MIDI 2.0

MIDI 2.0 is briefly reviewed on this page.

What is MIDI 2.0?

According to the MIDI Association website,

"The core specifications for MIDI 2.0 were adopted by the AMEI and The MIDI Association in January of 2020."

So what exactly is MIDI 2.0? MIDI Association website states the following:

"MIDI 2.0 is an extension of MIDI 1.0. It does not replace MIDI 1.0 but builds on the core principles, architecture, and semantics of MIDI 1.0."

So what was significantly expanded? The document, "5 Minimum Compatibility Requirements of MIDI 2.0" from "MIDI 2.0 Specification Overview Version 1.1" states "Any Device which claims MIDI 2.0 compatibility shall implement either A or B, or both A and B:".

A. MIDI-CI* to at least its minimum requirements, including discovery mechanisms, plus any one or more of the following features:

B. The UMP Data Format** to at least its minimum requirements, including discovery mechanisms, plus any one or more of the following features:

This document can be download from this link.

I think the UMP data format of B is easier to understand than A. Let's take a look at the following item among them.

MIDI 2.0 Channel Voice Messages defined in the Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol Standards"

Channel Voice Messages are MIDI messages such as note on, note off, and control change. This means that these messages can be extended using the MIDI 2.0 protocol, which is written in the Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format.

MIDI 2.0 vs. MIDI 1.0 Message Comparison

そLet's take a look at the specification [M2-104-UM UMP and MIDI 2.0 Protocol Version 1.1 Specification] to see how it has been extended.

1.Note Off

MIDI 2.0 expands velocity to 16 bits and adds new information called Attributes (8-bit type and 16-bit value).

2.Note On

Same as Note Off, MIDI 2.0 expands velocity to 16 bits and adds new information called Attributes (8-bit type and 16-bit value).

3.Polyphonic Key Pressure

In this message, the pressure value is simply expanded to 32 bits.

4.Control Change

In this message, same as above, the control value is simply expanded to 32 bits.

5.Program Change

MIDI1.0 program change allows you to set a wide range of sounds' number by combining program change messages with two control change messages called bank select LSB and MSB. MIDI 2.0 combines these two bank selects into one message. The number of selectable programs has not increased.

6.Channel Pressure

In this message, the pressure value is simply expanded to 32 bits.

7.Pitch Bend

MIDI 1.0 has Pitch Bend Value precision of 14 bits, while MIDI 2.0 extends this to 32 bits.

MIDI 2.0 Compatible Products

We will introduce products that are compatible with MIDI 2.0 as of December 2024.

• Roland A-88MKII
  

  this product is compatible with MIDI2.0 channel voice messages. The homepage states the following:

  "The latest A-88MKII system software (Version 2.0 and later) provides support for MIDI 2.0, unlocking advanced real-time expressive capabilities with the keyboard and panel knobs."

• Yamaha MONTAGE M v2.0
  

  this product is compatible with MIDI2.0 channel voice messages. The homepage states the following:

  "MONTAGE M OS v2.0 implements high resolution data for note velocity, polyphonic and channel aftertouch, Super Knob, pitch bend, modulation, assignable knobs/sliders, foot controllers and sustain."

• Korg keystage
  

  Unlike the two above, this model complies with "Minimum Compatibility Requirements of MIDI 2.0", item A, "Any Property Data exchange by MIDI-CI Property Exchange messages."

  "Keystage utilizes MIDI-CI Property Exchange messages to communicate with other devices. It retrieves information such as which Control Change (CC) parameters should be linked and the appropriate names to display for each parameter.

• Cubase pro 13 and Later (MAC)
  

  Compatible with MIDI2.0 channel voice messages(Unconfirmed)

• Logic pro
  

  Compatible with MIDI2.0 channel voice messages(Unconfirmed)