MIDI.org

MIDI Lifetime Achievement Awards 2025
2025-01-23 11:00 - 11:45 (America/Los_Angeles) | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The MIDI Association will present John Bowen, Katsuhiko “Karl” Hirano, Tadao Kikumoto, Tetsuo Nishimoto, Chris Meyer, Jeff Rona and Brian Vincik with MIDI Association Lifetime Achievement awards for their contributions to MIDI from 1983 to 1990.
John Bowen- John Bowen was a product specialist and sound designer at Sequential Circuits during the early days of the synthesizer boom of the late 1970s. John worked with Sequential founder Dave Smith and then with Karl Hirano and Dave at the Dave Smith Division of Yamaha and at Korg R&D San Jose. Brian Vincik and John were in charge of the dissemination of the MIDI specification around the world in the early chaotic days of MIDI before The MIDI Association was formed in 1985.
Katsuhiko “Karl” Hirano ( 平野 勝彦 Hirano Katsuhiko)- Karl worked for both Yamaha and Korg. At Yamaha he worked on the DX7 (one of the very first products to implement MIDI) and headed up communications between the Japanese MIDI organization and The MIDI Association in MIDI’s early years. He worked in San Jose with Yamaha’s Dave Smith division and then moved with Dave Smith to Korg when Korg R&D was established. Hirano-san passed away in 2019.
Tadao Kikumoto (菊本忠男, Kikumoto Tadao) was Roland’s senior managing director and head of its R&D center. He designed the TB-303 bass synthesizer and the TR-909 drum machine. He was also the chief engineer of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. He made suggestions for the early MIDI 1.0 spec that included adding Tempo, Start, and Stop messages.
Chris Meyer was the first chair of the MIDI Association’s Technical Standard Board and worked at Sequential Circuits, Digidesign, Marion Systems (Tom Oberheim), and Roland R&D U.S. His work as the first TSB chair led to many important developments in MIDI including MIDI Time Code and the Sample Dump Standard. Today he runs the website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel LEARNING MODULAR, where he teaches others how to master modular synthesis.
Tetsuo Nishimoto (西元 哲夫, Nishimoto, Tetsuo) worked in the LM Design at Nippon Gakki Co. (Yamaha). He drafted the initial responses to the Universal Synthesizer Interface proposal from Dave Smith that eventually became MIDI. He also helped create the very first Yamaha synths including the legendary GS1 and the DX7 taking Yamaha on a path from home organs to synthesizers.
Jeff Rona is an American composer for film. He was a member of Hans Zimmer’s MediaVentures. His credits include Sharkwater, Traffic, God of War III, Phantom and Veeram. Jeff Rona was the founder and past president of MMA, the MIDI Manufacturers Association (DBA The MIDI Association). Jeff has also been a judge in The MIDI Innovation Awards for several years.
Brian Vincik- Brian formed the first MIDI user group called the International MIDI Association (IMA) in 1983 which was the sole source for the MIDI specification 1.0 (outside of Japan) in those early years in MIDI’s development. Brian was an engineer at Hewlett Packard and saw right away the potential that MIDI could have on the computer industry. The IMA was responsible for distributing the MIDI specification for several years during MIDI’s formative years.

Network MIDI 2.0 (UDP) Transport Specification
2025-01-23 13:00 - 13:30 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The Network MIDI 2.0 (UDP) Transport Specification defines a way to connect home studios or performance venues via Ethernet and wireless LAN on a local area network using MIDI 1.0 and MIDI 2.0 UMP packets.
The advantages of using a network for MIDI are:
Overall advantages:

UDP can be sent over both Ethernet cables and wireless networks.
Logical connection setup (Session Management)

The user has full control over which device is able to send/receive MIDI with which other device (or application)
The connection topology can be changed in software without having to move physical cables.
Many MIDI streams (sessions) can be configured on the same cable
Simple security mechanisms available in Network MIDI 2.0 help prevent unauthorized access

Peer to peer connection is possible without the need to route data through a computer.

Ethernet Advantages

Long distance

Ethernet cables can transmit data up to 100 meters without any signal loss or degradation.

Low latency

Typical latency on Ethernet is below 1ms

High bandwidth

100MBit/s or 1GBit/s bandwidth on Ethernet
One cable is enough for many logical connections

Auto-Discovery

Can select devices to connect by name

Ground isolation

Physical connections are electrically isolated, reducing the chances of electrical grounding noise issues.

Oﬀ-the-shelf parts and infrastructure

Cables, routers, switches, and components are readily available and cost effective
Many transports for audio already use Ethernet. Some of those are open standards (i.e. AES67) and some are proprietary. Being able to run MIDI 2.0 as a control protocol over the same cables that run audio can greatly expand the use of MIDI 2.0.

