The Twin Raspberry Pi Pico-Powered ProtoZOA Provides a Fast Begin for MIDI 2.0 Experimentation

MIDI specialist AmeNote has introduced a prototyping board designed for these trying to construct across the new MIDI 2.0 customary: the ProtoZOA, powered by no fewer than two Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller boards — and one unit is out there to all MIDI Affiliation members freed from cost.

“Our plan is to launch many of the ProtoZOA supply code as Open Supply with a permissive license,” explains AmeNote co-founder Mike Kent, who chairs the MIDI 2.0 Working Group on the MIDI Affiliation. “That may enable even non-MIDI Affiliation members to make use of the code to develop MIDI 2.0 merchandise.”

MIDI, the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, was launched in a paper by Sequential Circuits’ Dave Smith and Chet Wooden in October 1981. Designed to chop by the proprietary mess of the digital synthesizer market, MIDI supplied a route for cross-vendor intercommunication — and has since grow to be the go-to customary.

It is a typical based mostly on 40-year-old know-how, nonetheless, and the MIDI Affiliation believes it is due an replace: MIDI 2.0. Teased in January 2019 and launched on the Winter NAMM Present in early 2020, MIDI 2.0 provides a variety of enhancements over its predecessor together with bidirectional communication, a brand new packet format for high-speed transports, a specification for functionality queries, and assist for wired and wi-fi media — whereas sustaining backwards compatibility with conventional MIDI tools and software program.

Proper now, although, the MIDI Affiliation is working to encourage builders make the bounce to the brand new customary — which is the place AmeNote’s ProtoZOA is available in. A customized improvement board powered by two Raspberry Pi Pico boards with RP2040 microcontrollers, delivered to our consideration by Adafruit, the ProtoZOA implements MIDI 2.0 together with the aptitude discovery options, USB connectivity, the brand new common packet format, MIDI 1.0 to 2.0 translation with MIDI 1.0 enter and output ports, and consists of growth capabilities for Bluetooth Low Vitality (BLE) wi-fi MIDI, SPI, and UART connectivity, plus an elective LCD panel.

Based mostly on the tinyUSB stack, the ProtoZOA makes use of one Raspberry Pi Pico as the first driving system and the opposite as a PicoProbe-based debugging instrument — permitting builders to experiment with MIDI 2.0 on the lowest ranges. The supply code, in the meantime, is being made obtainable permissively-licensed — so anybody can take it and use it as a base to develop their very own MIDI 2.0-compliant units.

“AmeNote selected to not maintain our main experience the USB MIDI 2.0 know-how to ourselves as a aggressive benefit,” the corporate explains, “however we determined to share that with different builders, together with our potential opponents, to assist kick begin MIDI 2.0 merchandise coming to market.”

There’s just one catch: the board is at the moment obtainable solely to members of the MIDI Affiliation and/or the Affiliation of Musical Electronics Trade (AMEI). Members can apply to obtain a single ProtoZOA freed from cost, together with all supply code, whereas extra boards are priced at $250 every. AmeNote has confirmed it plans to make the ProtZOA obtainable to most people within the fourth quarter of 2022, however states that the worth is but to be decided.

Extra data is out there on the AmeNote web site.