The Profile provides a comprehensive system of velocity, pedaling, and tuning definitions that allows a piano performance recorded on one device to be reproduced accurately on any other device that supports the Profile, spanning digital pianos, acoustic pianos with MIDI-driven key mechanisms, hardware and software tone generators, and MIDI controller keyboards.

The Profile was designed to offer musical dynamics equivalence — a Default Note On Velocity Curve that maps musical dynamics, from ffff down to Silent, to defined Velocity ranges, so that a passage played at a given dynamic on one piano is reproduced at that same dynamic on any other conforming device, regardless of instrument type.

When implemented by piano and keyboard manufacturers, the Profile will greatly aid musicians and producers in highly significant ways.

First, it will allow a piano performance captured on one instrument to be faithfully rendered on another piano, tone generator, or software instrument, including full support for pedaling — half-pedaling, continuous sustain, sostenuto, sordino, and una corda; Second, it will allow Standard MIDI Files of piano performances to be shared, streamed, and used for online lessons, broadcasting, and music production, with confidence that the original dynamics and pedaling will be accurately reproduced.

To help developers implement the Profile consistently, the specification is published together with an Implementation Guide — informative, non-normative guidance on tuning velocity curves and pedal response — and a companion set of reference audio recordings and Standard MIDI Files captured from real acoustic and digital pianos.