The future of MIDI?? WIDI Master Wireless Bluetooth MIDI

MIDI is magic.
In this video I'll show off the advantages of new wireless MIDI tech like the CME Pro WIDI Master. We'll test out the latency and talk about some (not so) comparable alternatives as well.
The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (or MIDI) is a way to connect devices that make and control sound - such as synthesizers, samplers, and computers - so that they can communicate with each other, using standardized messages. This lets one keyboard trigger sounds on another synthesizer, and it makes it possible to record music in a form that allows for easy note editing, flexible orchestration, and song arrangement. Virtual instruments - computer programs that simulate hardware synthesizers and samplers - also communicate with computer sequencing software running on the same computer using MIDI messages.
MIDI was developed in the 1980's and has remained a standard of music production ever since, with minor advances in the technology, and almost all professional music equipment being included with it's functionality.
Up until very recently, MIDI was available in 2 standard forms: MIDI DIN and USB MIDI, USB being a more modern equivalent that can send bi-directional information with just one cable. In the last few years we have seen advancements allowing for MIDI over wifi and wireless technologies like bluetooth but until BLE5 (Blueooth Low Engery 5) was introduced in 2020 there was just too much noticeably latency.
Today, we have the WIDI Master by ‪@CMEPro‬ ... let's see what it can do!

[@timpullen4941]

Bud, it is not faster than a normal 5 pin midi cable. I'm an engineer worked with Japanese keyboard manufacturers from 1980 until 2015. . I have the Widi master and the Widi Host. They both do a great job. There is a 3 millisecond processing delay.

[@silvertongues2]

just curious, what latency does a point-to-point midi cable achieve?

[@CMEPro]

Thanks for this video. It is so great to see all those use cases :-)

[@MRTUNA]

For real I am a huge WIDI Master advocate now! The world must know!

[@_c_y_p_3]

@@MRTUNA 💙these things. The WIDI Jack was my favorite purchase of the year it came out and I bought way more expensive things I cannot even remember. These things are probably one of my fav purchases ever, I mean wireless midi on anything is cool but on every is 🤯

[@zhaoyitian]

Can't say anything... you are the real expert! Thanks very much.

[@blainealbert198]

I have a generic widi device though it sometimes run into latency issues. I may have to check this one out. 👍

[@MRTUNA]

I pretty much insist the latency is non existent on the new WIDI masters! Let’s jam again soon bud try ❤️❤️

[@blainealbert198]

@@MRTUNA , Ya! Let’s jam soon. It looks like you’ve made some upgrades to the synth barn.

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

The Widi video I was looking for! 👍🏽

[@matthewgaines10]

WIDI Master works for me. A MPC One, 2 synths, and 2 digital pianos.

[@MRTUNA]

nice! I havent got to use an MPC one yet but i am really keen to try

[@matthewgaines10]

@@MRTUNA I use it in place of a DAW.

[@KeytarKris]

Totally looooove my wireless midi hook ups. Bluetooth midi rocks!🎹🤟 I use my WIDI Master so I can hook up a keytar to a sequencer wirelessly

[@MRTUNA]

I use it with my keytar too! I use it instead of the Bluetooth midi built in to the ax-edge because it is so much faster (and connects to hardware)

[@drepost6126]

Can you pair it to a Bluetooth speaker ive got a Bluetooth transmitter for my mpc and it lags when i play the pads

[@bestrickie2]

m attempting to download WIDI App from the App Store I’ve done successfully onto my iPad. When I attempt to download from the App Store the exact same app on my Apple Mac, it’s not taking me to the same app in the Apple Store via my Mac.

[@miekwavesoundlab]

Can I connect 8 of these into my Midisport 8x8 as midI IO HUB and 8 WIDI into my 8 MIDI IO outboard? Or is is limited on 2 devices?

[@MG-MusicLover]

How do you get sound to your mixer or speakers? Are they Bluetooth or?

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Your large studio is ripe for wireless MIDI. But, I thought CAT5 Ethernet was being used for advanced long run MIDI today?? My studio is confined to a very small space, in a very small room, and cables are not a problem in the least.

[@MRTUNA]

Makes total sense to me// I haven’t taken advantage of Ethernet midi but it sounds like 100% the fastest most reliable. I am not going to replace my midi cables with all wireless but it’s really nice to be able to connect to my phone or computer or iPad right away…. Or use that midi ring!

