There's some boring/obvious QoL stuff like expanding the notion of channels into groups + channels (16 groups of 16 channels in MIDI 2 instead of the implicit s

There's some boring/obvious QoL stuff like expanding the notion of channels into groups + channels (16 groups of 16 channels in MIDI 2 instead of the implicit single group of 16 channels on MIDI 1), better synchronization messages, higher resolution control changes/velocity/aftertouch, polyphonic control changes, and so on. Basically the limitations of MIDI 1's 8 bit protocol are being lifted. But the big difference is that MIDI 2 is duplex (devices can send and receive messages from each other, rather than just broadcasting them into the void). This allows for discovery (devices can find each other on the same connection/network), capability inquiry (devices can get metadata about each other) and the super power: property exchange (get/set properties as JSON). The reason the last bit is so big is because it fixes some giant issues with MIDI, like being unable to control the tuning system used by all the connected devices. With some conventions and the new protocol we should see MIDI 2 open up a lot of room for non-western and microtonalities without resorting to tedium or hacks. But that's just an example. It's kind of like a binary protocol for hardware and software music devices that goes beyond basic performance controls.