pandaMidi Solutions has released midiBeam v2, an updated version of their wireless MIDI system.
The system can transmit MIDI 250+ meters in open air, with .38 millisecond latency.
midiBeam v2 consists of a two parts, a transmitter and a receiver unit, sold together.
- The TX02 transmitter unit connects to your gear using a standard 5-pin DIN MIDI connection.
- The RX02 receiver unit receives incoming MIDI messages sent by the transmitter and outputs them via standard 5-pin MIDI DIN out or USB MIDI. It can also merge incoming wireless MIDI signals with a wired input or acts as a regular USB-MIDI interface.
Here’s what’s new in midiBeam v2:
- Strong, metal-housed MIDI connector on the transmitter
- Merging the wirelessly transmitted signal with a wired MIDI input stream
- Running Status on/off switch to maintain compatibility with older gear
- Browser-based utility for configuring device parameters and features, plus for firmware upgrade
Pricing and Availability
MidiBeam v2 is available now for 179 EUR incl. VAT. Users of previous versions of the midiBeam can also upgrade their system’s firmware for free.
Roland should include this with the AX-Edge….or atleast have it as an add-on at a reduced cost of market. Say $99 to add it on to your new keytar purchase.
Thank god – this is just what I need for my next concert at Wembley…….I can now perform from the outer edge of the parking lot.
Why not just one of Yamaha’s Bluetooth adapters for $50? Or more than one. They work great.
Don’t think a Bluetooth device will work at 250 m distance though…
Bluetooth is garbage, you want and robust 2.4Ghz protocol with good power; true handshake and fast buffer with accurate timing and minimal latency. I still have my doubts, 2.4G/5.8G are the only bands available to to most countries (that’s why they’re used) but it’s so crowded and the frequency is high so still hard to get good quality of service in a typical environment. The 250meter spec is line of sight…. an isolated environment. simply never aced a few people between the device and receiver can kill the QoS. MIDI is slow so at least it’s theoretically possible.
kill the QoS.
I’ve walked around crowded clubs and up and down the stairs in my apt and this has worked as expected.
And yes, bluetooth is garbage, I would never trust it for a mission critical piece of gear.
yes, I don’t doubt it. I’ve been involved in the design and testing of numerous 2.4/5.8GHz full bandwidth audio & video wi-fi and other custom protocols. These require lots of bandwidth and low latency and it’s almost impossible to achieve reasonable QoS in a typical environment. For MIDI with much slower transmission and acceptable latencies of 10mS or so it should be possible to design a robust system with redundancy. I’ve yet to test an acceptable system but I’ve also not tested this one.
I have the original version, this thing is great. It does what it says on the tin. In the years I’ve had it I’ve had one stuck note and that might have been the keyboard. I’ve used it on many gigs and it has never failed me.
While we can’t generally hear the effects of latency until they are around 15-30 milliseconds (ms), performers can begin to feel them at around 5-10ms. At 7ms, latency starts to mess with our ability to play or sing on top of or behind the beat.
The latency is a claimed .38, not 38 milliseconds. I have not noticed any latency.
(I should add that I’m a happy customer, not a paid endorsee. I paid for mine and am glad I have it.)
Never mind musicians. If you program beats in your DAW with an internal VSTi and also want to sync an external drum machine, you will hear the what is usable latency. It is certainly less than 5ms. The Roland boutique audio over USB is about 15ms. It’s a train wreck totally unusable. And it differs slightly whenever the sequencer is reset. 5-10ms is still enough to hear heavy beat phasing especially on kicks. Ideally it should be less than 5ms before it starts to sound tight. Personally I invested in an ERM Multiclock. A sound investment if you want to run a lot of external gear from a DAW
Very nice to see some developments along this line.
First time I hear of it, and seem to be missing information on power supply. Is it battery powered, or does it drain from the MIDI +5V, or has it a 9V DC power connector?
Rather than spanning 250 meters I’d be interested in getting my full midi setup wireless, which is unrealistic at this price setting.
The transmitter uses two AAA batteries that last a very long time and the receiver is powered by USB.
@redgreenblue: hey, thanks!
Cool! Great product.
Make me a multli-port one while you’re at it..
…did anyone say MPE??