[@AdrianoBortoleto]

Hi man, great video. I got a WIDI Jack but I don’t know why this little guy doesn’t work with my Alesis VI49… that’s frustrating cuz it works on my other keys but I bought this device to use my alesis + ipad and is not working… did you get any issues or anyone here also did have a similar situation? Thanks

[@MichaelPacicca]

Question: I teach piano lessons and was wondering if I plugged this bluetooth unit into the back of my KORG C1 piano, would I be able to cut the volume off of the piano with my phone app to have control over my student? Thanks for your time in this matter :o)

[@MRTUNA]

yes you definitely can so long as the piano can recieve midi control change messages which it almost definitely can..... CC7 is usually volume!

[@MichaelPacicca]

You the man! Thanks for the quick response!@@MRTUNA

[@suspectdown5133]

I have a 1988 Casio PG 380 Guitar controller (MIDI out only). Do you plug one into the guitar and the other into the MIDI receiver ? I have a older M-Audio mid air transmitter with receiver that takes batteries right now. Not sure this would work to connect the guitar to a rack mount casio 10M/8M synth set up. Plug one 5 pin transmitter into the guitar and one receiver into the other ? then plug a transmitter (out) from there to the other MIDI equipment ? All I need is the initial connection for the guitar.

[@bestrickie2]

Hello. I’m pleased to have purchased two sets of WIDI Masters. These two sets are pairing up nicely between hardware keyboards. I’m also using one set for playing keys on one of the hardware keyboards activating software instruments in GarageBand and another app on iOS. However, I also use Logic Pro on board iMac. I understand WIDI Master is not suitable yet for use with iMac. I endeavour to use hardware keyboards to record midi signals onto midi recordable tracks on logic pro combined with my iMac meaning I wish to record instrument sounds from the hardware keyboard(s) via midi instead of recording in audio where the sounds from the external hardware keyboard can be heard during playback. Following the recording in midi and playback, I’m aware the recorded data can be recreated in audio. Which cable and or device do I need to record from 5 pin din to USB and or is it possible to use WIDI Master in conjunction with another device? Thanks in advance.

[@MRTUNA]

Thats interesting--- the widi masters workd great on my macbook using Logic Pro! ---I would think it should work well on an iMac too? Its hidden in audio/midi settings and then midi studio > bluetooth. otherwise There is a WIDI Uhost USB will solve this problem tho!

[@silvertongues2]

I just bought one, but unfortunately, Behringer has put the midi in and out too far apart on their new Solina for me to be able to use it!!! doh!

[@MRTUNA]

I bet you could use a 2.5mm extension cable??

[@s.kxx1956]

Have you tried the bluetooth on the jupiter x ? Is it good ?

[@MRTUNA]

It’s great-- but it’s not as fast as the WIDI masters. I use it more for Bluetooth audio than anything actually

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

The long USB was not met for Midi it was ment for connecting to a printer. I would of thought there would be latency with wireless midi.

[@timpullen4941]

There is a 3 millisecond latency.

[@lordbachus]

The problem with the technollogy is that its based on bluetooth, and if you put enough bluetooth end midi transceivers in a room, you will get interference…. Which leads to latency disturbances and unreliability.. Great tool for in your studio, wouldn’t use it on stage

[@MRTUNA]

I have only 3 of them at this point and I am using them in combination with a horrible tangle of hardwired midi cables but I am very impressed with what they have been able to bring to the table in my studio--- particularly the distance they can cover where I couldnt make it work with my video rig before without hilariously unreliable midi.

[@KeytarKris]

I’ve noticed this too in my studio, but you gotta work with whatcha got. 9 times outta 10 it gets the job done. That exception though is frustrating

[@kewk]

That was my initial concern as well. The “it’s faster than usb” perked my interests for sure. Especially, when I haven’t liked the speed of iPad to computer via Bluetooth. Idk I may get a pair to test out.