Panelists:
Florian Bomers – Chair of the Network Working Group / President and founder of Bome Software which has developed and released MIDI and audio software for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. The BomeBox™: a versatile USB, MIDI, and Ethernet connector and processor.
Pete Brown- MIDI Association Executive Board Chair/ Microsoft Software Engineer
Andrew Mee-Chair of the MIDI 2.0 Developer Support working group, Yamaha designated rep and developer of the MIDI Workbench
Mike Kent- Chair of The MIDI 2.0 Working Group/Co-Founder/Chief Strategy Officer of AmeNote Inc.

The Latest Developments in MIDI 2.0
2025-01-23 14:00 - 15:00 | NAMM Tec Tracks Hilton California Ballroom B
Tec Tracks Event
Thursday, January 23, 2025 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM · 1 hr. (America/Los_Angeles)
Hilton California Ballroom B
In-Person Only
The MIDI Association will provide updates on the latest MIDI 2.0 products from Apple Logic, Korg, Native Instruments, Roland, Steinberg and Yamaha, and many more. The session will be moderated by Brian Hardgroove, record producer, bassist, drummer and member of the legendary band Public Enemy and feature a performance by Jordan Rudess, keyboardist and composer for Dream Theater.
With MIDI 2.0 support already beginning to appear in digital audio workstations, plug-in developers are benefitting from the work being done by the MIDI Association member companies that develop those plug-in formats — Apple (Audio Units), Avid (AAX), Bitwig (CLAP) and Steinberg (VST). They’re developing open-source software that will enable plug-in developers to quickly and easily interface with external MIDI gear.
Moderator: Brian Hardgroove- record producer, bassist, drummer and member of the legendary band Public Enemy
Panelists include:
Tim Carroll, Focusrite CEO, current MIDI Association President and Past NAMM Board Member
Pete Brown, Microsoft Software Engineer and MIDI Association Executive Board Chair
Mike Kent, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of AmeNote Inc. and Chair of The MIDI 2.0 Working Group
Paul McCabe, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation, Roland Future Design Lab
Special Performance by:
Jordan Rudess, the keyboardist and composer for Dream Theater and president of WisdomMusic (makers of MorphWiz, SampleWiz, HarmonyWiz, Jordantron and more).

TamiX Interviews Innovative Chinese MIDI Companies
2025-01-23 15:30 - 16:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
Nan Tang (artist name tamiX) who runs Midifan, the largest Music Production website in China will interview Hotone, Medeli, MIDI Plus Robkoo and Synido about the latest developments in MIDI technology in China.
Nan Tang (artist name tamiX)- Moderator
Nan Tang (artist name tamiX) is a Buchla modular synthesizer player, visual artist, photo idol, skateboard coach, founder of Midifan, the largest Music Production website in China.
Lancy Cheng – MEDELI – Senior Vice President of MEDELI Brand Development, Product Planning, China Sales
Tom Liu Director of Products at Hotone Audio,
Tom leads the design and development of innovative and interesting solutions for electronic musical instruments. Heading up a new MIDI 2.0 digital effects Profiles working group
Oscar Xie- CEO & Founder of Robkoo, Previously worked at Alibaba and WeChat.
Robkoo was founded by geeks, musicians, technology enthusiasts and designers with an ambitious mission while staying practical. We’re determined to create more futuristic products in digital arts while keeping them easy to use.
Marco Zheng, CEO and Founder of Synido
Marco has spearheaded the brand’s mission to empower content creators with high-quality audio interfaces and MIDI equipment, reflecting the energetic spirit of the younger generation and enhancing their online presence.

The Music Accessibility Special Interest Group
2025-01-23 16:30 - 17:15 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The Special Interest Group on Music Accessibility allows artists, researchers, and others in the music production community to interact directly with MIDI Association companies and provides a forum for discussions surrounding music accessibility and MIDI.
We will review the “Inclusive Design within Audio Products: What, Why, How?” workshop from this year’s Audio Developer Conference. Curated by Jay Pocknell, Music Support Officer at RNIB and founder of Sound Without Sight, this covered the principles of music accessibility and shared examples of accessible products already on the market.
Haim Kairy of Arcana Instruments will moderate the panel and talk about his journey in developing the Arcana Strum after being inspired by a young girl with accessibility challenges and how it led him to his work with Bettermaker.
Lele Parravinci and Simone Capitani from Audio Modeling will discuss the UniMIDIhub, the 2024 MIDI Innovation Award winner in the non-commercial software category and their vision for the future of music accessibility.
Jason Barnes and Matt Bankston talk about their work to enable musicians with disabilities to continue to create and perform music via their nonprofit Cybernetic Sound.
Jason Barnes’ journey is one of resilience and inspiration. After losing his right hand and forearm in an accident in 2012, he turned his adversity into an opportunity. With a passion for music that remained undiminished, Jason worked on developing prosthetic devices that enabled him to continue playing drums.
Matt Bankston, a multi-instrument musician and producer, whose journey is marked by overcoming the challenges of severe hemophilia, reflects a deep understanding of the struggles faced by musicians with disabilities.
The Bettermaker, a trailblazer in professional audio technology, proudly announces a groundbreaking accessibility feature designed to empower blind and physically impaired music producers. This innovation enables seamless control of Bettermaker hardware and plugins through voice commands, built with cutting edge open source AI software , complemented by real-time voice feedback for precise parameter adjustments.
The MIDI Association believes that music should be accessible to everyone.

