Positive Grid, BT-4 midi foot controler...

LouDur

Sorry if someone has already posted this, but the PG surprise is out

http://www.positivegrid.com/bt4/

Meet BT-4 Foot Controller

BT-4 is a Bluetooth MIDI foot controller for iPhone and iPad that allows you to control JamUp or other music apps wirelessly.

BT-4 brings the live control solution to iPad®, iPhone® and Mac for just $99. Now guitarists can have a metal case, plug in and play, wireless foot controller at an unprecedented price and experience ultimate tone with the guitar amps and effects in JamUp, BIAS, GarageBand or other compatible applications

Now JamUp users will be able to use BT-4 to toggle between dozens of studio-grade amp and stomp box effects hands free. From toggling amps and effect switches, to switching between presets, controlling Jam Player's iTunes song playback functions, triggering phrase sampler recording and over-dubbing, and even controlling the built-in metronome or tapping out the tempo, wireless and hands free.

Features

Bluetooth MIDI foot controller for iPad and iPhone
Solid metal case with 4 assignable foot switches
Made for JamUp XT, JamUp Pro XT, GarageBand
Send Bank Change, Program Change and Control Changes
External expression pedal jack
Built-in iOS link for plug and play audio interface
Optimized for active/passive pickups for both guitar and bass
BT iOS app runs in background on iOS to send MIDI
AA x 2 batteries
iOS 7 ready

Unfortunately, it's not a sex robot as hoped...

funjunkie27

I'd like the full listing of what is compatible or what is on the roadmap. Looks good so far...especially glad to see the ability to add an ext expression pedal. I didn't see anything about any power source aside from batteries. I'd like the option of an ext supply as well. I also didn't see anything that specified if this was Bluetooth LE. I'm not sure if the latency would be much of a problem for a controller though.

thepinkelefant

Isn't there a limitation with Bluetooth apps , that the app receiving BT input has to be in the foreground and active?
Will this function as a Driver and conver BT to say MIDI and run in the background so you can control other apps?
I seriously doubt that and it must be integrated with some SDK I guess into each app ...that's why it might be built right in the PG apps to start with.

Oh we'll, have to still wait and see the performance with all these multiple BT devices fighting for the Precious battery life.
You will have a BT speaker , BT keyboard , BT pedal board , BT drumpants , BT fitbit , BT watch BT stylus ,...gaaah

SecretBaseDesign

@thepinkelephant -- Bluetooth apps can run in the background in general. For QWERTY Bluetooth keyboards, they normally pair with the iOS operating system, and then the operating system forwards keystrokes to the foreground app. It's possible for an individual app to pair with a QWERTY keyboard, and then it would continue to work in the background (this is a PITA, though -- but I'm working on it).

For the foot controller -- I'm guessing they'll have an app that talks Bluetooth to the controller, and that will convert stuff into MIDI, and forward the MIDI somewhere. The functionality might get baked into Bias and JamUp. Apollo does this, and it works pretty well.

Bluetooth LE (AKA 4.0) is crazy low power, so I wouldn't worry too much about battery life. I'm a big fan of this version of Bluetooth.

funjunkie27

Thanks for the feedback @SecretBaseDesign. That answered my question...I assumed 4.0 implied LE.

thepinkelefant

Thanks for clarification @SecretBaseDesign !! I guess the keystrokes to MIDI note converter will be the key background app and will be super useful since we can use it with any BT device and not only BT keyboard.!!!!! Could be interesting use case and very useful !!

EbonSolace

it all seems like a great product.if you have an ipad3 or higher. I don't see where they get off selling you everything else that works with ipad2 except the pedal!? I work in a studio that has the bias and jam up pro set up, i'd like to take the rig on the "quiet gigs" but with no foot pedal it's not a reality. So, i find out they are offering one soon, but unlike the software they sell you to use with it, it won't work with my ipad2 and, and now i have to get a new ipad3, and , and buy all new software to load it on that new ipad3 + the pedal..about $600.00 total. Bad move Positive grid, you just lost a customer.

Ringleader

Don't get an iPad 3. Had one and there is something "off" with that specific model. And it's not like Positive Grid is shunning older iPad models, it is just that Bluetooth 4.0 is a better format and Apple didn't implement it until the iPad 3.

supadom

This is good. Now I'm waiting for the bt midi controller with knobs/pads/keys so I can have 2 controllers on the go without the need of external psu. This could be potentially useful for muting/unmuting loopy tracks for performance use/live looping.

SecretBaseDesign

To follow up a bit (after a month and a half of digging through Bluetooth in Xcode/iOS7)….

There's Bluetooth 2.1, which is what most QWERTY keyboards, mice, and other stuff like that support. It looks like Apple is locking down on access to Bluetooth 2.1; there are some API back-doors available, but would likely bring the app ban hammer. I was hoping to get access to a QWERTY keyboard while running in the background, but it looks like that won't happen. All of the Apple devices support Bluetooth 2.1.

Then there's Bluetooth 4.0/LE, which is wide-open for developers to do what they want. Bluetooth 4.0 does not connect to QWERTY keyboards, and all the old Bluetooth stuff you might already have, but new things (such as the BT-4) use it. There are Bluetooth 4.0 boards for the Arduino, and the chips are inexpensive and easy to use -- I expect to see a lot of Bluetooth 4.0 gadgets in the future. On iOS, Bluetooth 4.0 apps can run in the background; Apollo uses this to send MIDI between iOS devices and Macs.

The iPad 1 and 2, and iPhone 4 and earlier, support only Bluetooth 2.1. iPad 3 and later, and iPhone 4S and later, support both Bluetooth 2.1, and 4.0.

It's possible to have Bluetooth 2.1 and 4.0 going at the same time. For example, you might have a full-featured app that uses a standard Bluetooth 2.1 QWERTY keyboard as a controller (allowing keyboard letters to trigger MIDI notes, chords, program changes, channel changes, etc). Sequencers such as Genome, that have MIDI Learn, could be driven from the keyboard in this way. Such an app would need to run in the foreground, and might have an on-screen keyboard as well, letting you control multiple other synths and sequencers running in the background. It might have Audiobus too, just because that would be useful. While this app needs to be in the foreground, you could use Apollo and a Bluetooth 4.0 connection to hook up to another iOS device (where something else could be in the foreground). Hypothetically speaking, of course ;-).

supadom

@SecretBaseDesign said:

Yeah, I've tried using a bluetooth keyboard to trigger loopy hd's loops and it works very well. Apart from the fact that it goes to sleep in no used for a bit but this is probably an issue with the keyboard.

WMWM

Excuse my ignorance but outside of the wire (personal preference) how does this compare to the $50 stompbox on your website? Advantages?

Thanks, and love that app.