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WIDI - wireless MIDI that doesn't suck?


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I've been using the Quicco Mi.1 for awhile at home. I'd originally looked for the Yamaha MD-BT01 but they weren't available at the time. Not noticing much latency although it depends on the app. It appears the CME product offers super low latency and Bluetooth 4/5 support. Looks promising!

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Rod

Here for the gear.

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Thanks for the heads up! I already have two yammie units, but I like the smaller profile of these, PLUS you can have just the midi out connected and simply remove the in! Clever. I have ordered one.

There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence...

 

Time is the final arbiter for all things

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I haven't tried that one, but I have the older discontinued CME WIDI-X8. Bigger, not Bluetooth, DIN MIDI in/out at both ends, reliable, and long range. I've used it with my Roland AX-7 reliably many times over long distances.

 

So I can't speak specifically to this product other than to say I was a fan of their earlier products.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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HX-3.5 has WiFi too.

I"ll report how well it works even though I won"t count on it for live work.

My rack is hard wired to a Snake.

Not a fan of fixing things that already work...

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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I have known the guys at CME for a long damn time; Mr. Zhao who runs the firm is a sweet guy and very dedicated to making his customers happy. He recently handed off distribution of the now famous Xkey controller lineup to Virgin Musical Instruments in the USA so he could focus on WIDI, which is purportedly an improvement on the various devices folks have already mentioned above.

 

I actually have one each of the QuiccoSound mi.1, Zivix puc+, and Yamaha MD-BT01 and UD-BT01, all of which get frequent use in my studio and work flawlessly. I don't have a real need for the WIDI gizmo yet, but I will be watching it closely and may try it at some point. QuiccoSound is reportedly upgrading the mi.1 to compete, but the guys there barely speak English and it's nearly impossible to get clear information about their product path.

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

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Mike I got one as I like the idea of being able to have JUST the out connected - which of course I can do with the other units I have but the IN one is always dangling around...

There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence...

 

Time is the final arbiter for all things

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I'm sort of shocked how affordable that is, given that the last time I bought a 15' MIDI cable it cost $30. Unlike my Roli gear, there's no real advantage to, you know, my Roland PK-5 pedals being wireless... other than that I hate cabling and I'm a sucker for living in a future that's more like Star Trek the Next Generation than our current trajectory!

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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there's no real advantage to, you know, my Roland PK-5 pedals being wireless... other than that I hate cabling!

Besides the visual clutter of cabling, there's also the setup/packup times. It seems you could leave these little things permanently in their devices and just turn everything on and have it work without having to take the time to connect/disconnect/wrap cables (much of the most time-consuming part of setting up). Plus every time you connect/disconnect/wrap cables, you're creating another opportunity for failure (damage to a pin, leaving a cable behind). So yeah, I like the idea of wireless even for scenarios that don't inherently need mobility.

 

Which brings me to my questions: Can WIDI Master be used to connect more than two devices? e.g. could you use it to connect 1 keyboard's MIDI Out to two additional MIDI sound sources via their MIDI In connectors (which presumably would require 3 WIDI Master in total)? Could I use 4 units to wirelessly connect the MIDI Outs of two keyboards to the MIDI In connectors of two additional MIDI sources? Assuming this can be done, does any special pairing need to be done to associate one "sending" unit with a particular "receiving" unit? Or does every nearby receiver receive everything from multiple nearby senders, and you assign MIDI channels to insure that each only plays what you want it to?

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I"ve been using MIDI Beam V2 for several years with a couple of different remote, wearable keyboard controllers. Rock solid reliability at 300+ feet...tough to keep in time more than 100 feet away. It seems as fast as cables...perhaps even faster if that is possible?

http://pandamidi.com/

 

However, I just preordered this new CME offering. I really like how compact it is and super duper price. Thanks for posting this Mr. Paxton!

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Whoa, I just realized that ya gotta buy two units to connect two standard MIDI devices to each other...one WIDI unit will only allow MIDI connection to a Bluetooth enabled device, such as to a phone or tablet; or from an Xkey controller to a standard MIDI device.

They still have some preorder units with the sale price...

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I emailed them my questions from a few posts up (needing those answers to know how many I'd want to buy)... I never heard back. That doesn't make me feel encouraged about their support.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I"ve been using MIDI Beam V2 for several years with a couple of different remote, wearable keyboard controllers. Rock solid reliability at 300+ feet...tough to keep in time more than 100 feet away.

 

Wireless in ears are your friend for large stage wandering. :)

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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I've been getting the emails from them. I'm tempted to try but I've had latency with the Yamaha MIDI wireless.

 

My Korg little Bluetooth keyboard *was* great and had NO latency until it required a firmware update which it not only failed, but bricked the unit.

 

So I'm kinda on the fence with the wireless technology... I'd really love to use it but had a mixed bag of results.

Tom

Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins...

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  • 3 weeks later...

An update from CME about some . . . un-clarity in their product marketing:

 

I've bought 1x WIDI Master but do I need 2x WIDI Master to replace a MIDI cable?

 

Basically, the answer is YES! You need two to "pair" two pieces of MIDI hardware. You'd need only one to pair it with a Bluetooth MIDI device like your computer/mobile device or Xkey Air and similar.

 

I think I misunderstood and need to change or cancel my order!

 

That is why we've sent this email. It allows you to take action. Simply reply to this email and provide your order number. This way we can check your purchase and provide you with the correct coupon code to make the additional order with the same discount and avoid double shipping costs.

 

We would also understand if you now found out that WIDI Master is twice as expensive as you previously thought. And we do not want to force you to buy anything you will not be satisfied with. Therefore we give you the opportunity to cancel your order. We will fully refund you the amount you've paid before.

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Yes, a bit disappointing really. Apparently tooling hasn't even begun until very recently and not to be finished until May 25 (maybe) and then test runs and then production. I'd hazard a guess that these will not be in our hands until about July, earliest. I am now expecting more "conciliatory" emails being very sorry but production is being delayed blah blah.

There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence...

 

Time is the final arbiter for all things

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I'm still gonna keep an ear to the ground (I guess the ground is "the folks on this thread"). I'm realizing that with my Mainstage and iOS gigging setups, even one of these would let me leave my interface at home in most situations.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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  • 3 months later...
I must say, I'm looking forward to getting mine, as well (haven't received a shipping confirmation yet, but I ordered a little longer after the initial announcement). Even with the handful of small gigs I have right now, it's (theoretically) going to simplify my life a lot. Let us know when you get it, Rod!

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Yeah I ordered two, been told they are on the way, not here yet! Glad to hear they worked first time o.o.t.b. :)

There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence...

 

Time is the final arbiter for all things

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