This article is for companies looking to develop MIDI 2.0 products, both software developers and hardware manufacturers. If you are a MIDI user looking for the benefits of MIDI 2.0, go to this article, which is a more general overview of MIDI 2.0 features.
What Musicians & Artists need to know about MIDI 2.0
THE NEWEST CORE MIDI 2.0 SPECIFICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BY REGISTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON THIS WEBSITE
Foundational specifications for MIDI 2.0 were released in February 2020, which allowed MIDI Association members, including Operating System companies to start actually implementing MIDI 2.0.
Since that time the MIDI Association and its members have been developing tools for and prototyping the first MIDI 2.0 products.
As a result, we have been improving and enhancing the specifications.
The MIDI Association and AMEI adopted the following notable specifications on May 29, 2023 and these are now the specifications that should be used as references for developing MIDI products.
If you previously downloaded MIDI 2.0 specifications, please download the latest revisions.
CURRENT CORE MIDI 2.0 SPECIFICATIONS
CURRENT CORE MIDI 2.0 SPECIFICATIONS
These core specifications define the architectural foundations for MIDI 2.0 and the MIDI 2.0 Specification overview and defines minimum requirements for devices to claim MIDI 2.0 compatibility and to apply to use the MIDI Association’s MIDI 2.0 logo.
- M2-100-U MIDI 2.0 Specification Overview, Version 1.1 NEW
- M2-101-UM MIDI Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI), Version 1.2 NEW
- M2-102-U Common Rules for MIDI-CI Profiles, Version 1.1 NEW
- M2-103-UM Common Rules for Property Exchange, Version 1.1
- M2-104-UM Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol, Version 1.1 NEW
- M2-116-U MIDI Clip File (SMF2), Version 1.0 NEW
Documents labeled as NEW are notable updates released in June 2023.
There are numerous other MIDI 2.0 specifications which build on these core documents available for download and listed below.
NEW MIDI 2.0 Specification Overview- Version 1.1
NEW MIDI 2.0 Specification Overview- Version 1.1
The MIDI 2.0 Specification Overview outlines those documents which define the core architecture of MIDI 2.0 It also defines the Minimum Compatibility Requirements for MIDI 2.0
Summary of Minimum Compatibility Requirements for MIDI 2.0
(Updated June 2023)
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:
- One or more Profiles controllable by MIDI-CI Profile Configuration messages.
- Any Property Data exchange by MIDI-CI Property Exchange messages.
- Any Process Inquiry exchange by MIDI-CI Process Inquiry messages.
B. The UMP Data Format** to at least its minimum requirements, including discovery mechanisms, plus any one or more of the following features:
- MIDI 2.0 Channel Voice Messages as defined by the Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol.
- Jitter Reduction Timestamps as defined by the Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol.
- System Exclusive 8 as defined by the Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol.
- Mixed Data Set as defined by the Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol.
NEW MIDI Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI)- Version 1.2
NEW MIDI Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI)- Version 1.2
MIDI Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI) is a set of bidirectional mechanisms which allow devices to negotiate with each other for autoconfiguration. MIDI-CI also allows the expansion of MIDI with new features while protecting backward compatibility with MIDI Devices that do not understand these newly defined features.
Latest Notable Changes:
Adds Process Inquiry. Deprecates Protocol Negotiation (replaced by new Protocol Selection mechanisms in (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol) . Adds Function Blocks. Added Profile Details Inquiry. Added features for backward and forward compatibility through future update versions.
NEW Common Rules for MIDI-CI Profiles, Version 1.1
NEW Common Rules for MIDI-CI Profiles, Version 1.1
The Common Rules for Profiles complements MIDI-CI by defining a set of design rules for all Profile Specifications.
Latest Notable Changes:
Update to align with updates to MIDI-CI and UMP Format & MIDI 2.0 Protocol specifications. Added Profile Details Inquiry messages. Added Profile Added Report and Profile Removed Report messages. Added Function Block Profiles and made resulting adjustments to Profile Addresses.
Common Rules for Property Exchange, Version 1.1
Common Rules for Property Exchange, Version 1.1
The Common Rules for MIDI-CI Property Exchange, complements MIDI-CI by defining a set of design rules for all Property Exchange Resources and Properties.
Unchanged since 2020.
NEW Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol
NEW Universal MIDI Packet (UMP) Format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol
The Universal MIDI Packet provides a standardized modern packet format for all MIDI messages, both MIDI 1.0 Protocol and MIDI 2.0 Protocol. This specification also defines messages in the MIDI 2.0 Protocol.
Latest Notable Changes:
- Added the notion of Groupless messages. Some UMP Message Types are not sent to a specific Group. These messages are intended to be processed by the MIDI Endpoint.
- Utility messages (Message Type 0x0) are now Groupless. Group field is changed to Reserved.
- Added Section 6, Function Blocks.
- A Device may have one or more Function Blocks. A Function Block is a single functional component or application that operates on a set of one or more Groups. Function Blocks are used to separate a Device’s functional components into manageable units. System Messages are also now sent to a