Step 5: Configure your Bluetooth MIDI connection

Now that you've plugged in your WIDI Uhost, made sure it's powered on properly, and updated its firmware, your WIDI Uhost should show a slowly flashing blue LED on the right side.

This means it is ready to use and available to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. As you may understand, there are many ways to implement WIDI in your MIDI setup.

When establishing a wireless connection for the first time, always ensure that your WIDI device(s) are available for connection and not (accidentally) occupied via an automatic connection to another device such as your mobile device or another Bluetooth MIDI device.

Please note that that the scenarios below concern the wireless connection with the onboard Bluetooth of an operating system. This is different than the previously discussed connection with your operating system via USB.

In summary, there are the following scenarios:

• Connect two WIDI devices via auto-pairing
• Connect WIDI Uhost with a Bluetooth MIDI controller via auto-pairing
• Connect WIDI Uhost with macOS
• Connect WIDI Uhost with iOS
• Connect WIDI Uhost with Win 10/11
• Connect WIDI Uhost with Android

It is strongly recommended that you follow the procedure exactly to set up your preferred scenario. After you understand the difference between automatic pairing and manual pairing with computers and mobile devices, you're ready to move into advanced mode to create groups and personalize settings.

Let's start at the beginning and go through each scenario as mentioned above.

Connect two WIDI devices via auto-pairing

1. Turn on both MIDI devices that have WIDI Uhost or other WIDI devices plugged in.
2. The two WIDI devices will pair automatically.
3. The blue LED changes from slowly blinking to constant light. When MIDI data is sent or received, such as a MIDI note or MIDI clock, the LED blinks dynamically.

Note that all WIDI devices work identically when setting up the connection via Bluetooth. Watch the video below as a guide to connecting your WIDI Uhost in the same way.

When working with three (3) or more Bluetooth MIDI and/or WIDI devices, it is advisable to create fixed pairs or advanced groups.

This is to avoid random automatic connections and to control how your wireless connections are established. This procedure is explained at the end of this guide .

Auto-connect on iOS 16 (and above)

Apple has introduced auto-connect after first pairing with WIDI devices since iOS 16 (and above). If you only use your iOS device for updating, be sure to turn off Bluetooth after completing the process and/or remove WIDI devices from your general Bluetooth list.

This is to avoid problems or other confusion with your WIDI group configurations and automatic connection procedures between WIDI devices.

Connect WIDI Uhost with another Bluetooth MIDI controller via auto-pairing

1. Turn on both the MIDI device with your WIDI Uhost plugged in and the other Bluetooth MIDI device.
2. WIDI Uhost will automatically pair with the other Bluetooth MIDI device.
3. The blue LED changes from slowly blinking to constant light. When MIDI data is sent or received, such as a MIDI note or MIDI clock, the LED blinks dynamically.
4. If your WIDI Uhost does not automatically pair with another Bluetooth MIDI device, it may be caused by a compatibility issue. In that case, please check the open source compatibility list first. If not listed contact CME for technical support.

Note that all WIDI devices work identically when setting up the connection via Bluetooth. Watch the video below as a guide to connecting your WIDI Uhost in the same way.

When working with three (3) or more Bluetooth MIDI and/or WIDI devices, it is advisable to create fixed pairs or advanced groups.

This is to avoid random automatic connections and to control how your wireless connections are established. This procedure is explained at the end of this guide .

Auto-connect on iOS 16 (and above)

Apple has introduced auto-connect after first pairing with WIDI devices since iOS 16 (and above). If you only use your iOS device for updating, be sure to turn off Bluetooth after completing the process and/or remove WIDI devices from your general Bluetooth list.

This is to avoid problems or other confusion with your WIDI group configurations and automatic connection procedures between WIDI devices.

Connect WIDI Uhost with macOS via Bluetooth

Please note that pairing with macOS's built-in Bluetooth MIDI cannot be done via automatic pairing. This is in the design of the operating system. This means that every time you restart your computer or WIDI Uhost, you have to manually establish a new connection.

Apple has introduced auto-connect after first pairing with WIDI devices since macOS 13.5 (and above). This is a great feature because from now on, you won't have to connect manually every time. That said, it may cause confusion for those who want to reconfigure their setup without macOS or work with multiple WIDI devices.

To avoid this, you can disable Bluetooth on macOS or remove all (unwanted) WIDI devices from your general list of Bluetooth devices via the "Forget this Device" option in the Bluetooth menu of macOS.

The only way to get around this limitation is to add WIDI Uhost or WIDI Bud Pro to your operating system via USB. This provides you with automatic pairing between two WIDI devices as described earlier.

