Roland announces the WM-1 Wireless MIDI Adaptor and WM-1D Wireless MIDI Dongle, two innovative new products that bring the convenience of wireless MIDI to modern music creators. Easy to set up and use, the WM-1 and WM-1D provide wireless MIDI communication between multiple devices, including keyboards, drum machines, and other MIDI hardware, Mac and Windows computers, and iOS mobile devices. In addition to MIDI note data, users can send MIDI sync for tempo, effects, LFOs, loops, and more—all without connecting a single cable.
For today’s musicians and producers, there are many situations where wireless MIDI is a real problem solver. It can provide a clean, mobile setup with just a MIDI keyboard and a laptop, iPhone, or iPad, or eliminate a long cable run from a favorite MIDI controller to a DAW. And in live performance situations, wireless MIDI provides smoother workflow and reduced setup time. Once users have had the unencumbered experience of Roland wireless MIDI, they’ll never want to go back.
The WM-1 connects to MIDI hardware devices with standard 5-pin MIDI I/O, while the WM-1D connects to computers and iOS devices via USB. Standard mode provides low-latency MIDI communication between up to four total devices. Fast mode reduces latency to 3 ms—better than the internal speed of many hardware devices—providing ultra-fast communication between two WM units for timing-critical applications.
WM units can communicate with each other, and with MIDI music apps on an iOS device and Mac computer in Standard mode via Bluetooth MIDI. The WM-1D is ideal for Windows computers, which don’t have Bluetooth MIDI support built in. Users of Mac computers and iOS devices can also use the WM-1D to gain the benefits of Fast mode. (USB connection with iOS devices requires the appropriate Apple adaptor.)
Availability & Pricing
The WM-1 will be available for $69.99 and the WM-1D will be available for $79.99 in October 2020.