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March 17, 2021
Great that you are here. It means you are really interested in WIDI. The wireless MIDI solution by CME. With WIDI you have access to the future of MIDI. This blog is intended for you if you are interested to be on top of the latest developments. It explains the basic terminology and it tries to explain the entire process step by step.
Before you go deep into the possibilities of WIDI technology, please ensure to understand the way we work at CME.
As a small innovator the CME team focusses entirely on the development of Bluetooth MIDI technology, our mission is to deliver Bluetooth MIDI to any MIDI enthusiast and make it available to any MIDI device.
Are we there yet? No! There are so many different forms of MIDI and MIDI devices, that this is our real challenge. Sure, we can deliver WIDI and develop an entire system that works perfectly with WIDI devices. That is our short term focus.
Our long term goal is to allow you to use Bluetooth MIDI anytime. It should not matter if you work with iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, MacOS or other Bluetooth MIDI devices from Korg, Roland, ROLI or any other manufacturer. Also, if you work with traditional MIDI hardware and without computers, WIDI is also for you.
The goal for 2021 is that with WIDI you can connect any MIDI instrument and enjoy the benefits of wireless MIDI.
Of course, WIDI technology and Bluetooth MIDI is developed and approved by many clever engineers. That said, it is not about them. It is about you. What do you really need? What does work for you? And what do we need to do to make it user-friendly and easy to operate.
That is why we need you! You are in the center of our development process. You are the Community of MIDI Enthusiasts. That is why we launch concepts, prototypes and beta tests in our Facebook Community. With your feedback we can:
We are blessed with a community that is so actively bursting our developer’s bubble. You provide us focus, honesty and allow the entire community to enjoy your contribution later down the line.
Now we got our intentions sorted out, let’s move to today’s topic: the new iOS WIDI app.
Feel welcome to share any feedback with us. We’d like to know everything.
We are pretty confident that we can solve bugs, or deliver a better explanation through our videos and this blog. Before you start creating wireless groups via BLE MIDI, it is important to explain a couple things about our technology.
Read the remaining part of this blog with care!
First of all it is important to distinguish two different types of updates. You have an updated iOS app that currently runs 1.2.XX. You need to update that first. Next, to fully access the latest features, you need to upgrade your WIDI devices’ firmware to version v0098 or higher.
It is important to understand that WIDI devices upon themselves are designed to be as easy in use as possible. That is why WIDI devices pair automatically. They automatically switch between the central role and the peripheral role.
Generally speaking, it does not matter if your device is the central or peripheral. As both roles allow bi-directional (duplex) communication.
The central and peripheral role become important when updating firmware and setting up groups with multiple WIID devices. You can update your firmware with the WIDI app. In this case, you need to understand that the WIDI App (thus your mobile device) becomes the central device to push settings towards the peripheral (your WIDI device).
If you update one single WIDI device, simply boot it and pair it with your WIDI App. Next you can update to firmware v0098 or higher.
Please note, when working with multiple WIDI devices, you can only update one-by-one. A common mistake that is made, is to boot multiple WIDI devices at the same time. This will make the WIDI devices pair automatically to each other. And when paired, the WIDI App cannot locate the device anymore as they are already occupied.
So, when updating firmware, power your WIDI device up one-by-one and update the firmware one at the time!
If you run into complexities, try these options first:
So, if you want to upgrade the firmware for your specific WIDI device, you need to operate this step by step. First you turn on one WIDI device. Next you pair that with your WIDI app. Now you can control the settings of your WIDI device (peripheral) from the iOS WIDI app (central).
When you have upgraded the firmware for the first, switch it off. Only after this, you can power up the second. You repeat this process before you power up the 3rd WIDI device.
It may seem a bit complex at first, but the automatic pairing and role automation is designed so that any enthusiast, no matter the level of experience, can work with WIDI technology. When creating wireless MIDI groups, you enter a more advanced world of wireless MIDI that requests knowledge and dedication to make your MIDI setup future-proof.
First update all your WIDI devices with (iOS) app v 1.2.XX to firmware v0098 or higher. And do this by manually booting each device one-by-one and allow it to pair WIDI to iOS app to push the new firmware into your WIDI device.
Please note, when working with a Bluetooth MIDI group, there can only be one (1) central. Besides this, there can currently be up to four (4) peripherals. When you switch on multiple WIDI devices at the same time, they will automatically connect to each other. One WIDI device will take that central role (turquoise led indicator) following your manual settings through the WIDI App when creating the group.
Please note, when you are setting up this group, your iOS device has to be the central. Therefore, first you need to force all your WIDI device to become the peripheral mode and not connect with others. Otherwise, due to automatic pairing and role automation, they cannot be found by the (iOS) WIDI app. As the WIDI app has to be the central to allow you to make the settings for group connectivity first.
1-to-4 MIDI Thru // 4-to-1 MIDI Merge
For this moment, yes! As mentioned before our mission is to deliver Bluetooth MIDI that can integrate and connect with any other Bluetooth MIDI device. This is of course great, and it is what WIDI technology distinguishes from any other Bluetooth MIDI adapter manufacturer. That said, this mission comes with challenges.
For instance, Apple’s iOS and MacOS do not provide fixed original Bluetooth addresses to connect with your WIDI devices. For security reasons, Apple changes the Bluetooth address of its own devices and others every 15 minutes. That is why, at this moment, it is not possible to add other BLE MIDI devices in your group connectivity setup.
We are aware of this and our clever developers will find a solution for this to allow any BLE MIDI device to be part of the wireless Bluetooth MIDI network.
When creating a group, you can add up to 5 devices. The group always will have 1 central WIDI device.
