The Scalable Polyphony MIDI (SP-MIDI) specification was co-authored by Nokia Corporation and Beatnik Inc. under the umbrella of the MIDI Manufacturers' Association (MMA) and its Japanese counterpart (AMEI.) Since its ratification by those societies it has been adopted by the global wireless standards body 3GPP as the MIDI standard for polyphonic ring tones and multimedia messaging. The first of these polyphonic phones will roll out in the second half of 2002.

SP-MIDI is a variation on the General MIDI format that was designed to allow composers the ability to deliver a single audio file that can playback across a wide range of MIDI-based mobile devices, each with different polyphonic limitations, and yet have the audio still sound appealing.

For instance, mobile applications that utilize SP-MIDI provide flexibility to both the system operator and the mobile device manufacturer in addressing different customer needs. For example, low-cost mass market phones may have a 4-note polyphonic limit, vs. high-end models that may have 32-note polyphony, and yet the same content will play on either device.

In the second quarter of 2002, Nokia announced its 3510, 3585, 3590 and 7210 mobile phone models which all support SP-MIDI for ring tones, game sound and messaging. Beatnik has licensed the Beatnik Audio Engine™ to Nokia, among others, and is striving to be the premier supplier of SP-MIDI technology to the telephony industry.

As a composer, using traditional MIDI sequencers you can create SP-MIDI content assuming you conform your MIDI files to the SP-MIDI specification. This means arranging your MIDI tracks and channels in such a way that they will playback gracefully even when polyphony is limited.

We recommend the use of Beatnik's Mobile Sound Builder for SP-MIDI creation.

Because SP-MIDI tones are more complex that their SMS counterparts, they will obviously be more time-consuming to produce. Their versatility and quality, however, will be viewed as a major value-add to your clients.

If you want more information on SP-MIDI and business opportunities
surrounding it, please contact Beatnik at .