// Help & support · Wireless
Wireless with a WIDI Master or a Yamaha MD-BT01.
Some Fractal units can’t reach an iPhone or iPad by USB. The FM3’s USB doesn’t carry MIDI, and the Axe-Fx II, AX8 and FX8 USB ports don’t work with an iPhone or iPad. A small Bluetooth adapter in the unit’s MIDI jacks fixes that. AxeBlock EDIT recognizes two by name: the CME WIDI Master and the Yamaha MD-BT01. The rest of the iPhone and iPad help is here.
It’s slower than USB: loading a preset takes longer, and the meters and tuner update more slowly. It works on every unit. This page is built from CME’s and Yamaha’s own manuals and from how the app behaves.
// Before you start
- Power the unit off, plug the adapter in, then power the unit on. Both adapters take their power from the unit’s MIDI OUT jack. Don’t plug or unplug one with the unit on.
- Use the 5-pin MIDI jacks, not USB. The adapter goes in the round MIDI jacks on the back of the unit.
- Turn Bluetooth on in iPad or iPhone Settings.
- Pair inside AxeBlock EDIT. The adapter won’t show up in Settings, Bluetooth, and that’s normal. These adapters use Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI, which iPadOS doesn’t list there.
// CME WIDI Master
The WIDI Master has two parts. The main adapter takes power from the unit’s MIDI OUT jack and sends and receives MIDI. The sub adapter carries MIDI into the unit’s MIDI IN jack, and plugs into the main adapter with a small cable.
- Make sure the unit is off.
- Plug the small (2.5 mm) cable from the sub adapter into the main adapter.
- Plug the main adapter into the unit’s MIDI OUT.
- Plug the sub adapter into the unit’s MIDI IN.
- Turn the unit on.
If your unit only has a MIDI OUT jack, you only need the main adapter.
// Read the light
| Light | What it means |
|---|---|
| Lit, steady | It's getting power. |
| Blue, flashing slowly | On and waiting for a connection. This is what you want to see before you pair. |
| Blue, steady | Connected. |
| Blue, flashing fast | Connected and passing MIDI. |
| Light blue (turquoise) | It's acting as the Bluetooth controller and is connected to other devices. |
| Green | Firmware update mode. CME's WIDI app finishes the update. |
| No light at all | No power. See the troubleshooting list below. |
// Things to know
- You don’t need CME’s WIDI app to use it. The WIDI app is CME’s setup tool, for firmware updates, renaming the adapter and group connections.
- iOS 16 and later pairs WIDI devices automatically. After you confirm a connection once, it reconnects by itself each time you turn the WIDI Master on or turn Bluetooth back on.
- Keep it off other devices. If it’s connected to another phone or computer, turn Bluetooth off there so your iPad can connect.
- The button on the main adapter. Hold it for about 3 seconds while the adapter is on: it goes back to its normal (peripheral) mode and drops any other Bluetooth connection. Hold it while you power the adapter on, until the green light flashes slowly 3 times, then let go: factory reset.
- An adapter that won’t work at all may be in test mode. CME says some early units get there if the button is pressed in normal use, and the WIDI app brings them back.
// Yamaha MD-BT01
- Turn the unit off. Close any apps open on the iPad.
- Plug the MD-BT01 into the unit’s MIDI jacks. It has an IN and an OUT plug. Match the arrows on the adapter to the jacks.
- Turn the unit on. The lamp on the MD-BT01 flashes.
- Turn Bluetooth on in iPad Settings.
- Connect in AxeBlock EDIT (next section). When it’s connected, the lamp stays lit.
- When you unplug it, pull the adapter itself, not the cord.
- It takes its power from the unit’s MIDI OUT. Yamaha lists 26 mW.
- Keep it away from a TV, a radio and other electronics, which can add noise.
- Only plug it into MIDI jacks. Yamaha lists iOS 8 or later and Bluetooth 4.0.
