CME has introduced WIDI Master, a MIDI over Bluetooth adapter that connects to the back of your synth and adds wireless MIDI connectivity.
With WIDI Master, you can connect MIDI devices ,without wires, or you can pair your Bluetooth MIDI controller with any standalone MIDI instrument. You can even pair your standalone MIDI hardware with an iOS device or Mac.
And Windows and Android users can use the ‘WIDI BUD’ to use wireless MIDI over Bluetooth.
Features:
- Wireless technology Bluetooth (ver. 5), MIDI over Bluetooth Low Energy-Compliant
- Connectors:
- 1x MIDI IN (5pin-DIN)
- 1x MIDI OUT (5pin-DIN)
- Switch, indicator 1x switch
1x Multicolor LED - Compatible devices WIDI Master, WIDI BUD, Bluetooth MIDI controllers, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, Mac with Bluetooth 4.0 installed
- Compatible OS iOS 8 or later, OSX Yosemite or later
- Firmware update On the air by using WIDI PLUS software (iOS/ MacOSX)
CME says that they expect “a round latency of 10-15 ms.”
Pricing and Availability
The WIDI Master is available for pre-order for $39 USD.
Guess the automatic pairing could be a big advantage over existing solutions, like Yamaha’s MD-BT01. Also, the fact that you could pair two devices without a computer in the middle. Bluetooth 5.0 might even bring some benefits in terms of low-latency. The copy doesn’t make things very clear, for some reason. Comparisons can be tricky. It’s still useful to demonstrate what makes your product unique.
EDIT:
Ha! This page provides more info, and even addresses the Yamaha device by name. Sounds like the automatic pairing is the key selling point.
https://www.cme-pro.com/how-to-connect-two-midi-hardware-via-wireless-bluetooth-midi/
Will this work with the posse in ear monitor system? They use a midi cable to run from the floor unit to the musician so both guitar signal can travel one way down the line and monitor signal can be transmitted up the line at the same time. I’m thinking this might be capable of turning this wired system into a wireless system, instead of having to feed the signal )in ears) via a separate wireless transmitter as I currently do.
10-15 ms is a huge amount of latency. Good luck syncing that Elektron to anything else using this device
10-15 ms is a huge amount of latency. Good luck syncing that Elektron to anything else using this device. It’ll sound like a train wreck
As said on the CME blog it is the max latency. When we say “a round latency of 10-15 ms.” for WIDI Master, we consider it a maximum when working with all other existing products. If you use 2 WIDI Masters directly, since we implemented both master and slave firmware, you will get much less latency than the reference (10-15ms). That is because you do not need to add extra latency from computer OS and iOS. In addition, you can also pair WIDI Master with any other BLE MIDI adapters or controllers directly.
https://www.cme-pro.com/how-to-connect-two-midi-hardware-via-wireless-bluetooth-midi/
Does this product require 5 v or lower midi electrical to be activated? (I could not see it in the documentation)
I had a few of Midi Solutions devices past and one problem, they had was that they required 5 V, while some devices only provided 3.3 V
There is a list on Midi Solutions webpage of devices, which for sure provide 5 v midi:
http://www.midisolutions.com/faqs.htm
Awesome! I have the CME Xkey Air wireless keyboard and it is excellent (solid build, full-size keys, poly aftertouch), but the bluetooth pairing process always made it a pain to use… This is an insta-buy for me!
I read about what is meant with “round latency”. The answer is on the CME blog.
When people hear Bluetooth, they think about latency and troubles with pairing. We ask ourselves is that true with Bluetooth MIDI? CME already delivered http://www.xkeyair.com and http://www.widibud.com to a wide range of professional musicians worldwide since 2015. Our wireless MIDI solutions are used by thousands of dedicated music makers.
With WIDI Master we reduce latency even further by directly embedding the BLE MIDI protocol in the firmware of the device. You now can bypass your computer and play with wireless MIDI with limited latency. With that in mind, we are in an early stage of development. Therefore we are not able to share hard facts with you yet. Be sure to register at the end of this post. This way we can keep you updated along we develop further.
A little spoiler is that we expect to deliver a round latency of 10-15 ms.
When we say “a round latency of 10-15 ms.” for WIDI Master, we consider it a maximum when working with all other existing products. If you use 2 WIDI Masters directly, since we implemented both master and slave firmware, you will get much less latency than the reference (10-15ms). That is because you do not need to add extra latency from computer OS and iOS. In addition, you can also pair WIDI Master with any other BLE MIDI adapters or controllers directly.
We are aware that “latency” is a big word in the world of MIDI. We understand that. Most of the manufacturers will never share such numbers. We are sure, and have proven in the past, that with our wireless Bluetooth over MIDI solutions you do not need to worry about latency.
https://www.cme-pro.com/how-to-connect-two-midi-hardware-via-wireless-bluetooth-midi/
So close, but I bet that wire will be too short in many cases.