What are we to expect from the next generation midi?

For me, one of the biggest improvements in MIDI 2.0 is the standardized, built-in, two-way communication that allows a DAW/sequencer to query a MIDI device to discover its capabilities and to make use of the capabilities that the DAW/sequencer supports. For example, automatically mapping controls on a MIDI controller to controls in a DAW/sequencer.

Maybe I'm missing something in the original question, but I suspect you're asking about three quite separate things.

Firstly, there's MIDI, which is merely a mechanism for transfering data/instructions between devices, and is not on it's own capable of doing what you ask. It's not really supposed to?

Secondly, there are midi devices (modules, VSTs, keyboards, etc) which receive MIDI instructions and create the actual sounds. Are you aware of any such devices that will do what you ask about. If there are not any, then there's not much point in getting MIDI to support relevant commands if nothing can act upon them.

Thirdly, there is the subject of GM (General Midi) which is a defined subset of midi designed to be supported over a wide range of devices such that a created MIDI file/song can be usefully played/performed on as many devices as possible. Almost by definition, this rules out any highly specialised options (like what you're suggesting) that might be supported by ONLY a handful of devices.

If there are devices that can do this, they could easily use some of the 'undefined' controllers that are available within the spec. Existing MIDI could send such data. So that is no problem. Obviously, this would cause problems regarding GM compatibility, but such controllers would merely be disregarded by devices that do not know about them.

Geoff

@audiome, it seems that you are asking for a feature that is included on MIDI 2.0 which is the ability to do Per Note Pitch Bend.

In MIDI 1.0, Pitch Bend is a Channel Message so it affects all the notes on the same channel. As you suggested you would need to put the notes of different channels to Pitch Bend only notes on a specific channel with Channel Pitch Bend messages.

But in MIDI 2.0 we realized this was a limitation that many users wanted to change and so there is a Per Note Pitch Bend message so you can Pitch Bend just one note.

This is just one simple example of how MIDI 2.0 will add lots of possibilities to MIDI.

A product called "Fluid Pitch" by Pitch Innovations does the kind of pitch bending you mention, using MPE or MIDI Polyphonic Expression (a MIDI 1.0 specification).
Mike.