Riverside City College MIDI Jam
2025-01-23 17:30 - 18:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
For several years now the Audio & Music Technology program at Riverside City College has helped The MIDI Association by providing students with the opportunity to attend the NAMM show and staff The MIDI Association booth. This year, at the request of the students, we are stepping up our game.
A few weeks prior to the NAMM Show, MIDI Association members donated multiple MIDI instruments and devices to Riverside City College. With the help of student Music Industry Club leaders and Professor Jennifer Amaya, students were assigned to learn these instruments and come up with various ways to perform on them – as soloists, in small ensembles, and in a large ensemble format.
Special thanks to Artiphon, Caedence, Jamstik, Playtime Engineering, Robkoo and others for their donations to the all-MIDI jam.
Come see what this group of talented young music production students have been inspired to create with MIDI.

Latest MIDI 2.0 Developments in Apple, Google, Linux and Microsoft Operating Systems
2025-01-24 10:30 - 11:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The MIDI Association and its members will provide updates on the latest developments in the major operating systems.
Microsoft announced updates to both MIDI and Audio at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit 2024 including better APIs which support MIDI, including MIDI 2.0 and full support for low-latency, high-channel-count audio, using standards already accepted by the industry.
Apple, Google and Linux are all continuing their MIDI 2.0 updates to support new MIDI Association specifications.
If you are a developer of MIDI products, this is a presentation you won’t want to to miss.

DAW Control Profile-Replacing Mackie Control
2025-01-24 11:30 - 12:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The DAW Working Group is working on a DAW Control Profile which would supersede proprietary control protocols like Mackie Control and Logic Control with a true industry standard for controlling DAWs via external hardware and software.
With MIDI 2.0 support already beginning to appear in Digital Audio Workstations, plugin developers are benefitting from the work being done by the MIDI Association member companies that develop those plugin formats – Apple (Audio Units), Avid (AAX), Bitwig (CLAP) and Steinberg (VST).
Mike Kent- Amenote, Chair of MIDI 2.0 WG/MIDI Association Executive Board
Andrew Mee- Yamaha, Chair of Developer Support WG/MIDI Association Technical Standards Board
Dice Naito- FSK Audio

Build Your Own Audio and MIDI Plug-ins Using JUCE
2025-01-24 13:00 - 13:30 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
JUCE is the most widely used framework for audio and MIDI application and plug-in development. It is an open source C++ codebase that can be used to create standalone software on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, as well as VST, VST3, AU, AUv3, AAX and LV2 plug-ins.

Senior JUCE developer Anthony Nicholls will show you how you can use JUCE to create your own, unique, audio and MIDI plug-ins that you can make available to other people.

Plugin Formats Open Source Support for MIDI 2.0
2025-01-24 13:30 - 14:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The MIDI Association member companies that develop plugin formats – Apple (Audio Units), Avid (AAX), Bitwig (CLAP) and Steinberg (VST) are working together to develop open-source software that will enable plugin developers to quickly and easily interface with external MIDI gear without the need for any in depth knowledge of MIDI 2.0 or MIDI-CI. Another MIDI Association member supporting this effort is JUCE – the most widely used framework for audio application and plug-in development.
The MIDI Association DAW working group is creating open source software that will look at MIDI 2.0 messages from external devices, extract the information the plugin needs to support Profiles like the Orchestral Articulation, MPE and Piano profiles and translate those MIDI messages into the native plug formats that plugins already understand.
By utilizing this open source software, plugin companies can start supporting MIDI 2.0 external devices with minimal development costs.
Before Super Booth in May of 2024, The MIDI Association hosted the first meeting of the DAW working group at the Native Instruments office in Berlin, where the companies agreed to work together to develop open-source software available under a permissive MIT license to bridge the gap between external MIDI Devices, Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), and plugins. That cooperative project is ongoing in the MIDI Association’s DAW Working Group.
The DAW Working Group is also working on a DAW Control Profile which would supersede proprietary control protocols like Mackie Control and Logic control with a true industry standard for controlling DAWs via external hardware and software.
The MIDI Association will report on the weekly meetings of the DAW Working Group at Music China 2024, ADC 2024, and NAMM Show 2025.

