MIDI 2.0 NEWS
New Frontiers in Expressi What MIDI 2.0 Means for M
M
IDI has finally gotten an update, and for those of us who worked on this longawaited version, we strove
to fix some of the less perfect aspects of the protocol, add cool new things without breaking anything, and make it even more MIDI.
Some of the new additions to MIDI 2.0 are the most exciting aspects of this latest version. The things that have been added break down into two categories: Things that make MIDI 2.0 easier to use: Devices will be able to automatically configure themselves to adapt to whatever they’re connected to on the other end. Things that make MIDI 2.0 better to use: New capabilities will make it do more for you on stage and in the studio once everything’s connected. MIDI-CI: Devices now tell each other what they can do Most of the new features in MIDI 2.0 rely on a set of operations that are collectively called “Capability Inquiry,” and this is where the need for two-directional communications becomes obvious. When MIDI 2.0 equipment is powered up, it enters a process called “Discovery”; it might also do this in response
26 APRIL/MAY 2020 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