// VP4 and AM4
The VP4 and the AM4 have 3.5 mm MIDI In and Out ports, not 5-pin jacks, wired as “Type A” (both owner’s manuals). The 5-pin plugs on the MD-BT01 and the WIDI Master do not fit them. Tested on a VP4 with a CME WIDI Jack; the AM4 has the same ports but I haven’t tried it.
- Use two 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm Type A cables, one to the VP4’s MIDI In and one to MIDI Out. CME’s own DIN cables are Type B and will not work here.
- Slide the switch on the back of the WIDI Jack to A. With it on the wrong side the Jack still lights and blinks, but the VP4 never answers.
- Turn MIDI Thru off on the VP4 (Setup, MIDI/Remote). On, it repeats everything the app sends straight back to it.
- Pair in AxeBlock EDIT’s Bluetooth MIDI screen (next section).
- A WIDI adapter talks to one phone, iPad or computer at a time. Turn Bluetooth off on the others.
- The Jack’s settings app has no Type A/B option. It is the physical switch.
// Connect in AxeBlock EDIT
The steps are the same for both adapters.
- Tap the connection button at the top right.
- Tap Bluetooth MIDI.
- Tap your adapter in the list so it shows Connected.
- Tap Done.
The pill at the top right then shows BLUETOOTH. Green means the unit is talking, amber means it’s still connecting, and red means no unit found. If a USB connection is also available, the app prefers it, because USB is faster and more reliable. The FM9 is the same: Fractal’s manual lists MIDI over USB, which may not show up on an iPad, so a WIDI Master is a good fallback.
// When it won’t connect
| What you see | Try this |
|---|---|
| The adapter's light never comes on | It isn't getting power. Both adapters take their power from the unit's MIDI OUT jack, and CME says some devices' MIDI OUT can't supply it. Check the adapter is in the OUT jack and the unit is on. For the WIDI Master, CME's manual points to a DIY power cable at BluetoothMIDI.com. |
| It says offline | The iPad remembers the adapter but isn't connected to it right now. Check the light is blinking, then open Connection, tap Bluetooth MIDI, and tap the adapter so it shows Connected. |
| It isn't in the Bluetooth MIDI list | Turn Bluetooth off and on again on the iPad, and make sure the adapter's light is blinking. Turn Bluetooth off on any other phone or computer it may be connected to. |
| You can't find it in iPad Settings, Bluetooth | That's normal. These adapters use Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI, which iPadOS doesn't list there. Pair inside AxeBlock EDIT instead. |
| The pill stays amber | Unplug the adapter, plug it back in, relaunch AxeBlock EDIT. If that doesn't do it, power-cycle the unit. |
| The pill is red | Tap it and pick the port. Look for a port with WIDI or MD-BT01 in its name. |
| It connected, then stopped | Bluetooth links can drop while the app is in the background, and the app can still look connected until you use it. Bring AxeBlock EDIT to the front. If that doesn't help, repeat the steps above. |
| VP4 or AM4: the adapter lights up but the unit never answers | Check the cable type and the switch. The VP4 and AM4 ports are 3.5 mm Type A, so you need Type A cables and the WIDI Jack’s back switch on A. Also turn MIDI Thru off on the unit. |
| Everything is slow | That's Bluetooth. Loading a preset takes longer than USB, and the meters and tuner update more slowly. Move the adapter closer to the iPad. |
| The app shows the wrong unit, blank knobs, or “No user editable parameters” over Bluetooth, but works over USB | On an Axe-Fx II, check I/O, MIDI, MFC ECHO TO MIDI OUT on the unit (older manuals call it MIDI THRU) and turn it OFF. It is off from the factory. With it on, the II repeats everything it receives back out of its MIDI OUT, and the adapter sends that straight back to the app. |
// Reach me
Email john@bloodyfingersoftware.com. Tell me which adapter you have, which unit, the colour of the light on the adapter, and what the connection screen shows.