MIDI 2.0 Piano Profile Progress Report
2025-01-24 14:30 - 15:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
At NAMM 2024, we showed off a working prototype of the MIDI 2.0 Piano Profile connecting a Roland A-88MKII controller keyboard to Synthogy’s Ivory plugin via Apple Logic running in standalone mode.
This year we focused on two other important parts of the Piano Profile- DAW Plugin support and implementation guidelines with accompanying Audio and MIDI files.
The MIDI Association member companies that develop plugin formats – Apple (Audio Units), Avid (AAX), Bitwig (CLAP) and Steinberg (VST) are creating open source software to help plugins handle MIDI 2.0 without requiring a plugin company to have either a SysEx ID or even in depth knowledge of MIDI. 2.0.
The MIDI Association DAW working group is creating open source software that will look at MIDI 2.0 messages from external devices, extract the information the plugin needs to support Profiles like the Orchestral Articulation, MPE and Piano profiles and translate those MIDI messages into the native plug formats that plugins already understand.
AMEI (the Japanese MIDI Standards body) has also worked to create audio samples and MIDI files for use in testing and validating that a device accurately supports the velocity and pedal curves of the Piano profile. These will be included along with an implementation guideline in the final Profile specification.
Mike Kent- Amenote, Chair of MIDI 2.0 WG/MIDI Association Executive Board
Dave Starkey- Chair Piano Profile WG, MIDI Association Technical Standards Board
Gary Girouard- Music Technology at Steinway & Sons
Francisco J. Rodriguez- Software Manager at Young Chang R&D Institute (Kurzweil)
Kohtaro Ilimura- KAWAI Musical Instruments Technology Planning Group – UX Design

MIDI 2.0 Drum Profiles
2025-01-24 15:30 - 16:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
The MIDI Association has made significant progress this year in developing some Profiles focused on electronic drums and drum machines.
The Default Drum Map Profile defines a MIDI-CI Profile for a default mapping of specific drums to specific Note Numbers. The note map used in this Profile was established by many products in the 1980s as a commonly used set of note assignments for drum sounds and that was later standardized in General MIDI.
Many drum machines, grooveboxes, keyboard workstations, portable keyboards, digital pianos, and software synthesizers (many of which do NOT support the full GM specification) have drum kits that utilize this drum kit mapping because of the vast quantity of MIDI data available that will play properly with these drum maps.
Electronic Drums are one of the most successful categories of MIDI instruments.
Most electronic drums from different manufacturers share a common set of features (standard MIDI messages including velocity, pan,etc.) as well as more drum specific features (choking of cymbals, positional sensing of cymbals and drums, etc). However, the MIDI messages used to control these features have not been standardized and mainly rely on manufacturer specific SysEx. A MIDI-CI Profile would define far greater interoperability, unifying the industry behind a common set of MIDI messages.
Steve Fisher- Director – Drums Product Development Medeli
Ben Israel- Research and Content Design Manager -Yamaha
Mike Kent- Chair of MIDI 2.0 WG/MIDI Association Executive Board.Drum Profile Chair Co Founder Amenote,
Mike Snyder -Innovation Manager, Electronic Instruments at Avedis Zildjian Company
Ikuo Kakehashi- Founder of BAC Audio a team of master electronic instrument engineers who worked on Zildjian’s new ALCHEM-E series electronic drum kits,

MIDI In Music Education and SAE Mexico
2025-01-24 16:30 - 17:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
SAE Mexico has been selected to begin work on The MIDI Association’s MIDI In Music Education curriculum by the NAMM Foundation.
They will provide the curriculum materials in both English and Spanish and have a unique relationship with Coursera, the massive open online course provider.
All of the materials created for The MIDI In Music Education curriculum will be given away under a Creative Common license. This means anyone is free to take the materials, modify and adapt them for whatever purpose that is needed. Universities can include portions in their already existing materials without any concerns about copyrights or licenses.
Join members of the MIDI In Music Education SIG as they explain the details of the curriculum and share the first few lessons.
Professor Jennifer Amaya- Associate Professor of Audio & Music Technology at Riverside City College Coil School for the Arts
Carlos Barraza – Academic Director of SAE
Athan Billias- MIDI Association Executive Board
Roberto de la Peña- Audio Program Director SAE Mexico
Keith Mason- Coordinator of Music Technology at Belmont University
Steve Horowitz-Executive Director Of Technology And Applied Composition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Lee Whitmore- Vice President B2B & Education, Americas at Focusrite Group, Chair MIDI In Music Education SIG

