The MIDI Association, a 501(c)6 nonprofit trade organization dedicated to expanding, promoting and protecting MIDI technology for the benefit of artists and musicians around the world, has named Tim Carroll, Focusrite Group CEO, as its new president. He will serve a two-year term. The decision was made via an election by the association’s executive board.
After 50 years, MIDI as a technical standard has evolved from MIDI 1.0 to 2.0 just in the past few years. MIDI 2.0 has just begun proliferating in products and software, so this is a critical time for the MIDI Association as the music products and related industries begin adopting this significantly enhanced MIDI specification.
The election of Focusrite Group CEO Tim Carroll is projected to be broadly welcomed by the Association membership and the industry. Focusrite Group’s family of brands includes the iconic synthesizer brands Sequential and Oberheim, as well as MIDI controller and synth company Novation. Sequential founder Dave Smith was instrumental in the creation of MIDI and introduced the first synthesizer with a MIDI port 51 years ago. Carroll, an accomplished pianist and keyboard player himself, now has the honor of leading the MIDI Association while he and Focusrite Group hold and evolve Dave Smith’s legacy.
In addition to managing and stewarding MIDI for manufacturers and developers, the MIDI Association also has three stated philanthropic priorities: MIDI innovation, music education, and music and wellness. Carroll will have strategic input into these priorities as the Association begins distributing grants from the MIDI Fund, a named fund managed by the NAMM Foundation.
Carroll notes, “I am proud to accept the president’s role and lead the MIDI Association for the coming two years. This is a critical inflection point in the MIDI Association’s history. As an industry, we’ve only begun to realize the potential of MIDI 2.0, and I’m excited to work with the MIDI Association board and all its members to create MIDI’s next expressive, musical, and creative chapters.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Looking Back on 2025: A Year of Controlled Chaos (Emphasis on “Controlled”)