Jazzmammal,
I guess yes, resolution is a factor, reading the article Jim posted, Midi 1 was potentially capable of 14 bits, just was not "widely implemented"
Ohh yes this: "How can I make my midi tracks sound more realistic?" A good sample based library?

Jim,
interesting article, thank you for posting! I still have some doubt. To me, manufacturer of specific product will still decide to "be or not to be". For example Komplete Kontrol. Modern-yes. For some reason chaining for Midi Plugins (internal MIDI output from MIDI VST plugins / MIDI VSTs that control MIDI Input.) is missing. Not there. Period. And this is very basic stuff, that had been asked for ages...And NI is one of the most popular software/hardware companies.

My point is, you can have a state of the art hardware/software, but if owners are stubborn, MIDI 2 will not help, because they might advertise product as one, but implement only partially, to their own benefit. And I believe it is a general trend these days. Monopolistic / proprietary approach. The eternal Apple vs Android saga smile