Digitaize - Transforming strings with the power of MIDI
2025-01-24 17:30 - 18:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
Nick Coleman, Product Specialist at Digitaize by C.Bechstein Digital is going to showcase this game changing innovation and highlight some of the unique creative possibilities that it enables.
The Digitaize Module and sensor seamlessly integrate with the acoustic instrument, achieving an aesthetically harmonious symbiosis with its acoustic body. The focus is on a non-invasive design, which in no way impairs either the playing feel or the sound of the instrument. To achieve this, any contact with the body of the instrument was avoided and care was taken to minimise the contact surface with the instrument. The Digitaize module sits exactly between the fingerboard and the bridge and looks like a natural extension of the fingerboard. The module is connected magnetically with a link that forms the bridge between the module and the sensor.
This system can be easily mounted on any string instrument (4 or 5-stringed violin, viola, or cello). The module has two built-in microphones (a contact microphone for the vibration and an air microphone for the sound), a gyroscope, and an accelerometer to detect the movement of the instrument, as well as a haptic sensor to detect the finger position.
Experience the next level of instrument augmentation in a fun and engaging way.

MIDI Association Open Meeting
2025-01-25 10:00 - 10:45 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
For many years starting even before the formal foundation of The MIDI Association in 1985, The MIDI Association would hold annual meetings at NAMM. Since 2021, we have had those internal meetings during December to elect our new Executive Board and Technical Standards Boards.
Please join us as we introduce the new MIDI Association Executive and Technical Standards Boards, review the previous year’s progress and take a look at what we want to accomplish in 2025.
After some quick presentations, members of The MIDI Association will be available for questions from the press, developers and people who create music and art with MIDI.

MIDI Innovation Awards Winners 2024
2025-01-25 11:00 - 11:30 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
Join us to celebrate the winners of the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards.
Our MIA winners have participated in Synth Fest UK 2024, Music China 2024, ADC 2024 and now join NAMM 2025 to show off their products.
The MIDI Innovation winners will be featured in Booth 10504 for all three days of the 2024 NAMM show thanks to our partnership with NAMM.
Join Jean Baptiste Thibeaut from Music Hackspace and Martin Keary (host of the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards Show) as they introduce the winners of the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards.
2024 MIDI Innovation Award Winners

Artistic/Visual Project or Installation- Particle Shrine
Software Prototypes/Non-Commercial Products- Audio Modeling UniHub MIDI
Commercial Software Products- Midinous
Hardware Prototypes/Non-Commercial products-GEP Contraption
Commercial Hardware Products- Arcana Strum

2024 MIDI Innovation Award Judges

Michele Darling
Mark Isham
Bian Liunian
Moldover
Jeff Rona
Michael Strickland

Innovators Meetup with Rock Paper Scissors
2025-01-25 11:30 - 12:15 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
Meet all the musical instrument, software and app innovators at NAMM! Everyone gets the mic in this networking session. Give your 30-second introduction, connect faces to names around the room, then break to network one on one. Leave with connections to collaborators, customers, allies, and friends.

Led by seasoned facilitators Dmitri Vietze (Rock Paper Scissors) and Shayli Ankenbruck (Music Tectonics).
Meet them at Rock Paper Scissors booth 10701 (Hall A) to find out about all the ways they connect and support music innovators.

How MIDI Is Driving Global Content Creation and Collaboration
2025-01-25 14:00 - 15:00 | Hilton Anaheim; 4th Floor, Hilton Huntington Room
As a global standard, MIDI continues to drive innovation in products, technologies and instruments, elevating artistic creativity to new heights.

Join this special A3E and MIDI Association session for an in-depth, tactical exploration of how they are leading a global collaboration among musicians from diverse cultures, united by the universal language of music, and presented by world-class musicians.

Digital Accordion Jam
2025-01-25 16:30 - 17:00 | Anaheim Convention Center | Front of Hall A | The MIDI Association Booth 10302, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA, 92802, United States
For the first time at NAMM 2025, witness a unique collaboration between Sergey Antonovich, an innovative engineer who designed cutting-edge digital musical instruments, and Vladimir Butusov, a professional accordionist committed to popularizing the accordion in modern music. Together, they will present a live demonstration of two original instruments that were selected as finalists for the prestigious MIDI Innovation Awards 2024:

The Partymaker: Accordion Synthesizer – A hybrid instrument combining the timeless charm of an acoustic accordion with advanced electronic synthesizer features, including built-in auto-accompaniment, which offers accordionists a unique opportunity to perform as a full band.
The Digital Flex Accordion – The world’s smallest full-featured electronic accordion with built-in auto-accompaniment, designed for ultimate portability while maintaining the capabilities of a traditional instrument.

