIDI 2.0 was then unveiled at Anaheim’s winter NAMM conference in 2020, still in its final development stages.

How MIDI 2.0 Works

MIDI 2.0’s connectivity sets a groundbreaking new standard due to its intelligent design.

The MIDI 1.0 standard uses a basic “monologue,” meaning one device simply recognizes the other is MIDI capable when connected. In other words, the device can only send or receive data – not both. This can make for tedium in the studio, with engineers and producers having to find and program all knobs and controls manually.

MIDI 2.0 devices, however, “speak” to each other in a dialogue called MIDI-Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI). A MIDI 2.0 controller can understand what type of controller or software it is connecting to and map itself to their most common controls. Parameters in MIDI 2.0 are interchangeable, recallable and adjustable directly on DAWs, improving production workflow while working on a session.

MIDI 2.0 instruments are also backwards compatible with MIDI 1.0. When a device with MIDI 2.0 detects a non-MIDI 2.0 device, it communicates using MIDI 1.0. Also as a result, the MIDI 2.0’s higher control resolutions and enhancements presides over MIDI 1.0’s specifications.

The ROLI MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) keyboard.

More Polyphonic Expression

In MIDI 1.0, four MIDI data messages go to the computer when pressing a key. The first set of data sent is note length, instrument channel played, the pitch of the note and how hard the key is pressed (velocity). Then, channel-wide messages are sent across the arrangement: modulation (movement from one note to another) and aftertouch (extra pressure applied while the note is pressed).

With MIDI 2.0, all of this information is assignable around pressing a single note.

The MIDI 2.0 standard provides a higher resolution (32-bit) for precise “analogue” movement on controls, keys and faders. One of MIDI 2.0’s key benefits in recording is to track a musician’s expressions and nuances as playback data with the same accuracy as using a live instrument.

Attributes for guitar, string and wind controllers are also available and assignable to one note in the MIDI 2.0 standard. Simply using a combination of hardware and software can theoretically recreate the sound and dynamic of a live symphony orchestra, all within the MIDI 2.0 environment.

The MIDI Association’s creation of MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) specifications in 2016 essentially set up what MIDI 2.0’s attributes are today. London gear manufacturer ROLI is best known for using MPE as focus in designing their award-wining line of MIDI products.

Roland’s MIDI 2.0-ready A-88MKII.

Future Tools

Controllers and software (namely VST3 products) are currently rolling out updates with the MIDI 2.0 standard. At the time of writing, the Roland A-88MKII is the most widely available keyboard with full MIDI 2.0-ready capabilities. More brands are following suit as they continue to manufacture products around the new MIDI standards. Space for more MIDI messages are also in the new MIDI 2.0 data, for use as the technology develops.

Once it becomes a global standard, MIDI 2.0 promises to introduce a new world of increased workflow, precision, creativity and overall productivity in the studio and onstage.

More information about the new MIDI 2.0 technical standard on the MIDI Association website.