MIDI 2.0 seems to make some good steps so that we, the endusers, will be able to make use of it in the near future.
Microsoft’s Pete Brown has posted some news regarding MIDI 2.0 in Windows:
Over at midi.org there were some 20 specification documents updated this month:
The MIDI Association - MIDI 2.0 - Updated June 2023
So, maybe 2024 will see the advent of MIDI 2.0 for the broader public.
saw this video from Namm 2024 with Pete from microsoft.
what does it means in real world to have midi 1.0/2.0 integrated into windows ? we have it in cubase so what benefits its have to have it on windows too ?
All MIDI from external devices (synths, remote keyboards, any remote controller) go through the OS to Cubase. There is no non-OS connection between Cubase and the external devices (like ASIO kind of provides for audio).
Therefore w/o MIDI 2.0 support of Windows no PC user will have MIDI 2.0 in Cubase.
so basically, now we can’t use midi 2 in cubase under windows until microsoft adds it ?
it’s only true for external hardware or also for “in the box” inside cubase ?
(not that i use it right now, just for knowledge)
on other topic, any news on using multiple ASIO audio devices on windows ?
MIDI is used for communication between devices. Cubase doesn’t really use MIDI to talk to itself, it uses VST3 for this. Much of the advantages of MIDI 2.0 over the regular MIDI standard are already integrated into the VST3 standard for a decade now. In other words: You are already enjoying features of MIDI 2.0 for many years without knowing it.
I saw in the video they were using MIDI velocity as an example of a MIDI 2.0 feature. With VST3 you have not only 16bit velocity resolution but 32bitfloat resolution. Currently, however, most plugins convert these values into 7bit resolution in order to be compatible when communicating with the “outside world”, ie. you playing notes on your keyboard. They have to use 7bit because of the current MIDI standard. Current MIDI really is the bottleneck here that makes everything coarse.
As soon as MIDI 2.0 is available on your hardware, on your OS, and on your DAW you will be able to enjoy these higher resolutions. Maybe some plugins need to be updated in order to get rid of the artifical downsizing of the resolution, I am not quite sure about this.
I am now using Nuendo 13, fantastic as it is I would like to see MIDI 2 supported in Steinberg products, as well as Microsoft providing the interface languages and software interfaces so that universal controllers can be utilised in both the Editors and project page.
There’s been these recent announcements/blog posts of interest…
Windows MIDI Services October 2024 Update - Windows MIDI and Music dev
Which was posted alongside some Windows on Arm update info - including latest ASIO driver news/progress from Yamaha:-
Make Great Music with Windows on Arm - Windows MIDI and Music dev
Does anyone hear/feel the difference of the higher midi resolution when moving ie parameters
what are the tangible benefits of midi 2.0 and the fuss all about?
A higher MIDI resolution has nothing to do with the audio frequency spectrum.
Imagine you have a volume fader. With MIDI 1.0 it has 128 steps, so changing the volume happens in coarse steps. With MIDI 2.0 you’ll have either 65,000 or millions of steps. (I forget which one it is but it is vastly more than the 128 steps we have nowadays.)
There is also a better timing resolution and faster transmission speed with MIDI 2.0.
A single MIDI 1.0 event can take a full millisecond to transmit. While that is ok when you send only one or a couple of events at the same time it becomes audible when you send a lot of MIDI events at the same time over the same port. Like 5-note-chords for 10 instruments plus midi controller plus articulation settings.
It is totally up to you whether any of that is necessary for you. I imagine that the majority of people will really not give a damn about MIDI 2.0 because they have MIDI 1.0 gear that works well enough and the advantages of MIDI 2.0 are not big enough to throw the old gear out of the window.
Actually, I assume that the biggest point of interest will be MIDI-CI and bi-directional communication of devices. Especially interesting for MIDI Remote devices.
The second biggest point of interest should be “per note modulation”. The stuff that MPE and Note Expression try to squeeze into the MIDI 1.0 standard with some artistic hoops is baked right into MIDI 2.0.
Of course, I might also be totally wrong with my prognosis.
