Roland WM-1 introduced

Today WIDI Master has got a new friend. The Roland WM-1 has been introduced. The wireless younger brother from another Bluetooth mother. A quick view showed that it somehow looks quite similar to WIDI Master. That is mainly in the name.

First of all, we at CME, are delighted with this step by Roland into Bluetooth MIDI adapters. It proves we are leading the way with WIDI Master. When a company like Roland takes Bluetooth MIDI by the hand, you know it is getting serious.

This means good things are about to happen for you and the entire Bluetooth MIDI community. Therefore we welcome the Roland WM-1 and WM-1D to the Bluetooth family with open arms.

Because the concept of the Roland WM-1 looks quite similar to the WIDI technology, we thought it would be great to offer you this quick comparison. Let us run through the announcement and talk a bit about the similarities and the differences.

Korg with iPad connected wirelessly with WIDI Master. Image by http://www.klangproduktion.de/

Look for similarities not differences

As this is really exciting for our small company and team, we have taken a quick look to the Roland WM-1 product page. We’ve notices a few remarkable similarities between the Roland WM-1 and our very own WIDI Master.

Let’s start with the latency comparison, as both CME and Roland report the ultra low latency performance of 3ms. This is great news, as it proves once more that this is perfectly possible. As Roland says, it is super fast and it is much faster compared to the internal speed of many hardware devices. We totally agree.

What is also interesting is the product name. Although you might think WM-1 stands for WIDI Master 1, it actually stands for Wireless MIDI. Honestly, we’d like to think that naming it WM-1 is just to honour WIDI Master. Please allow us to keep thinking this. It makes our day!

Looking at family members of the WM-1, we see a USB dongle named the WM-1D. It looks quite similar to our WIDI Uhost, when looking at the specifications. That said, looking at its design and form, it is actually more close to our WIDI BUD that was released back in 2016.  

The other similarity is that the WM-1 will connect to the 5-PIN DIN socket on your MIDI hardware. As Roland states, WM-1 can pair with each other between two pieces of MIDI hardware and with iOS and macOS devices. The WM-1D is there to connect to your computer and bypass the limitations of your operating system concerning BLE MIDI.

Feel welcome to watch this introduction video. Next, you can take a closer look at the differences!https://www.youtube.com/embed/bDHZv_Q83As?rel=0&modestbranding=1&controls=1&showinfo=1&fs=1&wmode=transparent

CME WIDI Master Vs Roland WM-1

If you watched the video above, you must have noticed that pairing two devices is quite different between CME and Roland. This is mainly caused by the fact that the Roland WM-1 operates with AAA batteries. Therefore it has and on/off switch. Otherwise the batteries will not last a long time. Logical choice.

This is different compared to WIDI Master. As it is powered by the MIDI OUT of the device you attach it too. This allows the easiness of automatic pairing as soon as you connect our Bluetooth MIDI adapters. Honestly speaking, the Roland WM-1 button seems a bit old school compared to CME’s automatic pairing mode. That said, Roland must have good reasons for developing their wireless MIDI products this way.

In conjunction with our community we’ve discussed battery opportunities firmly during the crowd creation process of WIDI Master. The fact is, that in the consumer market, a wide variety of AA batteries is available. From our perspective, this will lead to all kind of unwanted issues. As many batteries offer very different qualities and life cycles. This is especially a risk when looking at performing on stage and the possibility of leaking batteries in your electronic device.

That is why we considered batteries not really reliable for our purpose. That said, different person, different preferences. To be fair, it does offer a solution that differentiate both products. In the end, this will lead to more people joining the wireless MIDI revolution. We think that is great!

These are the first differences:

• Roland WM-1 battery power – VS – CME WIDI Master MIDI OUT power
• Roland on/off switch – VS – CME WIDI Master automatic pairing

Please watch the video underneath to make your own comparison as you are perfectly capable to make your own decision based on your specific use case.https://www.youtube.com/embed/wzLGH8QCSN0?rel=0&modestbranding=1&controls=1&showinfo=1&fs=1&wmode=transparent

Digging deeper into the specifications

Another big difference is simply the price point. As mentioned on the Roland website, the prices are as follows compared to CME WIDI.

• CME WIDI Master US$ 59 – VS – Roland WM-1 US$ 69
• CME WIDI Uhost US$ 59 – VS – Roland WM-1D US$ 79

Yet, there is much more to be discovered. For instance the range. As Roland reports 10 meters, compared to CME delivering 20 meters.

• Roland WM-1 10 meters range – VS – CME WIDI 20 meters range

Let’s also look at connectivity and application opportunities as well. When looking at pairing WIDI Master or WM-1 with a Bluetooth MIDI equipped devices, a big difference occurs. It seems that Roland will only connect with Roland BLE MIDI devices.

