The reason MIDI is a success is the actual data is quite simple. It's just a stream of keypress and numeric control updates. And there's no incentive for a synt

The reason MIDI is a success is the actual data is quite simple. It's just a stream of keypress and numeric control updates. And there's no incentive for a synthesizer manufacturer to block access to incoming or outgoing data. When your data is complex, the processing done to it will be complex, especially if you need to guarantee invariants (eg. referential integrity or database constraints).