[@SyntheticFuture]

I'm still trying to figure out what the problem is that this system solves. Like someone stated you can use ethernet on long runs. Which is undoubtedly harder to disrupt than anything wireless. You can use cheap cables on short runs. People with a lot of synths might be able to reduce the cable clutter but then the question is: is that worth the very high price? And what happens when you have 20 of these + wifi + Bluetooth + other wireless standards all fighting in one room. I would never trust a system like this for stage use where there's even more and stronger wireless signals (think wireless mics and guitar things that have transmitters 10x the size of this). So to me it seems like a fun gadget that might sometimes be kinda handy. But I can't see what issue it's solving =s

[@MRTUNA]

it is a fun gadget that can be quite handy actually-- i find a lot of uses for it, and its definitely not replacing all the midi cables in my setup thats just unrealistic. i use it for connecting to my midi-ring, or with my keytar, or if i need to test synths on the road, or if im just jamming on the couch with my ipad. its been extremely helpful so far but i still rely on standard cables for regular studio use.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

No way to tell on your video, what is the latency time in milliseconds? Interesting video.

[@MRTUNA]

My attitude is if I can’t hear the latency then it does not matter. I don’t have incredible tools to test this all out but I do have a lot of experience with midi and wireless midi alternatives and I can say very confidently that this is comparable to a hardwired midi cable in terms of percievable latency. It kicks the yamaha bt01 out of the water and I don’t use the Bluetooth built into my Roland ax edge anymore I plug in the WIDI master and use that

[@FailedMuso]

Latency has been shown to be as low as 3ms in most instances. I have never experienced any perceivable latency in over a year of using WIDI in my studio.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

@@MRTUNA I like to use the delay effect as a human observation of latency. Where 100ms we can detect two distinct tones, at 50ms we get fattening, and at 15ms and below, humans probably can't detect any large change in a single tap delay.

[@MRTUNA]

@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene that’s very interesting and I’m going to do some reading on it now!

[@antony.emmatty]

Does the WIDI master transmit transport control messages also from your midi keyboard? I wish to avoid the usb connection from my keys to my pc and control by Bluetooth only.

[@MRTUNA]

yes it does!

[@antony.emmatty]

@@MRTUNA That's great !! Thanks a lot for your quick reply 👍

[@jrgs1980]

Does the jupiter X work well with the Squarp Pyramid? Any issues with the parts or do you use one part/synth at a time?

[@MRTUNA]

it works actually amazingly--- the **best** part abot the JPX and the pyramid is that you can actually power it AND send all the usb midi right from the computer-usb port on the jupiter-x. its like having a sequencer expansion pack for your jupiter-x that doesnt take up any extra ports. i am sooooo thrilled by this.

[@jrgs1980]

Is that second squarp pyramid that you have connected to the JPX also synched to your main squarp pyramid on the other side of the studio? Or to the MC707???

[@MRTUNA]

@@jrgs1980 techically it is synced to the mc707 via the widi master (because i wanted to avoid extraneous midi data and the mc-707 runs its own sequencer loop aside from sync), but the mc707 is synced to the 1st pyramid so its all just a long daisy-chain from pyramid to pyramid

[@drrobert9068]

Mmmhh nice, but all those Audio cables and power cables are still a mess…

[@KipFox]

You're breaking that poor MRCC's heart.

[@MRTUNA]

It’s a very cool machine itself! That’s for another video

[@Wildcatballer52]

“What languages do you speak”. “I speak English, Spanish and MIDI”.

[@Lorneplumber]

Still can’t get mine working

[@MRTUNA]

What’s the sitch? It was a little bit on a learning my curve getting mine setup- I think the most important thing is plugging them in at the right times if that makes sense

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Be careful what you wish for. All these transmissions of blue-tooth, cell phone microwaves, radio and television waves, road radar, HARP waves, defensive grid waves, GPS....not good for the brain, I am vigilant at keeping these out of my home as best I can, by not using wireless, never carry a cell phone with me, and using EMF reduction devices. Some people are more susceptible to EMF than others, and the EMF radiation is not a consistent mesh, there are hotspots of high density, and also lower density areas. IF...you have no problem getting an uninterrupted 7 hours minimum sleep, then you can probably add more radiation to your home.

[@MRTUNA]

I wake up like 3 times a night minimum

[@mostlyharmless0544]

I don’t know if there’s scientific consensus supporting this opinion. From what I’ve seen and heard from expert sources, there’s really zero measurable effect. It might be more in your head.