These instruments are not just prototypes but represent a bold step into the future of electronic and hybrid musical devices, leveraging state-of-the-art MIDI technology. Sergey and Vladimir will perform an engaging set of high-energy compositions, demonstrating the versatility of these cutting-edge creations and their potential to revolutionize modern music.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to experience the possibilities of MIDI innovation and see a duet that bridges engineering and artistry.

Bob Moog Foundation Winter 2025 Raffle
2025-02-17 - 2025-03-10 | CA
The Bob Moog Foundation is excited to announce its lead raffle for 2025, featuring a fully restored Oberheim Matrix-12 synthesizer signed by Tom Oberheim, Marcus Ryle, and Michel Doidic.
Ryle and Doidic were the principal designers of the Matrix-12. This Matrix-12, valued at $20,000, has a unique provenance having been owned by Doug Curtis, inventor of the legendary Curtis chips. It was donated to the Bob Moog Foundation by Curtis’s widow, Mary Curtis.
This year, 2025, marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Matrix-12, which continues to be one of the most respected and sought-after analog polyphonic synthesizers in the world today. The raffle begins Monday, February 17, 2025 at 7:00 am (EST) and ends Monday, March 10, 2024 at 11:59 pm (EST).
Tickets for the raffle are $25 each, 5 for $100, 12 for $200, and 35 for $500.
Participants who purchase five or more tickets will be invited to an exclusive Zoom call with Marcus Ryle, to be held in early April.
The raffle is open internationally.
Please read the rules and regulations before purchasing tickets.
Proceeds from the raffle benefit the three hallmark projects of the Bob Moog Foundation:
Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which has inspired over 35,000 elementary school students about the science of sound;
The vast and growing Bob Moog Foundation Archives, which includes over 15,000 historical items;
The Moogseum, located in downtown Asheville, NC. The Moogseum continues to navigate the financial aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has resulted in a $65,000 loss of income since late September.
https://bobmoogfoundation.myshopify.com/products/2025-winter-raffle-signed-oberheim-matrix-12-synthesizer?

Interactive Audio SIG Networking Meet Up At GDC
2025-03-18 17:00 - 18:00 | Moscone Center, 747 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
IASIG is an organization in partnership with the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the MIDI Association (TMA) that brings together experts to share their knowledge and help improve the state of the art in audio for games, websites, VR content, and other interactive mediums. Our members share tips and techniques, study trends, and create reports and recommendations that game developers, tool makers, and platform owners use to create better products.

IASIG/IGDA Roundtable Talk
2025-03-19 14:00 - 15:00 | Moscone Center, 747 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
Developing Deeper Player Engagement and Emotional Connection Through Sound and Design Roundtable (Presented by the IGDA)
Wednesday: IASIG/IGDA Roundtable Talk, (Wed 2-3pm Room 301 South Hall)
The IASIG is dedicated to the art and technology of sound in games. Sound is a large part of what makes games fun and memorable. Why do certain pieces of music trigger strong memories and emotions? Why are organizations like the SF Symphony and others performing game music in the concert hall? Why does that one sound effect keep playing in your head? And what is it about the sound of a warp pipe that gets you excited for the adventure to come?
Hosted by the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group, this engaging roundtable discussion will focus on bringing together folks from all parts of the development community. This roundtable brings together composers, sound designers, game designers, Narrative Designers, animators, programmers, producers, and anyone else involved with game production and design.
Classical California’s Jennifer Miller Hammel (Host/Curator/Producer of Arcade) and SF Conservatory’s Steve Horowitz (ED, SFCM’s TAC program) will open up the floor for you to discuss the latest in sound and design with a focus on how great moments from game audio history can inform future game production.
How can the satisfying crunch of snow under a boot keep you moving forward? How can iterative design enhance player retention? How can adaptive audio add to the players sense of immersion? Let’s come together to develop a deeper understanding of each other’s art, process and pipeline.
Developing Deeper Player Engagement and Emotional Connection Through Sound and Design Roundtable

IASIG/IGDA Party at Game Developers Conference
2025-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Game Developers Conference, 747 Howard St, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
IGDA is hosting a party at Game Developers Conference 2025 and The MIDI Association and IASIG are participating. The event will be at the Children’s Creativity Museum, 221 Fourth Street right next to GDC.
The event is open to IGDA members.

