MidiWrist Unleashed Turns Your Apple Watch Into A Bluetooth MIDI Controller That You Always Have With You

 

Developer Geert Bevin (Moog, Roger Linn Design LinnStrument, MPE Specification) has introduced MidiWrist Unleashed, a standalone Apple Watch MIDI controller that lets you control Bluetooth LE MIDI devices directly from your wrist.

MidiWrist Unleashed turns your Apple Watch into a wearable Bluetooth LE MIDI that you always have with you. It’s fully configurable, so you can use it to switch synth patches, tweak settings, control your DAW and even to turn your gestures into MIDI signals.

“This was my dream when I got the first Apple Watch in 2015 and, after 9 years, I’ve finally been able to make it a reality,” notes Bevin.

Features:

  • Standalone MIDI controller for your Apple Watch
  • Fully configurable on your Watch, no external app is required
  • Any number of knobs can be controlled with the Digital Crown
  • Macro control over multiple MIDI parameters from the Digital Crown
  • Remotely Play / Stop / Pause / Record / Rewind / Fast Forward your DAW from your Watch
  • Knobs can be controlled individually or simultaneously
  • Knobs can be linked to preserve their offsets
  • Any number buttons can be toggled by tapping the Watch
  • Buttons can either be stateful or momentary
  • Pages can be created with any combination of controls choosing from buttons and knobs
  • Program changes through the Digital Crown or by tapping the Watch
  • Transport control over MIDI Machine Control (MMC) or Mackie Control Universal (MCU)
  • Scrub transport with the Digital Crown
  • Save / Undo / Redo / Toggle Cycle / Toggle Click / Enter through MCU
  • XY pad with individual messages for each axis
  • Motion data (pitch, roll, yaw, acceleration) can be sent in real time
  • Trigger thresholds for motion data to send discrete messages instead of a continuous stream
  • Optional haptic feedback
  • Configurable colors for all knobs, buttons and panels
  • Configurable labels for knobs, buttons and panel
  • Configurable MIDI channels and MIDI messages (continuous control, program change, channel pressure, note)
  • Create any number of the controller pages you need
  • Delete and rearrange controller pages
  • Save your configurations to presets for easy retrieval
  • MIDI learn for easy controller configuration
  • Delete and rearrange presets
  • Connect to other Bluetooth MIDI devices
  • Low latency and fast response

Here’s how you can configure MidiWrist Unleashed:

Note: Bevin says that MidiWrist Unleashed was tested with iPhone, iPad, Mac and CME WIDI devices, but he says that he can’t guarantee the connection stability nor MIDI message latency with other devices.

Pricing and Availability:

MidiWrist Unleashed is available now for $14.99.

6 thoughts on “MidiWrist Unleashed Turns Your Apple Watch Into A Bluetooth MIDI Controller That You Always Have With You

  1. I can’t help but think of the pranks one could pull; secretly bluetoothing your Apple Watch to someone else’s equipment, then start changing things in the middle of a gig while watching the keyboardist lose his s#$@.

  2. I don’t get the point of this. When would it be useful? A solution to a problem that doesn’t exist – I could use my hands to control the thing this is trying to control (unless e.g., my synth was in a different country).

    1. Maybe for any other instrument that is not a synth and that doesn’t have knobs: guitar, violin, trumpet, LinnStrument, Continuum, Chapman Stick, Harpejji, tuba, acoustic piano, …? Or when actually don’t have a physical instrument but are playing with an iPad or a laptop and you want instant control over transport, volume, sound parameters, … I don’t really think it takes much imagination I think to come up with many situations where a controller on your wrist that is instantly accessible and can be used without holding in your hands, could be useful.

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