diff --git a/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiBuffer.cpp b/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiBuffer.cpp
index 91689d332c..55e2597b36 100644
--- a/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiBuffer.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiBuffer.cpp
@@ -57,9 +57,16 @@ namespace MidiBufferHelpers
         }
         else if (byte == 0xff)
         {
-            int n;
-            const int bytesLeft = MidiMessage::readVariableLengthVal (data + 1, n);
-            size = jmin (maxBytes, n + 2 + bytesLeft);
+            if (maxBytes == 1)
+            {
+                size = 1;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                int n;
+                const int bytesLeft = MidiMessage::readVariableLengthVal (data + 1, n);
+                size = jmin (maxBytes, n + 2 + bytesLeft);
+            }
         }
         else if (byte >= 0x80)
         {
diff --git a/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.cpp b/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.cpp
index d1ad950583..9ccccfacd8 100644
--- a/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.cpp
@@ -224,9 +224,16 @@ MidiMessage::MidiMessage (const void* srcData, int sz, int& numBytesUsed, const
         }
         else if (byte == 0xff)
         {
-            int n;
-            const int bytesLeft = readVariableLengthVal (src + 1, n);
-            size = jmin (sz + 1, n + 2 + bytesLeft);
+            if (sz == 1)
+            {
+                size = 1;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                int n;
+                const int bytesLeft = readVariableLengthVal (src + 1, n);
+                size = jmin (sz + 1, n + 2 + bytesLeft);
+            }
 
             auto dest = allocateSpace (size);
             *dest = (uint8) byte;
diff --git a/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.h b/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.h
index bc7669622b..5628c3ae92 100644
--- a/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.h
+++ b/modules/juce_audio_basics/midi/juce_MidiMessage.h
@@ -83,19 +83,19 @@ public:
         complete message, and will return the number of bytes it used. This lets
         you read a sequence of midi messages from a file or stream.
 
-        @param data             the data to read from
-        @param maxBytesToUse    the maximum number of bytes it's allowed to read
-        @param numBytesUsed     returns the number of bytes that were actually needed
-        @param lastStatusByte   in a sequence of midi messages, the initial byte
-                                can be dropped from a message if it's the same as the
-                                first byte of the previous message, so this lets you
-                                supply the byte to use if the first byte of the message
-                                has in fact been dropped.
-        @param timeStamp        the time to give the midi message - this value doesn't
-                                use any particular units, so will be application-specific
+        @param data                     the data to read from
+        @param maxBytesToUse            the maximum number of bytes it's allowed to read
+        @param numBytesUsed             returns the number of bytes that were actually needed
+        @param lastStatusByte           in a sequence of midi messages, the initial byte
+                                        can be dropped from a message if it's the same as the
+                                        first byte of the previous message, so this lets you
+                                        supply the byte to use if the first byte of the message
+                                        has in fact been dropped.
+        @param timeStamp                the time to give the midi message - this value doesn't
+                                        use any particular units, so will be application-specific
         @param sysexHasEmbeddedLength   when reading sysexes, this flag indicates whether
-                                to expect the data to begin with a variable-length field
-                                indicating its size
+                                        to expect the data to begin with a variable-length
+                                        field indicating its size
     */
     MidiMessage (const void* data, int maxBytesToUse,
                  int& numBytesUsed, uint8 lastStatusByte,