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Adopted in 2010 as an extension to the MIDI standard, it increases the precision of Note On velocity messages sent by MIDI controllers to 14 bits. The standard Note On message, and still by far the most common, has only one byte for velocity, allowing for 7 bits of precision, or only 127 possible values. The high resolution velocity prefix is a Continuous controller message number 88 (CC#88), sent prior to the standard Note On, to provide the additional 7 bits of precision. The prefix message provides the low-order 7 bits, and the conventional velocity field in the Note On message provides the high order 7 bits. Per the standard, the prefix message effects only the first following Note On. Most Digital Audio Workstations and commercial plugins recognize and/or accommodate this extension to the MIDI standard. Sound sources that do not recognize controller 88 as such will either ignore it or apply it, potentially with non-velocity-related results depending on the sound source's design.

The Infinite Response's VAX-77, CASIO PX5S and PX-560, Roland RD-2000, and several other mass market keyboards can produce and transmit MIDI CC#88 per the high-resolution protocol. Yamaha uses an alternative protocol to increase velocity resolution in a few of their pianos, which they have branded Disklavier XP.

MIDI 2.0 also includes a high-resolution velocity protocol.

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