IASIG/IGDA Town Hall
2025-03-21 12:15 - 13:15 | Moscone Center, 747 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
31st Annual IASIG Town Hall
Session Title: 31st Annual IASIG Town Hall- Day/Time: Friday, March 21st, 12:15 pm, Duration: 60-Minute Special Event

Tom Poole (Director, JUCE / ADC)
Dave Berol (Audio / Voice Director, Surfaceink Product Design & Development)
Pat Scandalis (CEO/CTO, moForte Inc)
Athan Billias (MIDI Association Executive Board, MIDI2Marketing)
Steve Horowitz (Audio Director, IASIG/GAI)

Location: Room 3024, West Hall
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass – Get your pass now!
Track:Special Event
Format: Special Event

Want to improve game audio workflow or the professional audio tools available to you? Join fellow game audio educators, sound designers, composers, audio programmers, and other audio professionals at the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (IASIG) Town Hall. Get an update on current IASIG efforts, and share your own ideas, suggestions, and recommendations for improving the state of the art in audio for interactive media. If you do audio, come and be heard. The IASIG works as a Special Interest Group in both The MIDI Association and the International Game Developers Association representing Game Audio Developers in those organizations.

https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/31st-annual-iasig-town-hall/911429

Craig Anderton Master Classes for Moog Foundation
2025-03-22 10:00 - 12:00 | CA
The Bob Moog Foundation is excited to announce two masterclasses by lauded music technologist, author, and musician Craig Anderton.
“How to Mix for Maximum Emotional Impact” will be presented at UNC-Asheville in the Laurel Forum room on Wednesday, March 19th, from 7 pm to 9 pm. The event is open to students and the public and is free of charge.
“Synthesizer and Sampler Secrets: A Moogseum Masterclass” will be presented at the Moogseum in downtown Asheville on Saturday, March 22nd, from 10 am to noon. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased HERE.
Craig Anderton has worked on chart-topping productions, toured the US and Europe, played at Carnegie Hall, and given hugely popular seminars (in 38 states, 10 countries, and 3 languages). He’s written over 50 books on technology and the arts, and over 1,000 articles for Sound on Sound, Guitar Player, inSync, The MIDI Association, Mix, CraigAnderton.org, and several international publications. He co-founded Electronic Musician magazine, started the first rich media web destination for musicians in 1995 on AOL, and has also consulted for leading companies like Steinberg, Ableton, Roland, Waves, Acoustica, IK Multimedia, Microsoft, Gibson, Peavey, Alesis, ASI Audio, Sensaphonics, Akai Professional, PreSonus, Native Instruments, Cakewalk, Avid, and more. The masterclasses distill his decades of experience into an enjoyable, engaging, and often surprising educational experience.
We are thrilled to bring Craig Anderton to Asheville to present two masterclasses to our local music and technology community. Craig is deeply respected as a luminary in his field, and is an icon to those who have been inspired by his body of work over the past several decades. We are fortunate to host someone of such distinction.
How to Mix for Maximum Emotional Impact– Wednesday, March 19th, 7 pm – 9 pm UNC-Asheville’s Laurel Forum room || Free and open to students and the public
This provocative masterclass goes beyond improving sound quality, by presenting tips and techniques that enhance the soul of a mix — and captivate the listener’s heart.
Drawing on decades of production, engineering, and musical expertise, Anderton reveals the secrets of maximizing a mix’s emotional elements. Participants will find out how to avoid technology’s pitfalls and take advantage of its opportunities in their music projects. This must-see presentation explores studio techniques from a new, inspiring, and sometimes mind-blowing perspective.
Synthesizer and Sampler Secrets: A Moogseum Masterclass – Saturday, March 22nd, 10 am – Noon at the Moogseum || $25/per person, space is limited
This masterclass delivers insider tips and techniques on programming, recording, and mixing with synthesizers and samplers. From how to add warmth to virtual instruments, to integrating synths and samplers in productions, to controversial topics like oversampling — and much more — this fascinating exploration of today’s instruments is essential for modern musicians and producers. There’s even an informative preview of MIDI 2.0’s potential impact.
Here’s your chance to find out how to get more than you thought possible out of today’s keyboards and virtual instruments.
Purchase your ticket here: https://bit.ly/AndertonMoogseumMasterclass

Able Assembly at Berklee College of Music
2025-04-11 09:00 - 2025-04-12 18:00 | Berklee College of Music, 1140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02215, United States
Registration is now open.
The conference registration fee is $125 and includes:
If You Attend In Person:

Sessions at Berklee College of Music in Boston
An opening reception on April 11
Lunch on April 12 and April 13
Access to recorded sessions and supporting materials after the event has concluded
Admission to the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education’s (BIAAE) Digital Learning Series, 12 monthly webinars and workshops with hands-on teaching strategies that will be offered from May 2025 through April 2026; and
The opportunity to earn 18 professional development points(Opens in a new window).

If You Attend Online:

Livestream access to keynotes and some workshop sessions
Access to exclusive curated pre-recorded sessions and supporting materials by luminaries in the field
Day-ending synthesis discussions with opportunities to engage with the presenters
Admission to the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education’s (BIAAE) Digital Learning Series, 12 monthly webinars and workshops with hands-on teaching strategies that will be offered from May 2025 through April 2026; and
The opportunity to earn 18 professional development points(Opens in a new window).

