Connecting a Bluetooth Midi device to a dwarf with bluetoothdongle

Using MOD devices
#21

My Artiphon Orba does not work with that MS1 USB dongle by wireless directly. Just ignores MS1 completely. Had to buy CME anyway. (Orba has onboard bluetooth).

That CME dongle does not connect to MS1 USB also, by the way. I even have an email reply on that from M-vave basically saying that they do not care.

But if your device has 5din output to use M-Vaves second 5din dongle - that might work.
MS1 USB dongle is generic class compliant usb midi device, so MOD should work with it.
At least, my ModDuoX does. MDX also worked fine with 5din dongle (MDX has 5din plugs)

Just to mention, I really did not like reliablility of direct connection between my M-vave Chocolate and MS1 USB dongle (direct wireess, not 5din dongle), it failed from time to time by loosing connection with no reason even within 1.5 meter distance, often enough to make me stop using bluetooth and switch to usb cable even at home.
(Like literally, with direct visibility between Choclate on the floor and MS1 on the edge of the table just above it, random connection loss each 5 minutes or so)

I do not know if MS1 Usb - MS1 5din connection suffers the same though, it might be my Chocolate only problem, it worked for me without connection interruptions, but I did not use this connection extensively, just for some temporary testing stuff, so it could slip behind me.

But if you are going to use that on stage, I feel like this is already a red flag that M-wave products wireless stuff might be unreliable, so in this case I would avoid them.

P.S.

These dongles have an interesting capability.

Funny enough - I was able to use KMI Softstep connected PHYSICALLY to USB MS1 dongle and set up wireless connection with 5din MS1 connected to MDX just for lulz - that worked.

I mean MS1 has also “host” mode, with mama usb plug on another side, so if you can power it from powerbank or any other usb source, and you can connect SOME devices to MS1 USB and it would send bluetooth midi from this device to MS1 5Din. Better explanation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Zxy2TEHUw&ab_channel=JohnnyAtomic

Same worked for my Casio keyboard. Right now I’ve tested it once again to connect to my PC.

Did not work for Orba again, I guess due to it’s Type-C connection.

Considering that above, and that Dwarf has 3.5 midi connector, you even might get lucky connecting usb-only midi devices by wireless (if you have correct 3.5 midi adapter cable, there are different standardsn with different pinout, not every 3.5mm<->5din cables are the same).
I do not have Dwarf to test, tried only with my PC and MDX.

Here is a ugly schematic.

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And again, not sure about reliability.

P.P.S
Wonder if two USB MS1 dongles would work with each other

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#22

thanks so much for this! Yeah, the chocolate and the ms1 use a 2.4ghz freq which has a lot of interference like wifi, etc.

That is why using mvave IEM is not advisable, instead use the 5.8ghz Nux makes.

so Im guessing your chocolate cut-outs might be the same issue. I use mine using trs to trs midi via the expression pedal on the chocolate going out. Works fine. Could even double that if you connect the wireless ms1 dongle to another unit.

Anyway, cool… I want to be able to send notes from a wireless keyboard to input 2 of the dwarf . thanks for the tips

@funkypou thanks also…but Im looking for a midi DIN keyboard to the dwarf via wireless ms1 midi DIN

#23

I just ordered a mod warf. And I will vote for Bluez with Ble-Midi support. When I try it for the first time with esp32 and Ble-Midi, it works like a charm. Latency and jitter are useless for MIDI notes, but for CC to use switches and pots as controllers it works fabulously. bluez-5.50 from 2018 is already working without any problems. I don’t know the dependencies. But it’s worth doing. The many creative hobbyists who produce great control interfaces with ESP32 and a 3.6V lipo battery also bring mod devices into focus for users who want to operate their device with small remote controls. I use e.g. this switch from github wolkstein/minimal-esp32-ble-midi-ctrl to remotely control ardour transport and recording start stop. By the way, ble-midi allows many devices to be used at the same time. All are listed individually by Alsa as MIDI input and output. I already had 4 devices connected to one host at the same time.

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