The MIDI Association is the world’s top non-profit trade organization that connects the companies who develop new MIDI products and specifications with all the people across the globe who use MIDI products to create captivating music and art.
Join members of the Transport working group as the highlight the latest progress on MIDI 2.0 transports for Bluetooth, Web MIDI and updates to the Network spec to add remote management capabilities.
The MIDI Project Container File format is intended to deliver multiple tracks of MIDI data and other media. The set of tracks and media used in the file are enumerated and arranged in a Manifest file in XML format.
Media types supported include:
● MIDI Clip Files (for MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0)
● Musical Notation (MusicXML or PDF )
● Audio Files
● Video Files
● Lyrics: may be in MIDI Clip Files and/or in Musical Notation files.
● Metadata - XML and MIDI Message
The MIDI Association is working on a modular set of MIDI 2.0 DAW Control Profiles intended to eventually replace Mackie Control with a unified industry standard for all hardware and software.
The modular approach was taken because of the wide variety of capabilities of DAW controllers from simple start, stop and record buttons to elaborate devices with multiple displays.
The MIDI Association has worked on two Drum Profiles in 2025.
The Default Drum Note Map Profile specifies 62 Drum/Percussion Sounds mapped to Specified Note Numbers.
This is the common GM based mapping in many Drum Machines and Synthesizers since the 1980s.
This Profile was adopted in the fall of 2025.
The Drum Performance Profile is focused on the more advanced features available in electronic drums kits which have positional sensing for cymbals and drums and complex hihat configurations.
The Drum Performance Profile design is complete and it should be approved in Q1 of 2026.
The Piano Profile standardizes the velocity and pedal curves and the controllers used to control details of the piano's performance via MIDI.
As pianos are one of the most expressive and important MIDI instruments, this improvement should have a significant effect on interoperability.
The MIDI Association will show a working demo of the Orchestral Articulation Profile at NAMM 2026.
This profile will standardize the method for embedding articulations directly into the MIDI 2.0 Note On message.