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MIDI2USB Converter

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Submitted By: Collet Instruments Inc.

Elevator Pitch

MIDI2USB Converter

Get started with MIDI 2.0. This open-source converter transforms existing MIDI devices, allowing developers to easily analyze UMP messages, test apps, and build the future.

Product Description

Let’s get started with MIDI 2.0. This MIT-licensed, open-source converter transforms existing hardware into MIDI 2.0 devices, allowing software engineers to instantly analyze UMP messages and test apps without purchasing new controllers. It serves as an accessible, community-driven catalyst to accelerate next-generation music technology.

How It’s Innovative

This project is innovative because it shifts the MIDI 2.0 transition from an exclusive hardware upgrade into an open, software-driven movement. Instead of forcing developers to purchase new controllers, this tool democratizes access by transforming existing MIDI gear into fully functional MIDI 2.0 devices instantly. By providing a dedicated environment to capture, visualize, and debug high-resolution UMP messages in real time—and releasing the entire source code under the permissive MIT License—it serves as a practical, community-driven tool that radically lowers the barrier to entry for next-generation music technology.

Most Inspiring Use Cases

The most inspiring use of this converter is watching a cherished, decades-old MIDI controller instantly transform into a cutting-edge MIDI 2.0 device driven by your own hands. Instead of abandoning reliable old hardware, developers and creators can utilize this open-source blueprint to instantly map classic controls to high-resolution UMP messages. It bridges the past and the future of music technology, empowering software engineers to immediately build, test, and prototype next-generation MIDI 2.0 applications without waiting for industry-wide hardware adoption.

Expansion Plans

Through this open-source project, our expansion goal is to foster a diverse ecosystem where a wide variety of MIDI 2.0 devices are born globally. While the MIDI 2.0 standard is openly published and available to anyone, the technical barriers to initial implementation remain high. By providing an accessible, verified blueprint, we aim to lower these barriers and actively support the adoption of this standard. We want to empower individual creators, boutique hardware designers, and the DIY community to easily build, customize, and experiment with their own ideas, cultivating a bottom-up movement where MIDI 2.0 naturally spreads from the grassroots level.

Commercialization

While this project is fundamentally rooted in the open-source philosophy under the MIT License, we actively manufacture and sell fully assembled hardware units within the Japanese domestic market. This directly serves software developers, researchers, and early adopters who require an immediate, reliable MIDI 2.0 testbed without the need to source components or build the hardware themselves. By providing plug-and-play hardware alongside open-source software, we successfully sustain the project while gathering crucial real-world user feedback to continuously optimize the system.

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