This shows us that WM-1 is made for Roland users. It is totally different compared to the vision behind CME’s WIDI technology. We deliver wireless MIDI to everyone. Even for those devices without powered MIDI OUTS, only MIDI INS, TRS MIDI and 6-PIN DIN-mini. For this we offer WIDI Jack!

That is why CME WIDI Master can pair with any BLE MIDI device on the market! That is how we build it. That is our philosophy.

• CME WIDI compatible with all BLE MIDI devices – VS – Roland WM-1 only compatible with Roland BLE MIDI devices

Sales Position at Thomann International (Largest EU Retailer)

Please note these two screenshots as taken on December 16, 2020 from Thomann. At this date both products have been available at Thomann since the beginning of October. This means there has been sufficient time to measure actual differences. The images show you the difference in the overall sales position measured on over-all-sales by Thomann.

Also you can note the comparison with a common USB audio interface from Steinberg. It shows you that Bluetooth MIDI is becoming a widely accepted standard and becoming a top seller internationally.

1. CME WIDI Master is outperforming a standard USB audio interface like the Steinberg UR22 MK2 (Position 2040)
2. CME WIDI Master is outperforming Roland WM-1 by far on overall sales position: 1632 vs 18227

You can locate the actual data and monitor it yourself by clicking the product names below. Or enlarging the enclosed images. Look at the red circles!
CME WIDI Master vs Roland WM-1

CME WIDI Master

Roland WM-1

Roger Linn – CEO RogerLinn Design

I (Roger) have tested the WIDI Master from CME-PRO and found it to be well-designed, fast, easy to use and low-cost at only $59. You simply connect its two little wireless plugs into LinnStrument’s MIDI IN and OUT jacks, and it transmits and receives low-latency MIDI over Bluetooth to and from your computer or other Bluetooth device.

Interestingly, CME have figured out how to get the latency down to as low as 3 mS, which is quite an accomplishment. In my test playing 3-note chords and melody with 3D MPE expression, I didn’t perceive any added latency or delays normally associated with Bluetooth.

Linnstrument

The power of the community

As mentioned before WIDI Master was developed together with people like you. It was exactly this crowd creation process that allowed us to focus development on features you requested. That is how WIDI Master came to live. Following the successful introduction, which sold over 5,000 units, we are now expanding the availability to local resellers and distributors.

That is why we are delighted to see that Roland introduces its Bluetooth MIDI adapter family. Together we are creating the new standard for wireless MIDI. Feel welcome to check out our local distributors and resellers list and buy your WIDI Master locally. Or simply go to your webshop and order for worldwide shipping,

Also, the Community of MIDI Enthusiasts is leading the innovation with an adventurous variety of use cases ranging from MIDI accordeons to MIDI guitar pedals and switches. And from your vintage synthesizers to portable keytars and electronic wind instruments. Especially for the last two, WIDI Master offers a great detachable design to allow you to only use the main adapter. Interested? Just go here to investigate multiple case studies of WIDI Master in action as provided by our community.

Or watch this great video by Defcon Clark! Don’t forget to subscribe to his channel.https://www.youtube.com/embed/jm0_mbKUIwo?rel=0&modestbranding=1&controls=1&showinfo=1&fs=1&wmode=transparent

To conclude

The best compliment you can get is when somebody copies your work. It is written in the DNA of music. Think about sampling and cover songs. That is what we do. We inspire each other. We copy each other. Together we move technology and the art of creating music forward.

We are really happy that such a big player as Roland is focussing on wireless MIDI over Bluetooth. This really means we have hit the right note when starting the crowd creation of WIDI Master back in December 2019.

We truly believe this will further expand the awareness of Bluetooth MIDI among the MIDI community. Therewith it will allow more people to benefit from this great technology. And when more people are interested, the industry will push the technology forward. In the end, this will mean better pricing and improved technology for you.

That is the way it goes!

Always. One. Step. Ahead.

Cyril Lance – CTO Moog Music

I was lucky enough to be able to start working with a pair of prototype WIDI adapters from CME. They worked flawlessly and transparently. For example, I immediately had our flagship synthesizer, the Moog ONE, controlling and being controlled by our older MIDI instruments and vintage MIDI controllers.

Moog Music

Comparison CME WIDI Master vs Roland WM-1

Comparison CME WIDI Uhost vs Roland WM-1D

Tom White – Former President of MMA

CME WIDI Master is the first Bluetooth MIDI adapter that can perform as both a “peripheral” or “central” device, allowing fast, low-latency, and stable point-to-point wireless connections between any two devices.

MIDI Manufacturers Association

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