diff --git a/libs/ardour/midi_playlist.cc b/libs/ardour/midi_playlist.cc
index 93b21f79db..023b4d2f24 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/midi_playlist.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/midi_playlist.cc
@@ -95,13 +95,13 @@ template<typename Time>
 struct EventsSortByTimeAndType {
     bool operator() (const Evoral::Event<Time>* a, const Evoral::Event<Time>* b) {
 	    if (a->time() == b->time()) {
-		    if (parameter_is_midi ((AutomationType)a->event_type()) &&
-		        parameter_is_midi ((AutomationType)b->event_type())) {
+		    if (a->is_midi () && b->is_midi ()) {
 			    /* negate return value since we must return whether
 			     * or not a should sort before b, not b before a
 			     */
 			    return !MidiBuffer::second_simultaneous_midi_byte_is_first (a->buffer()[0], b->buffer()[0]);
 		    }
+		    return a->type () < b->type ();
 	    }
 	    return a->time() < b->time();
     }