If you want to connect to macOS via its integrated Bluetooth MIDI, follow the instructions below carefully.

1. Turn on the power of the MIDI device with the WIDI Uhost plugged in and confirm that the blue LED flashes slowly.
2. Click the [Apple icon] on the upper left corner of the screen, click the [System Preferences] menu, click the [Bluetooth icon], and click [Turn Bluetooth On], then exit the Bluetooth settings window.
3. Click the [Go] menu at the top of the screen, click [Utilities], and click the [Audio MIDI Setup].
   Note: If you don't see the MIDI Studio window, click the [Window] menu at the top of the screen and click [Show MIDI Studio].
4. Click the [Bluetooth icon] at the upper right of the MIDI studio window, locate WIDI Uhost that will appear under the device name list, and click [Connect].
5. WIDI Uhost’s Bluetooth icon will appear in the MIDI studio window, indicating the connection has been successfully established.
6. You can exit all setting windows now and open up your music software application and wirelessly transmit MIDI.

Note that all WIDI devices work identically when setting up the connection via Bluetooth. Watch the video below as a guide to connecting your WIDI Uhost in the same way.

When using multiple WIDI devices to connect to your operating system's built-in Bluetooth, make sure each WIDI device is set to "force peripheral" via the "BLE Role" section of WIDI App.

This will avoid automatic pairing when multiple WIDI devices are used at the same time. If necessary, you can rename each WIDI device after the upgrade is completed. This way you will be able to distinguish each WIDI device when you use them at the same time.

Connect WIDI Uhost with iOS via Bluetooth

Please note that pairing with iOS's built-in Bluetooth MIDI cannot be done via automatic pairing. This is in the design of the operating system.

Apple has introduced auto-connect after first pairing with WIDI devices since iOS 16 (and above). If you only use your iOS device for updating, be sure to turn off Bluetooth after completing the process and/or remove WIDI devices from your general Bluetooth list.

This is to avoid problems or other confusion with your WIDI group configurations and automatic connection procedures between WIDI devices.

The only way to get around this limitation is to add WIDI Uhost or WIDI Bud Pro to your operating system via USB. This provides you with automatic pairing between two WIDI devices as described earlier.

If you want to connect to iOS via its integrated Bluetooth MIDI, follow the instructions below carefully.

1. Go to the Apple AppStore to search and download the free application [ midimittr ].
   Note: If the app you are using already has a Bluetooth MIDI connection function, please directly connect to the WIDI Uhost on the MIDI setting page in your app.
2. Turn on the power of the MIDI device with the WIDI Uhost plugged in and confirm that the blue LED flashes slowly.
3. Click the [Settings] icon to open the settings page, click [Bluetooth] to enter the Bluetooth setting page, and slide the Bluetooth switch to turn on the Bluetooth functionality.
4. Open the [midimittr] app, click the [Device] menu at the bottom right of the screen, locate WIDI Uhost that will appear in the list, click [Not Connected], and click [Pair] on the Bluetooth pairing request pop-up window.
5. The status of WIDI Uhost in the list will be updated to [Connected], indicating that the connection has been successfully established.
6. Press the home button of your iOS device to minimize the [midimittr] app and keep it running in the background.
7. Open the music app that can accept external MIDI input and select WIDI Uhost as the MIDI input device on the settings page, you can start using it.

Note that all WIDI devices work identically when setting up the connection via Bluetooth. Watch the video below as a guide to connecting your WIDI Uhost in the same way.

When using multiple WIDI devices to connect to your operating system's built-in Bluetooth, make sure each WIDI device is set to "force peripheral" via the "BLE Role" section of WIDI App.

This will avoid automatic pairing when multiple WIDI devices are used at the same time. If necessary, you can rename each WIDI device after the upgrade is completed. This way you will be able to distinguish each WIDI device when you use them at the same time.

Connect WIDI Uhost with Windows 10/11 via Bluetooth

Please note that pairing with Windows 10/11's built-in Bluetooth MIDI cannot be done via automatic pairing. This is in the design of the operating system.

Microsoft has introduced auto-connect after first pairing with WIDI devices since Windows 10. This means that Windows can remember your WIDI device and will automatically connect to your WIDI device after the first pairing is established.

For the latest updates on connecting WIDI with Windows 11 read this section carefully.

Before you start pairing, make sure your music software is compatible with Microsoft's latest UWP API. This makes it possible to use the Bluetooth class compliant MIDI driver that comes standard with Windows 10/11.

