diff --git a/crates/midi/src/sequence.rs b/crates/midi/src/sequence.rs
index e50c6614..c5336f06 100644
--- a/crates/midi/src/sequence.rs
+++ b/crates/midi/src/sequence.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::collections::hash_map::Entry;
 
 /// A MIDI note. Times are in model ticks ([`crate::PPQ`] per quarter note).
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
@@ -108,14 +110,28 @@ impl Sequence {
 
         self.ctrls.sort_by_key(|c| c.tick);
         let mut kept: Vec<CtrlEvent> = Vec::with_capacity(self.ctrls.len());
+        // The latest tick and `kept` index of each channel+kind, so a same-tick repeat is found
+        // without rescanning the tick's events (a tick can hold many thousands of distinct keys).
+        // An entry from an earlier tick counts as absent; keeping the tick instead of clearing the
+        // map per tick keeps the work per event constant after a dense tick.
+        let mut last_at: HashMap<(u8, (u8, u8)), (i64, usize)> = HashMap::new();
         for c in self.ctrls.drain(..) {
             // Within a tick, replace an earlier event of the same channel+kind.
-            // Only events at the same tick (the tail of `kept`) can match.
-            let slot =
-                kept.iter_mut().rev().take_while(|k| k.tick == c.tick).find(|k| k.channel == c.channel && kind_key(k.kind) == kind_key(c.kind));
-            match slot {
-                Some(slot) => *slot = c,
-                None => kept.push(c),
+            match last_at.entry((c.channel, kind_key(c.kind))) {
+                Entry::Occupied(mut e) => {
+                    let (tick, idx) = *e.get();
+                    match kept.get_mut(idx) {
+                        Some(slot) if tick == c.tick => *slot = c,
+                        _ => {
+                            e.insert((c.tick, kept.len()));
+                            kept.push(c);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                Entry::Vacant(e) => {
+                    e.insert((c.tick, kept.len()));
+                    kept.push(c);
+                }
             }
         }
         self.ctrls = kept;
diff --git a/crates/midi/tests/it/ops.rs b/crates/midi/tests/it/ops.rs
index 3a367ee0..431790ff 100644
--- a/crates/midi/tests/it/ops.rs
+++ b/crates/midi/tests/it/ops.rs
@@ -222,3 +222,72 @@ fn sequence_serde_round_trip() {
     let json = serde_json::to_string(&seq).unwrap();
     assert_eq!(serde_json::from_str::<Sequence>(&json).unwrap(), seq);
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn remove_duplicates_handles_a_large_same_tick_controller_group() {
+    // Every channel x controller number at one tick, twice: the second copy of each wins. A
+    // rescan of the tick's kept events per incoming event would make this quadratic.
+    let keys: Vec<(u8, u8)> = (0..=255u8).flat_map(|ch| (0..=255u8).map(move |cc| (ch, cc))).collect();
+    let ctrls = [0, 1]
+        .iter()
+        .flat_map(|&pass| keys.iter().map(move |&(channel, cc)| CtrlEvent { tick: 7, channel, kind: CtrlKind::Cc(cc), value: pass }))
+        .collect();
+    let mut seq = Sequence { notes: Vec::new(), ctrls };
+    let start = std::time::Instant::now();
+    assert_eq!(seq.remove_duplicates(), keys.len());
+    assert!(start.elapsed() < std::time::Duration::from_secs(10), "{:?}", start.elapsed());
+    assert_eq!(seq.ctrls.len(), keys.len());
+    assert!(seq.ctrls.iter().all(|c| c.value == 1));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn remove_duplicates_matches_a_per_tick_rescan_on_mixed_ticks() {
+    // The straightforward per-tick rescan the indexed version replaced, kept as an oracle.
+    fn reference(mut ctrls: Vec<CtrlEvent>) -> Vec<CtrlEvent> {
+        ctrls.sort_by_key(|c| c.tick);
+        let key = |k: CtrlKind| match k {
+            CtrlKind::Cc(n) => (0, n),
+            CtrlKind::PitchBend => (1, 0),
+            CtrlKind::ChannelPressure => (2, 0),
+            CtrlKind::PolyPressure(p) => (3, p),
+            CtrlKind::Program => (4, 0),
+        };
+        let mut kept: Vec<CtrlEvent> = Vec::new();
+        for c in ctrls {
+            match kept.iter_mut().rev().take_while(|k| k.tick == c.tick).find(|k| k.channel == c.channel && key(k.kind) == key(c.kind)) {
+                Some(slot) => *slot = c,
+                None => kept.push(c),
+            }
+        }
+        kept
+    }
+
+    // Few ticks, channels and kinds, so the same key recurs both within a tick (interleaved with
+    // other keys) and across ticks; unsorted input from a fixed xorshift stream.
+    let mut state = 0x9E37_79B9_7F4A_7C15u64;
+    let mut next = move || {
+        state ^= state << 13;
+        state ^= state >> 7;
+        state ^= state << 17;
+        state
+    };
+    let kinds = |r: u64| match r % 5 {
+        0 => CtrlKind::Cc((r >> 8) as u8 % 4),
+        1 => CtrlKind::PitchBend,
+        2 => CtrlKind::ChannelPressure,
+        3 => CtrlKind::PolyPressure((r >> 8) as u8 % 4),
+        _ => CtrlKind::Program,
+    };
+    for round in 0..200 {
+        let mut ctrls = Vec::new();
+        for i in 0..(next() % 64) {
+            let r = next();
+            ctrls.push(CtrlEvent { tick: (r % 6) as i64 - 2, channel: (r >> 16) as u8 % 3, kind: kinds(r >> 24), value: (round * 100 + i) as i32 });
+        }
+        let mut seq = Sequence { notes: Vec::new(), ctrls: ctrls.clone() };
+        let removed = seq.remove_duplicates();
+        let expected = reference(ctrls.clone());
+        assert_eq!(seq.ctrls, expected, "round {round}");
+        assert_eq!(removed, ctrls.len() - expected.len(), "round {round}");
+    }
+}