If this is not the right forum, please feel free to delete or move this post to the right one. I want to use my keytar (Roland ax-synth) to play a vst I have in a rack in GP (one of the Arturia VSTs). I need to be able to connect the keytar to the Arturia VST via wireless Bluetooth MIDi. Are there any guides available that explain how to do this or can someone explain how to set up the connection between the keytar and GP so I can play the selected Arturia VST?
It will be important to know if you are on Windows or Mac?
On Mac, I use the CME WIDI Bud Pro. (It’s compatible with Windows also.
It works seemlessly and has no latency.
I don’t recommend using the native Bluetooth on the computer. It has hardly any range at all. With the above device I can play about 12 - 15m from it.
You must insert a midi in block called “Widi Bluetooth” (or similar)
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Mac OS
If you search the forum for midiBeam, it’s another product often discussed for use with keytars.
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Did you try that, or is this in the specifications? The usual problem with ble-midi on Windows is that it ends up in a different subsystem than normal midi devices. There is a limited number of DAWs that support these ble-midi devices and currently GP is not among these.
However, if cme brings its own set of drivers the situation could be different.
I haven’t actually tried it in Windows. It’s just a spec assumption.
In Mac, it works perfectly within gp
I use a CME WIDI master, which works brilliantly and powers from the roland ax-1 batteries
few pointers
download and install the CME WIDI app
make sure you rename the device here otherwise when it reboots it will default to the default name
Set BLE role force peripheral (to computers)
set other to as I’ve done or to preferred settings
open Gp and select the Names Bluetooth(ax-1 in my case)
I have all my keyboard’s MIDI blocks in the global and pass them through the global out to Rackspace. I set each device to a different midi and then use the constrainer’s to map them internally to any channel I want via widgets.
once in the local rackspace, I remap via widgets to any of the 6 synth slots I’ve set up so I can have song variation switch keyboard splits and synth maps to suit.
hope this helps others.
I’m also using the CME WIDI Uhost for my BBC2 breath controller and WIDI Master for FCB1010 foot controller, naming them in the WIDI app makes it easy to manage.
Regards
Damian
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Mac doesn’t have this problem, so that perfectly checks out. 
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Thank you! Worked exactly as expected following your instructions and set up. Appreciate the help!
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Hey i am new to GP and read your set up but having trouble connecting and choosing the right set up - I think the global rack space midi makes sense - but I cant seem to get this right…
I have a Widi bud in my Mac - removed the group setttings so the widi jack on my 88 key and my widi master on my keytar all are seen now in GP -
I want to use this set up for all my gigs (usually two splits on my keytar and as many as on the 88 keys)
What midi Chanels do I use? And how do you go about the set up
Hi Jon. Welcome to GP. I think you are going to find it’s an incredible tool for live performance. In terms of helping you, let me see what i can do. Let’s start with some basics:
- Under Global Midi / Accept program change messages window - is your device showing up there and have you checked the box for it?
- Same window, is the slider next to “only accept program changes on specific channel” selected? If so, what channel are you telling it? (This should match whatever channel you are sending MIDI on through your device)
- Under MIDI ports - similar question, have you checked your devices are showing up there and have you checked the box for them?
Let’s start with these and go from there.
Bryan
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Thanks for the help -
1 - they are checked
2 - the only accept program changes is not selected
3 - under midi ports they are all checked (I left Roland digital piano and widi MacBook Bluetooth unchecked).
The set up I have is widi jack (linked to my 88 key Roland digital piano) and a widi master (plugged into my Casio AZ1 keytar) and a widi bud pro plugged into my Mac - the the midi signal is lighting up on both when I press the keys - but looks like direct through the MacBook Bluetooth not the widibud
I want to take these widi dongles and plug them in the same keytar but ANY 88 key controller and be able to use my programs (or program my programs) - I havent even organized my gig file set ups - i have bought programs and experimented making my own - Im kind of a mess lol