Most software developers have not yet integrated this compatibility for various reasons. At the time of writing, only Bandlab's Cakewalk and Steinberg's latest Cubase and Nuendo have natively integrated this compatibility.

This means that when you use these specific software tools, you can pair WIDI Uhost or other standard Bluetooth MIDI devices without the need for drivers.

The alternative is to install a virtual MIDI port driver such as Korg's BLE MIDI driver.

If your WIDI Uhost is updated to the latest firmware version, the Korg BLE MIDI driver for Windows 10/11 is fully supported and even multiple WIDI devices can be connected simultaneously with two-way MIDI data transfer.

For older Windows operating systems and to bypass the limitations of Windows 10/11 onboard Bluetooth MIDI ecosystem, you can add WIDI Uhost or WIDI Bud Pro to your operating system via USB. This provides you with automatic pairing between two WIDI devices as described earlier.

Follow this exact procedure to wirelessly pair your WIDI Uhost with Windows 10/11 via Korg's BLE MIDI driver:

1. Please visit Korg's official website to download the BLE MIDI Windows driver .
2. After unpacking the driver files with the decompression software, click the .exe file to install the driver.
   Note : You can check whether the installation was successful in the sound, video, and game controller list of the device manager.
3. Please use WIDI App to upgrade the Bluetooth firmware of the WIDI device to v0.1.3.7 or later. At the same time, please set the upgraded WIDI device to "Force Peripheral" in the "BLE role" section.
   Note : Force peripheral mode will avoid automatic pairing when multiple WIDI devices are used at the same time. If necessary, you can rename each WIDI device after the upgrade is completed. This way you will be able to distinguish each WIDI device when you use them at the same time.
4. Make sure that Windows 10/11 and your computer's Bluetooth driver are updated to the latest version (the computer must be equipped with Bluetooth 4.0/5.0 functionality).
5. Plug your WIDI Uhost into the MIDI device, turn on the power to start your WIDI. In Windows, click "Start" - "Settings" - "Devices", open the "Bluetooth and other devices" window, turn on the Bluetooth switch, and click "Add Bluetooth or other devices".
6. After entering the "Add Device" window, click "Bluetooth", click the WIDI device name listed in the device list, and then click "Connect".
7. If you see "Your device is ready to go", please click "Done" to close the window (after connecting, you can see your WIDI device in the Bluetooth list of the device manager).
8. Please follow steps 5 to 7 to connect other WIDI devices to Windows 10/11
9. Open the music software. In the MIDI settings window, you should be able to see the WIDI device name appearing in the list (Korg BLE MIDI driver will automatically detect the WIDI Bluetooth connection and associate it with the music software).
10. Now select the desired WIDI as the MIDI input and output device and you are good to go. If you do not open your music software after this process, the status of your WIDI changes from "connected" to "paired" in the general list of Bluetooth settings. The LED indicator stays on for about 2 seconds and then starts blinking slowly again.

Note that all WIDI devices work identically when setting up the connection via Bluetooth. Watch the video below as a guide to connecting your WIDI Uhost in the same way.

Clear Bluetooth cache on Windows 10/11

If you are having problems or if the time to establish a wireless connection takes longer than 1 minute, it is most likely you will need to clear the Bluetooth cache of your Windows operating system. In that case, follow the exact instructions as shown in this video.

Troubleshooting: WIDI and Korg BLE MIDI drivers on Windows 10/11

In some cases, Korg's BLE MIDI driver causes problems connecting to your WIDI device. If you can't solve your problem by clearing the Bluetooth connection cache mentioned above, there are a few things you can do.

First of all, make sure that both your Windows 10/11 and your computer's Bluetooth driver are upgraded to the latest version.

In addition, your PC, laptop or computer with WIndows 10/11 must be equipped with Bluetooth 4.0/5.0 functionality.

Also, Korg's BLE MIDI driver has a known bug with receiving long MIDI SysEx messages. If your installation needs to receive long MIDI SysEx messages, your best option is to bypass the built-in Bluetooth of your Windows operating system with WIDI Uhost or WIDI Bud Pro .

Besides this, it is known that when working with Korg's BLE MIDI driver, it must be in the first ten slots of your Windows non-system MIDI device list.

Otherwise, you will see your WIDI device in the Bluetooth list of Windows and you will be able to pair it, but you will not be able to access it from any software.

