The Midi Association has announced the addition of Midi 2.0 capabilities to the Automotive Audio Bus (A2B) from Analog Devices Inc.
A2B is a high-bandwidth, bidirectional, digital audio bus capable of distributing 32 channels of audio and Midi control data, together with clock and power, over a single, unshielded twisted-pair wire. The technology enables the development of advanced, feature-rich and cost-effective audio and Midi LAN systems in a variety of musical instrument and pro audio applications.
‘We see many opportunities for the extension of Analog Device’s A2B into musical instrument and pro audio applications, particularly for guitar effects, electronic drums, digital keyboards and small format audio mixers,’ says Analog Devices Consumer Business Unit Director for Strategic Marketing and Systems, David Dashefsky. ‘Midi 2.0 and ADI’s A2B digital audio bus now allow a whole band to connect together with multichannel digital audio over low-cost cables, or inexpensively connect modular systems like guitar pedals or electronic drum kits.’
Midi (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the industry standard developed to connect digital musical instruments to each other, as well as to computers, tablets and smartphones. Midi 2.0 is a significant upgrade to the original Midi 1.0 specification adopted in 1983, and makes Midi more expressive and easier to use by changing Midi from a monologue to a dialogue and allowing Midi devices to discover shared capabilities and auto configure themselves. A2B will support both Midi 1.0 and Midi 2.0 devices, and provide backward compatibility/translation.
‘Combining the multichannel audio networking capabilities of the Analog Devices A2B with Midi’s expressive musical control creates a brand-new technology platform for the musical instrument and pro audio industry,’ says Midi Association President, Athan Billias. ‘This inexpensive platform to connect multiple digital instruments together is a big boon to designers of musical instrument and pro audio applications.’
