MIDI-CI runs over any MIDI 1.0 transport because it is carried in System Exclusive messages

MIDI-CI Discovery, Profiles, Property Exchange, and Process Inquiry are all implemented using System Exclusive messages — a message type present in MIDI since 1983. Because SysEx travels over any MIDI transport (5-pin DIN, USB MIDI 1.0, RTP MIDI, BLE MIDI, Web MIDI), MIDI-CI can add MIDI 2.0’s bidirectional features to existing gear without new hardware — often via a firmware update. By contrast, the UMP data format and MIDI 2.0 Protocol messages require MIDI 2.0-capable transports and cannot run over a MIDI 1.0 cable. This split is a core design goal: improve the user experience on old transports (via MIDI-CI) while reserving the expanded data format for new ones.

Examples

A decade-old synth gets a MIDI-CI firmware update, and a DAW then uses Property Exchange over an unchanged USB MIDI 1.0 link. That same cable, however, cannot carry MIDI 2.0 Protocol high-resolution messages.

Assessment

Can MIDI-CI Property Exchange work over a 5-pin DIN cable, and why? Which MIDI 2.0 capability cannot travel over that same cable?