Demystifying MIDI 2.0: The Definitive Interview

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The MIDI Association’s Athan Billias talks to Synth and Software Content Director about MIDI 2.0 and why it’s only good.

MIDI 2.0: people have been talking about the need for something with that name since MIDI 1.0 was still in diapers. But now it really does sound imminent.

Cool! I want it! Does that mean we get to buy everything we already own all over again?

Spoiler alert: no! In fact musicians who don’t own a single piece of MIDI 2 hardware will still benefit from it.

Here to dig beyond the hype is Mr. Athan Billias, who (in addition to being well-known as an executive at Yamaha) is the MIDI Association’s COO. What we didn’t know is that he was involved in the Korg M1, nor did we know that it’s the highest-selling synth of all time!

Anyway, the MIDI Association is who’s responsible for the MIDI 2.0 standard. It’s a nonprofit trade organization that serves companies that make MIDI products, along with some 32 thousand people like you and me who “make art” with MIDI. It’s free to join at the MIDI.org website, and we recommend you do so.

More than that, they recently donated money raised in “May is MIDI Month” to the Children’s Music Fund – a group that provides music therapy for children in the hospital.