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Yamaha WX5 wind controller improvisation with iPad and CME WIDI Bluetooth
Hi all, it has been a while since I posted here!! 
Having great fun with my WX5 midi wind controller. I bought this one used one month ago, but had one in past for a few years 15 years ago. Technology is much better now, Moog Model D and Model 15 are beasts and used layered here in AUM on iPad Pro M1, with various breath control and CC assignations. WX5 is wireless this time, with XTAR lithium 1.5V AAA and fantastic CME WiDI products: WIDI master plugged in WX5 midi port and WIDI Bud Pro plugged in iPad Pro, this allows for ultra low Bluetooth latency without using iPadOS BT. Neat setup, very happy. WX5 is vintage but super capable, expressive and fun if you use good synths like Model D especially.
Short video
https://youtube.com/shorts/1UnfIL3D158?si=yB4b6yxggHQ33XsQ
Full length video
Comments
Wow! Great playing and great arrangement! Couldn't be better!
Yeah, CME WIDI Master is a supergreat product for wireless MIDI - mine is connected to my StudioLogic-88 MIDI-controller (that is placed a bit away from my Mac) - the latency is minimal when playing into Logic Pro - only 40 bucks!
Ooooh. I’m really glad to know that setup works well. I have that controller and have not used it enough because of its hardwiring requirements. How long do the batteries last?
Interesting. What's the advantage of not using iPadOS BT? Is MIDI latency really lower?
Ya! Finally another wind controller player in this windless desert! And a good one to boot! More please. I was a professional wind player back in 70s through 90s. I was the fist kid on the block to own a wx7. Wore out 2 of those. Left the business around 2000 and since have dabbled with wx5, Akai ewiusb and Solo. The technology has indeed come a long way. I set up wireless on the ewiusb. Little different setup cuz it’s usb midi but same idea.
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No noticeable midi latency. Pm me if you want to commiserate and share notes on what works and what does not. I think I have tried everything including writing my own midi software to deal with these things.
Thanks!! Yeah it’s a nice product.
Track is made in Cubasis with iFretless bass, Ruismaker and Ravenscroft. Then stem loops in AUM with WX5 stuff.
Those batteries last at least 15 hours, if not more. Seems to perform better than alkaline. 1.5V lithium is the way to go, 1.2V nimh will give poor duration. Xtar is more pricey than others but they seem to offer superior performance. Their L8 charger is what I use. I bought 3 sets of 4 AAA to have 2 sets of 6 for my WX5. But the charge is so fast (around 1.5 hour via usb-c) I’m not sure it’s even necessary.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EG2vDCd
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHXRntP
In the past, I had to use big plug wall and midi cable, same for QY70 sequencer or laptop. It was an obstacle. It’s much better with that setup and iPhone or iPad.
Latency is much lower, as low as 3 ms. You can feel it. The WIDI master plugged on WX5 can be paired directly to iPhone/iPad too for even more compact setup. But WIDI Bud Pro with adapters is perfectly mobile too with lower latency.
https://www.cme-pro.com/the-truth-about-bluetooth-midi/#:~:text=The latency between two WIDI,inaudible to the human hearing.
From this article:
Thanks!! Yes they have solutions for USB too which can be interesting for newest Yamaha controllers too. I prefer WX5 because of range and pitch control capabilities. It’s also super light even with 6 AAA and WIDI Master, around 500/600 gr. I’m also interested in Nurad and Aerophone Pro.
Nurad
Aerophone Pro
WX5. He made me buy it again!!
This guy is super smooth too!!
I also have an aerophone. It looked like the ultimate solution. However I cannot get past the design of the key buttons. They are clicky and require more force to press than I think is necessary. It’s harder than the WX. Having said that, you still play acoustic so you may actually prefer that as many do. The mouthpiece feel is really nice and intuitive. I am more into a very light action, or none at all. Like a recorder. I’ve been using ewis for awhile now for that reason. Maybe (likely) im just lazy. The problem with ewis is the mouthpiece. the embouchure skill set we sax players developed over so many years is irrelevant. And the touch sensitive keys are very unforgiving. What I want is an aerophone with quiet and light key action like the wx or even an ewi.
