Windows gets MIDI 2.0 support with Windows MIDI Services

Last week, Microsoft published a new Insider preview of Windows 11 in the Canary channel. Included for the first time is a public preview of Windows MIDI Services, which brings MIDI support in Windows to a modern level.

In the announcement of the Windows preview, Microsoft discusses Windows MIDI Services. The abbreviation MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a digital protocol for controlling sound generators and transferring data between hardware and software devices and controllers. In short, Windows can use it to control synthesizers or similar sound generators.

Microsoft: Modern, open-source MIDI stack

Windows MIDI Services not only provide MIDI 2.0 support, but also adapt the MIDI 1.0 implementation to modern expectations, writes Microsoft. The MIDI stack runs on all supported processors and architectures, i.e. x86-64 and ARM64.

Microsoft clearly summarizes what the Windows MIDI Services should bring: There's full support for the MIDI 2.0 standard, including high-speed data transfer (anyone who's ever pushed a firmware update over the MIDI SysEx standard will appreciate this), messages with "higher fidelity", higher resolution for controller values and positions, and full in-service MIDI 2.0 endpoint detection and protocol negotiation.

Faster transports lead to better timing and reduced jitter. The MIDI USB driver is faster and fully supports MIDI 1.0 and 2.0. Each endpoint is treated as a Mutli client, allowing multiple apps to use one device at the same time. Developers can process incoming and outgoing messages with timestamps in the service if they use the new Windows MIDI App SDK.

Windows MIDI Services will also automatically translate between MIDI 1.0 and 2.0, depending on what the API, app and devices require. The apps also have far more metadata at their disposal. Windows MIDI Services will be backwards compatible with the WinMM (MME) MIDI 1.0 API and, in future, also with WinRT MIDI 1.0. This means that apps can automatically use the new options without any changes and address MIDI 2.0 devices with the MIDI 1.0 function level, for example.

The special thing about Windows MIDI Services is that they are developed as open source. They are available under MIT license in a separate Github project. The SDK also contains tools, such as the Windows MIDI Services Console (midi.exe), which can be used to send messages or system exclusives (SysEx) or to check the status of MIDI. MIDI Diagnostics (mididiag.exe) can be helpful in diagnosing problems. If you are developing MIDI hardware, MIDI Kernel Streaming Endpoint Info (midiksinfo.exe) is the right tool for you. And MIDI Multicast Dynamic DNS Info (midimdnsinfo.exe), which provides support for the upcoming Network MIDI 2.0 transport, is ready for the future.

Drivers

Microsoft would like to thank the AMEI (Association of Musical Electronics Industry of Japan) for contributing a new USB MIDI 2.0 class driver. It works with the new USB-MIDI 2.0 devices as well as with the Class Compliant USB-MIDI 1.0 devices. By default, however, the driver is only activated for MIDI 2.0 devices and a handful of USB MIDI 1.0 sound generators for compatibility reasons. However, interested parties can manually assign the driver to any Class Compliant USB MIDI 1.0 device.

"In addition, we are currently working on our Network MIDI 2.0 transport, which was recently unveiled at the NAMM show in California, as well as the virtual patch bay that enables routing between endpoints and a rewrite of our BLE MIDI 1.0 transport. All of this will be included in a future version of Windows MIDI Services," Microsoft added at the launch.

With Windows MIDI Services, Microsoft is apparently taking on the current de facto standard Mac for music production. The preview version in the Canary Windows Preview still points to a very early stage. However, if there are no significant problems, the new MIDI stack should soon be included in the regular Windows 11 versions.

MIDI 2.0 was released in 2020 as an overhaul of the 40-year-old MIDI standard. It massively expands the basic functions and thus makes the standard future-proof.

(dmk)