Besides this you can add up to 4 peripherals. As communication is duplex, like bi-directional, you actually create a MIDI Thru or MIDI Merge functionality. In short. this means that with this firmware (v0098 and up), you can bypass MIDI interfaces, MIDI merge boxes and MIDI Thru boxes. You now can create the following wirelessly:
Yes you can. You can create groups starting from 2 WIDI devices. You can have multiple WIDI groups to build a complete wireless system with automatic setup. This means, you create the group step-by-step first via the WIDI App. And when it is saved, it connects instantly upon reboot.
This way, you can fully automate your advanced MIDI settings by setting your different connections by default via multiple groups.
That is correct. The WIDI devices are designed to indicate their role and activity through different LED colours. The light blue (turquoise) indicates that, that device is operating as a central. The dark blue indicates it are peripherals. Check out this video for a complete understanding.https://www.youtube.com/embed/n5R_-5wO7Lk?rel=0&modestbranding=1&controls=1&showinfo=1&fs=1&wmode=transparent
In a few cases this is caused by a phenomenon called MIDI loop. Please try to switch off MIDI thru functions in your MIDI devices or DAW. Or deselect WIDI as MIDI Input device in your DAW. When working with MIDI hardware, try to locate the MIDI Thru switch in your MIDI instrument and switch it off.
Once a WIDI has been connected to another, you will not be able to see it from other BLE MIDI device (such as your iOS App). That is why when you want to connect WIDI to iOS app, you must set them one by one. Also you need to force them to the peripheral role prior to setting the group in the WIDI App.
If you do not do this the WIDI device is set to auto role by default. It will try to connect to another WIDI automatically. If this is the case, you have no way to see it from your iOS app because it was occupied by other connection.
When you set a group, that means the central is in “Auto role” with predefined peripheral address. It will only connect to predefined WIDI peripherals. Or switch itself into peripheral mode to connect to another central.
When setting a group you set one single WIDI device as a central device. The remaining (max four) WIDI devices you will set as peripherals. This way, the peripherals will not try to – automatically – find other BLE MIDI devices. They simply wait for the central to match the default group setting you saved.
Therewith, after you set the first group, they will only connect to each other automatically.
Once they connect, you are not able to see them from the WIDI App, because all of them are already occupied and connected with your groups central device.
If you want to reset the group, you need to switch on the central first. And only the central. Not the peripherals, as they will pair automatically with the central. And not allow you to pair that central with the WIDI App.
The WIDI App has to become your temporary central to push settings into the WIDI devices. Therefore, you need to start with the central first. As it is set as “auto role”, you can pair this device with the WIDI app.
Next you force it into peripheral mode by using the app (or there is a shortcut, you can hold the button of the central for 3 seconds while the power is on). This way, it will not connect to any other BLE MIDI device but wait for new connection. Now you can switch on other peripherals together, then use the iOS app to set new central to build a new group.
As soon as we’ve finished optimising the iOS app, we will invest all the time we have to develop the Android solution. This can still take a few months before it is ready. When we launched WIDI Master in July 2020, we pushed Android first. That is why we now in 2021 push iOS first. That seemed most fair to us.
We are changing to a common development tool for both iOS and Android App. This will prevent that we need to develop them separately as currently is the case. Please give us more time. After this changing, we will be able to release them simultaneously.
Also, remember, we are a small team with only two products on the market today. It takes a bit more time compared to our big friends.
The first thing you need to check is if your device is sending MIDI clock. If that is the case, turn that off in your MIDI device. The current version of the app does not filter MIDI clock and that causes issues. We are aware of this and will solve it in the next version. If you still experience troubles, check your iOS version and move to the section below.
Please note that it is widely reported that iOS 14.2 is causing issues with everything related to Bluetooth. Including Bluetooth MIDI. This has nothing to do with WIDI. It is recommended to move to iOS 14.3 (or higher) and follow the instructions below.
When you run 14.X and have troubles with your particular music apps, it is recommended to reach out to your music app developer and/or forums to locate specific information that applies to your use case.
Please note that Bluetooth cache causes many issues when working with advanced WIDI technology. Just like WIDI is designed with automatic pairing and auto role switching, iOS is developed with Bluetooth cache to improve the consumer experience.
When using Bluetooth MIDI, you actually become a prosumer. You are digging much deeper into Bluetooth technology compared to a regular Apple AirPod music experience. If you experience issues with your WIDI device on iOS, always try to reset your Bluetooth cache by toggling the Bluetooth off switch in the iOS preference settings. Just follow the instruction below.
Just follow these easy steps to simply reset Bluetooth on iOS and forget your Bluetooth accessory.
1. Launch Settings and head over to Bluetooth.
2. On the right side of the Bluetooth device name, tap on the “i” icon.
3. Now tap on “Forget This Device” button and confirm.
Turn off Bluetooth and Restart
4. Restart the Bluetooth on iOS by toggling the Bluetooth off/on switch in settings
Pair Again
5. Now pair again with WIDI
Check out this video and use midimittr as a bridge app on iOS. It works in the background and does not interfere with other music apps you like to use.https://www.youtube.com/embed/5SWkeu2IyBg?rel=0&modestbranding=1&controls=1&showinfo=1&fs=1&wmode=transparent
Yes you can connect multiple WIDIs with MacOS or iOS as a central as well. It can take up to 7 peripherals. Please note this is based on MacOS/iOS Bluetooth MIDI and can have a negative effect on latency performance. To do this you need to force all WIDI devices to the peripheral role or switch them on one by one. This way they can connect to the central and not automatically pair to each other.
Please note that this is not the same as the WIDI Group connectivity we are discussing and testing here.
Simply reach out to us through the support form. We are happy to work with you and always try to reply within 24 hours!
© CME