So inspiring.
I'm a violinist and have been looking to do something similar but we really only have solutions like using midi guitar into a synth. Polyphony is a challenge with that setup and latency is still a bit high for me. The best thing I've found is to use something like PD space Guitar which makes the violin signal sound more like a synth, which is it's own (cool) sound but not a synth.
@Janosax thanks for the numbers! That's exactly what I needed to know 😊
That’s exactly the kind of info I find useful, thanks. WX5 is a good solution I think, even if discontinued.
Here are some pics of my hardware setups. Both iPhone and iPad use WIDI bud Pro and Apple usb c DAC dongle plugged to standard usb port via adapter for quality audio output. I use 32 buffers latency.
iPad Pro with USB-C hub from Baseus:
iPhone 14 Pro Max with lightning to usb adapter + usb hub. Both are fixed together with powerful double side tape, so it’s very compact.
I have 2 wx7s and 2 wx5s. I broke them farting around with the lip sensors.
I should just get one of em fixed. Once you got the lip sensor adjusted on them pitch bends were very intuitive. I think I’m still partial to the wx7, nightmare that it was to adjust. I used an MEP4 in the pit to chain patch changes together on the proteus 1 and 2 modules and eventually a K2000. Gotta stop with the nostalgia. One question… how do you like the interface attached your iPad? Any issues? Does it stay on?
Here’s my ultra neat wired setup in the garage.
I’m very happy with that sub c hub, it’s reliable and looks cool. I use it since 3 years.
Very enjoyable track, great groove and fascinating to see a different (to the norm) instrument being played 👌
Great to see some new music from you @janosax. It has been a good while.
@GeoTony thanks, glad you enjoyed it!!
@McD yes it has been a while, I have enjoyed making music with this instrument lately.
It’s truly great and super interesting to transpose sax skills and expressivity to synths. They will never sound like the real thing and IMO that is not the most interesting purpose of all of this. WX5 has a reed for pitch control, breath control, Model D app has some analog instability emulation which brings some life too, and with multi synths layering and effects routing/midi control in AUM + Bluetooth midi you have a very powerful and mobile setup. iPad/iPhone music making wins again here for my needs.
“ They will never sound like the real thing…”
Get ahold of one of the Swam instruments and spend a little time with it. I recommend Cello. The majority of people who don’t play that instrument will not notice it’s not real unless you point out the subtleties missing, especially in an ensemble context.
Now for some philosophical digression..
Back when synthesizers first entered the consciousness of working musicians, there was all this talk about them replacing us. The response from the synth camp was that they are not intended to imitate acoustic instruments, but rather to create new sounds. And they actually could not effectively imitate until suddenly they could. Bass player friend of mine back in the 80s went from 150 sessions one year to 3 the following year. Striving for imitation of real instruments continues with ever increasing success now.
For myself, I consciously strive to NOT imitate real instruments but rather use new sounds that fill the same sonic spaces as a real instrument. Creating synth patches that respond with subtlety to a wind controller has been an obsession with me for decades.
Very well said. This is the sax feel I try to reproduce with synths sounds, not the sax sound itself. Except perhaps for something in resonant tone and fluid legato characteristics.
I have no fun with « real » sax sounds. I played for years Vienna sax sounds they re good but limited in their expression. I have swam tenor sax in Geoshred and don’t like it. Respiro is more interesting, I use a clarinet sound in layer with some synth sounds in one of my patch. It’s the way I find it’s nice to use some « real sounds » in my palette. It’s not the same with trumpets or other instruments. Sax is especially difficult if not impossible to reproduce realistically IMO. When I want to play the sax, I take my tenor. Wind controller is a different and complementary fun to me.