MIDI Thru with integrated Bluetooth MIDI

This thing is great. I can add wireless midi to pretty much any device. This works just as you might hope. Plug it into a standard MIDI port and depending on the situation this will automatically find another CME device and connect, or present itself as a device to pair to.Unlike a few competitors, this does not require any external power or a battery to maintain. Just draws a tiny bit of current from the MIDI port itself. Brilliant.

Wow, I'm genuinely impressed with this device. You just plug it into a windows box, let it pair with the keyboard, and you're off to the races with no fuss or drivers, and low latency.Even leaving local control on the keyboard on, so I'm getting sound through both the onboard speakers and the bluetooth midi->vst->optical coax->speakers chain, it's still low enough latency that it only produces a very mild chorus effect, and that may simply be that I have two slightly different piano voices in play.

My keyboardist plays an old Korg Kronos, and because he only has two hands, I help out on a few songs with my MIDI controller plugged into the Korg. The problem is long MIDI cables. The solution is this USB stick. By popping it into any of his USB slots, it pairs instantly with the transmitter on my MIDI controller and is powered by his keyboard. Works great, no detectable lag, no more cables!

For Android, its quite complicated to setup the WIDI device. First, the firmware must be updated with the WIDI app, and sometimes de WIDI device it's not even detected by the Android phone, so one or more resets are required. Then, another app for Bluetooth MIDI must be installed in the Android Device ("Bluetooth MIDI Connect" or "MIDI+BTLE"). Once the connection is established with that app, there must be another app installed that can receive and send MIDI messages through Bluetooth. So it's quite and hit or miss process to find one that works. So far, "MIDI Keyboard", "MIDI Sequencer" and "Super MIDI Box", are the only ones that have worked for me. Even "Roland Zenbeats" does not detect the external MIDI device via Bluetooth. Guess Android's Bluetooth implementation requires some fine tuning still. However, when the setup works, it's quite impressive. The MIDI messages are so small, that there's no latency at all. You play the keys in your smartphone, and the sound comes out from the external MIDI sound device with the WIDI connectors installed, almost inmmediatly. The best use for me, is to create a MIDI sequence and put it to play in loop while I jam with other instrument. No need to invest in a hardware sequencer. However, the downside is that the setup is not 100% reliable: sometimes there are ghost notes, and sometimes the sound freezes or stops and you need to reset everything. Maybe not too reliable for live playing at this moment, but wonderful for fun at home. I guess in iOS devices, those problems are rare. Anyway, the price tag is low enough to justify the purchase.

Just what i needed

Solved my issue running koala on Android. I was using USB cable then otg adapter. I kept freezing up. With the widi I was able to play longer without any hiccups after all troubleshooting. After pairing if it didn't work I would try again until it gets a stable BT connection. Very happy. My midi controller no longer collecting dust. I was really tempted to buy a new BT midi controller already built in, but nah. Why when already have MPC style pads with reputable quality by the best in pads? Or risk buying crappy pads with weak response? The widi in return saved me money. Yup. I highly recommend for USB midi controllers. Type C connection on uHost is so convenient. I'm still undecided on where to place my included sticky magnet.

If WIRELESS MIDI is your thing, this is a must have. Having no cable is a game changer. Low latency plus program change function is very useful. I have it connected to my Yamaha WX5 wind synth and Roland JV 1080 module. It also doesn't seem to put a big drain on my batteries.

I got the Widi Uhost because one of my devices (Akso board) other than my other synths, samplers doesn‘t have 5pin DIN Midi. It connects very well with the WIDI masters on these machines. I‘m a big fan of the whole CME bluetooth midi series. Even though I haven’t done done any tests concerning distance, I can clearly recommend the whole CME bluetooth midi series. They are quick to connect, setup as a group via iPhone, iPad (don’t know about other phones or tablets) and no audible latency is encountered. Only one thing to keep in mind: I have to make sure my iPhone pland iPads bluetooth is off. Otherwise the Midi devices won’t connect.