MIDI 2.0 to be previewed at NAMM 2023 as part of MIDI’s 40th birthday
MIDI will also hold concerts and panels as part of the celebrations.
Credit: MIDI Official YouTube
MIDI is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary by previewing MIDI 2.0 at the 2023 NAMM show, among a series of other events.
The MIDI Showcase at Hall A in Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California this 13 to 16 April will feature a variety of events celebrating MIDI’s 40th anniversary. A standout event will be demos of the next-gen MIDI 2.0 standard, plus a panel section for developers and musicians on 14 April that will highlight the impact of MIDI 2.0.
“MIDI@40 not only showcases all of the amazing MIDI products that have impacted music over the past 40 years but also looks forward to the future with MIDI 2.0 products that will continue to shape the way music is made for decades to come,” MIDI Association president Athan Billias told Music Radar regarding the celebrations.
Alongside the showcase, MIDI will also hold a concert featuring Mark Garson, Mark Isham and Jordan Rudess. The concert will also play host to a lifetime achievement award ceremony that will see the likes of Bob Moog, Don Buchla, Ikutaro Kakehashi, Tsutomu Katoh, Roger Linn, Tom Oberheim, Alan Pearlman, Dave Rossum, and Dave Smith lauded for their contribution to the company or given posthumous honours where necessary.
MIDI’s 40th anniversary celebration will also coincide with the officially recognised 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, a genre closely associated with MIDI. In recognition of the event, Public Enemy’s Chuck D is set to make an appearance at the MIDI Showcase on 14 April to discuss hip-hop history with Brian Hardgroove.
Hardgroove will later hold a concert with his band Resonant Alien on 15 April.
