The Evolution of MIDI and MPE: From Beeps to Expressive Beats
Picture a world where your synths and keyboards couldn’t communicate, each stuck in its own sonic bubble. That was music tech in the early 1980s—until MIDI arrived to unite them. By the 2010s, MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) took things further, letting musicians sculpt every note with the finesse of a violinist. As a producer myself, I’ve felt the magic of MPE firsthand, and in this post, we’ll explore its history, impact, and why it’s a game-changer for electronic music—complete with my own journey into MPE’s expressive world.
MIDI: The Dawn of Digital Music
In the early ‘80s, electronic music was a patchwork of incompatible gear. A Roland synth and a Yamaha keyboard? They didn’t speak the same language. Enter Dave Smith of Sequential Circuits and Ikutaro Kakehashi of Roland, who, with companies like Korg and Oberheim, introduced MIDI—Musical Instrument Digital Interface—in 1983.
MIDI was a translator, sending commands like “play C4” or “bend pitch” between devices. It powered everything from ‘80s synth-pop to the rise of DAWs, letting a single keyboard trigger multiple synths or a sequencer drive a drum machine. By the ‘90s, MIDI was the backbone of music production.
But MIDI had a catch: its 16 channels applied effects like pitch bend to all notes on a channel. Want to slide one note in a chord while holding others steady? Impossible without messy workarounds. As expressive controllers like the Haken Continuum emerged, musicians craved a protocol to match their nuance.
The Need for More Expression
By the 2000s, new instruments pushed MIDI’s limits. The Haken Continuum Fingerboard and Eigenharp let players shape pitch, timbre, and dynamics per note with gestures like sliding or pressing. Innovators like Keith McMillen, who’d explored alternatives like ZIPI, built controllers like the QuNeo, dreaming of a standard to unlock their potential.
These devices were thrilling but niche—MIDI couldn’t fully handle their expressivity. Splitting notes across channels was a clunky fix, and the music tech world needed a unified solution that worked with existing gear.
MPE: MIDI’s Expressive Leap
MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) arrived to solve this. By assigning each note its own MIDI channel, MPE allows independent control of pitch, timbre, and pressure within a single performance. Slide one note’s pitch, tweak another’s filter, swell a third’s volume—all in real time.
The push for MPE began in 2015, led by Roger Linn, creator of the LinnStrument, a grid controller built for expression. Linn collaborated with ROLI (makers of the Seaboard), Haken Audio, and companies like Apple and Moog. Geert Bevin, a Moog software expert, drafted the MPE standard, ensuring it was practical for hardware and software. In November 2017, the Association of Music Electronics Industry (AMEI) released the spec, and the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) ratified it in January 2018.
MPE transformed music production. DAWs like Ableton Live and Logic Pro added support, synths like the ASM Hydrasynth embraced it, and controllers like the ROLI Seaboard and Keith McMillen’s K-Board Pro 4 became staples for expressive performances.
My MPE Journey: From ROLI Lightpad to Seaboard Rise
As a producer, I dove into MPE in 2017 with the ROLI Lightpad Block, my first MPE device. Its compact, touch-sensitive surface let me tap, slide, and press to shape sounds in ways I’d never imagined. It was like painting with music—every gesture added life to my tracks. Encouraged, I upgraded to the ROLI Seaboard Rise 49, and I’ve been thrilled ever since. The soft, wavy keys respond to every nuance, letting me bend pitches, modulate filters, and control dynamics per note. It’s an amazing piece of digital tech that brings the soul of acoustic instruments to electronic production.
I’m already eyeing ROLI’s latest innovation, the ROLI Airwave, which looks absolutely stunning. Its gesture-based control promises even more freedom, and I can’t wait to try it (hint: it’s on my wishlist!). MPE has changed how I create, making my music feel more human and alive, and I’m excited to see where devices like the Airwave take it next.
MPE’s Trade-Offs and Legacy
MPE isn’t flawless. Using a channel per note limits polyphony to 16 notes per MIDI port and sacrifices MIDI’s multitimbral tricks (like controlling multiple instruments on one cable). But in modern DAWs, this rarely matters—virtual instruments and multiple MIDI ports make it a fair trade for MPE’s expressivity. Play a chord on a Seaboard, glide one note’s pitch, and morph another’s tone—it’s pure magic.
MPE also set the stage for MIDI 2.0, launched in 2020. MIDI 2.0 keeps MPE’s per-note control, adds higher-resolution messages, and enables devices to “talk back,” making workflows even smoother. It’s MIDI, evolved.
Why MPE Matters Now
MPE has made electronic music more expressive than ever. From bedroom producers in Ableton to live performers on the Expressive E Osmose, MPE lets you infuse digital sounds with human touch. Artists like Jordan Rudess and Hans Zimmer use MPE gear for everything from prog-rock solos to epic film scores.
The story of MIDI and MPE is one of innovation and collaboration. From Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi’s 1983 vision to Roger Linn and Geert Bevin’s 2018 standard, these pioneers turned circuits into tools for emotion. For me, MPE—through devices like the ROLI Lightpad and Seaboard—has been a creative revelation, and I’m stoked for what’s next with tools like the Airwave.
Want to explore MPE? Try an MPE-compatible controller like the ROLI Seaboard or LinnStrument, and check if your DAW supports it. Your music might just find a new voice.