Schedule
Full schedules and session information are posted. You can access it with the drop-down menu.
Accessibility
Synchronous sessions will be live-captioned and American sign language–interpreted. Asynchronous sessions will be captioned.
Registration is now open.

Super Booth 2025
2025-05-08 09:00 - 2025-05-10 18:00 | Super Booth, The Fez, Berlin, Germany
The idea of Superbooth has a history of over 20 years. It all started as a part of the Musikmesse in Frankfurt, when a handful of friends and like-minded nerds created their very own and special spot for synth enthusiasts. This common space presented a collection of small and passionate manufacturers of exotic hardware and electronic music instruments- the (original) SuperBooth.

MASSIG Webinar
2025-05-17 10:00 - 11:00 | The MIDI Association Youtube Channel
Join Host Haim Kairy from Arcana Instruments, Jay Pocknell from Sound Without Sight, Tim Yates from Drake Music and others as they discuss the latest developments on music accessibility.
Articles from The MIDI Association on Music Accessibility

The Power of MIDI in Music Education
2025-05-24 10:00 - 11:00 | The MIDI Association Youtube Channel
SAE Mexico has been selected to begin work on The MIDI Association’s MIDI In Music Education curriculum by the NAMM Foundation.
They will provide the curriculum materials in both English and Spanish and have a unique relationship with Coursera, the massive open online course provider.
All of the materials created for The MIDI In Music Education curriculum will be given away under a Creative Common license. This means anyone is free to take the materials, modify and adapt them for whatever purpose that is needed. Universities can include portions in their already existing materials without any concerns about copyrights or licenses.

MIDI and Music Education: Expanding Access and Engagement Worldwide
2025-05-31 10:00 - 10:30 | The MIDI Association Youtube Channel
Event: MIDI In Music Education Working Group Presentation and Webinar

The MIDI Association will host an education-focused webinar, bringing together music educators, industry leaders, and students to discuss new initiatives and expand engagement with MIDI in education globally.

Featured Participants

Dr. Lee Whitmore – Focusrite Group, MIDI Association Executive Board Member

Jennifer Amaya – Riverside City College, Coyle School of the Arts

Isaac De La Mora – SAE Institute Mexico

Athan Billias – The MIDI Association

Agenda Highlights

Introduction of the new MIDI Association charitable programs

Launch of a MIDI education materials grant program

Showcase of music education efforts at Riverside City College

Call to action for deeper involvement in the Association’s working groups

Webinar Chapters and Key Moments

1. Introduction by Dr. Lee Whitmore (00:00:03)

Dr. Whitmore welcomed attendees and introduced the goals of the meeting, emphasizing the importance of industry-educator collaboration.

2. Webinar Agenda Overview (00:01:12)

The agenda focused on new MIDI education programs and projects like Riverside City College’s music tech initiatives.

3. Launch of New Education Materials (00:02:58)

New MIDI education resources were announced, developed in collaboration with SAE Institute Mexico, aiming to increase accessibility and inclusivity.

4. Curriculum Development with Isaac De La Mora (00:04:30)

Isaac De La Mora shared progress on a bilingual (English and Spanish) MIDI curriculum tailored for Latin American educators.

5. A Global Distribution Platform (00:05:32)

The MIDI Association is partnering with Coursera to distribute these educational resources globally, reinforcing the importance of multilingual support.

6. Educator Engagement and Bilingual Access (00:08:16)

Flexible integration into existing curriculums was discussed, alongside strategies to reach educators and students in Latin America.

7. Riverside City College’s NAMM Involvement (00:11:15)

Jennifer Amaya highlighted student participation in the NAMM Show and their upcoming associate’s degree in music industry studies.

8. Student Roles and Real-World Experience (00:16:56)

Students took hands-on roles at NAMM, including booth management and performance—providing invaluable industry exposure.

9. Event Challenges and Coordination (00:18:40)

Jennifer described challenges in logistics and coordination with Yamaha and other partners—valuable learning moments for students.

10. Reflections and Future Planning (00:22:46)

Looking ahead, the group discussed ideas for MIDI-related competitions and further integration of student engagement in future events.

11. Global Perspective with Athan Billias (00:26:38)

Athan shared the MIDI Association’s mission to democratize music education through global partnerships and open-access resources.

12. Call to Action (00:27:10)

Dr. Whitmore and Athan closed the webinar with a call for broader involvement in MIDI’s educational working groups and outreach projects.

Get Involved

Educators, developers, and institutions are invited to contribute to MIDI’s educational mission. Whether through curriculum design, language translation, or local outreach, your participation can help broaden the reach of music technology education around the world.

Visit: MIDI In Music Education Special Interest Group to learn more and join the MIDI in Education community.