Follow these exact instructions to resolve this issue:

1. Install Korg USB MIDI driver and utilities (Different from Korg BLE MIDI Driver)
2. Run the Uninstall KORG USB MIDI program
   Note: It can be found in the Korg folder via the start menu (see image above)
3. Click the "Next" button
4. Click the "Option" button
5. Deselect the "Delete KORG MIDI Device Only" checkbox and click "OK"
6. Select the checkbox of MIDI devices before Korg BLE MIDI driver (usually you will see many duplicate USB Audio Device) to ensure that Korg BLE MIDI Driver is in the first 10 after deleting the drivers of these devices, including MIDI device "0"!
   Note: You may need to reinstall MIDI drivers for your devices after doing this.
7. Click "Next"
8. Click "Finish"
9. Right-click Start >> Click "Apps and Features"
10. Uninstall KORG BLE-MIDI Driver for Windows
11. Reinstall KORG BLE-MIDI Driver for Windows
12. Restart (may not be necessary, but just do it)
13. Connect your WIDI device via Bluetooth

The above mentioned should fix the majority of the known issues. If you are still experiencing problems, please do not hesitate to reach out via support .

Connecting with Windows 11 (Update 2023)

Windows 11 has introduced two Bluetooth modes. When you want to add a WIDI device, you will need to switch to "advanced" mode first. To get started first Install the Korg BLE MIDI driver and power on the WIDI Device.

1. In Windows 11 open [Settings] (Win+I)
2. Click the [Bluetooth & devices] menu, and then click [View more devices] to enter the [Devices] setting page.
3. Change the "Default" in the [Bluetooth devices discovery] settings to "Advanced".
4. Back to the top of the page, click the [Add device] button to open the [Add Bluetooth device] window.
5. Click the [Bluetooth] icon, select the WIDI product from the list of discovered Bluetooth devices, click the product name and confirm the connection.
6. Exit the setting page. At this time, you can see that the pairing has been successful, but it is in the [Not connected] state.
7. Open the music software, and select WIDI device as the MIDI input and output device on the MIDI setting page.
8. At this point, if you go back to the general Bluetooth settings page, you will see that the status of the WIDI device has changed to [Connected].

Important: Windows 11 has a known problem with non-standard Bluetooth devices such as WIDI devices. Once you make the first connection, it will always automatically connect to your WIDI device.

This is perfect if this is what you want. If you want to use your WIDI device in a different setup, such as connecting to another WIDI device, you have to disconnect from the menu above, remove your WIDI device from the device list, and restart your computer completely.

Just deleting is not enough. A complete reboot is required.

Connect WIDI Uhost with Android via Bluetooth

Please note that pairing with the built-in Bluetooth MIDI of Android devices cannot be done via automatic pairing. This is in the design of the mobile operating system. This means that every time you restart your mobile device or WIDI Uhost, you have to manually reconnect.

As with Windows, the Android music app you use must integrate the Android operating system's universal Bluetooth MIDI driver in order to communicate directly with your WIDI Uhost.

Most music apps have not integrated this functionality for various reasons. Therefore, you need to use an additional app designed to act as a bridge for connecting Bluetooth MIDI devices.

To bypass the limitations of Android's onboard Bluetooth, you can add WIDI Uhost or WIDI Bud Pro to your operating system via USB. This provides you with automatic pairing between two WIDI devices as described earlier.

If you decide to work directly with your Android device's built-in Bluetooth, follow these exact instructions to set it up.

1. Go to the PlayStore to search and download the free application [ MIDI BLE Connect ].
   Note: If your music app integrates Bluetooth MIDI, you can connect your WIDI device directly in this app. In this case, there is no need to download MIDI BLE Connect.
2. Turn on the power of the MIDI device with the WIDI Uhost plugged in and confirm that the blue LED flashes slowly.
3. Turn on the Bluetooth function of the Android device.
4. Open the MIDI BLE Connect App, click [Bluetooth Scan], find the WIDI Uhost that appears in the list, and click [WIDI Uhost], it will show that the connection is created successfully.
5. At the same time, the Android system will send a Bluetooth pairing request notification. Please click on the notification and accept the pairing request.
6. After this you can press the home button on the Android device to minimize the MIDI BLE Connect App and keep it running in the background.
7. Open the music app that accepts an external MIDI input and select WIDI Uhost as the MIDI input device on the settings page, then you can start using it.

When using multiple WIDI devices to connect to your operating system's built-in Bluetooth, make sure each WIDI device is set to "force peripheral" via the "BLE Role" section of WIDI App.

This will avoid automatic pairing when multiple WIDI devices are used at the same time. If necessary, you can rename each WIDI device after the upgrade is completed. This way you will be able to distinguish each WIDI device when you use them at the same time.

Note that all WIDI devices work identically when setting up the connection via Bluetooth. Watch the video below as a guide to connecting your WIDI Uhost in the same way.