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Finally, a modern alternative to MIDI which includes audio:

Roland Virtual Sonics, in concert with Sony Pictures Post Production Services, is developing advanced new tools and content for RAINLINK™, a high-definition music, sound, and video performance and control technology first introduced by Roland and Roland Virtual Sonics at the 2017 NAMM music products tradeshow. Beginning in early 2018, Roland Virtual Sonics will release a series of RAINLINK-enabled software products through Roland Cloud, featuring audio recordings made at Sony Pictures Post Production Services sound facilities in Culver City, California.

These new RAINLINK products will be designed to assist audio professionals working in today’s mixed media industries. They will include a continuously growing library of virtual instrument audio sounds to be used with the most popular digital audio workstations, will be well-suited for use in film, television, video games and virtual reality applications, and will be available to all through Roland Cloud (www.rolandcloud.com).

“In a collaboration designed to modernize the sounds heard behind today’s music and greatly add to the bright future of RAINLINK, Roland is collaborating with Sony Pictures Post Production Services to leverage the studio’s world-renowned sound facilities, including one of the industry’s most beloved scoring stages, where multiple OSCAR®-winning scores have been recorded,” said Jeremy Soule, executive director of Roland Virtual Sonics.

RAINLINK technology from Roland features more than 130,000 times the resolution of the current global standard known as MIDI. Other RAINLINK innovations address a future of cloud computing in content creation, deep support for gaming and virtual/augmented reality applications, and much more. RAINLINK brings new expressive and creative capabilities for musicians and producers working in every form and style of music.

In 1983, Roland co-introduced MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to musicians and forever changed the world of music performance and production. Since its introduction, MIDI has taken a central role in the creation of music for film, television, video games, and music albums. But while MIDI has achieved much as a global standard, it’s remained largely unchanged since its invention more than 30 years ago.

a MIDI replacement is long overdue, tho there's a bit of a "I want my own walled garden" undertone to all this. Which tends to be at odds with trying to set up a widely adopted standard.

I am so comfortable with MIDI that I don't even want to try something else. I honestly don't need anything else... unless it could give me something completely different than what I already have, and be better than the established workflow coming from traditional MIDI, but a "replacement" of what is already working very well, what for? I don't see the point.

kensuguro wrote:a MIDI replacement is long overdue, tho there's a bit of a "I want my own walled garden" undertone to all this. Which tends to be at odds with trying to set up a widely adopted standard.

They plan to give away Rainlink as they did with MIDI. Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland and Dave Smith invented MIDI. Roland certainly benefited from the MIDI revolution. Dave Smith, not so much.

that's cool of them!

I'm not sure how giving it away equates with being offered as part of Roland Cloud for a regular fee.

jksuperstar wrote:I'm not sure how giving it away equates with being offered as part of Roland Cloud for a regular fee.

Currently Roland Cloud is the only software which utilizes Rainlink but there will be more software and hardware which has it from other companies that are not affiliated with Roland just like MIDI.

That'd be great!

OSC certainly deserves a mention

And of course: https://www.bitwig.com/en/16/the_future_of_midi.html

Why fix someth8ng that isn’t broke?
I can control my Data with extreme precision from 4 USB Ports, 8 MIDI Ports and 8 1/4” Pedals.

If Rainlink could be wireless and access data in the PC combining USB and MIDI. that’s where the real needs are IMHO....

Having Editors running alongside your project window without new drivers/modules being used would be great.

But over time Rainlink will add more so maybe cut costs on more complex setups by using a single port.


Cool stuff.

hopefully it won't become like USB where every frickin' company has their own interpretation of it. And worse yet, the socket fits! How confusing is that.

@Dawman, I know a lot of people who think MIDI is too complex.

MIDI is still awesome and for the most part totally underutilized.

Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression (MPE) configuration has brought some resurgence to this under-utilized spec. by using MIDI for more 3-D type controllers like ROLI, which can take aftertouch to a whole other level, but consumers multiple MIDI channels to handle all the controller data to minimized latency and eliminate MIDI data clash.

The future brings real-time spacial audio and 3-D/binaural audio. High-res audio streaming and virtual sound / object-mapping is around the corner.

I think Roland is trying to at least make a case for any future protocols and markets by jumping in to these markets as one of the largest music manufacturers, but I don't see Rainlink being picked up as an industry standard just yet.

G