WiFiMIDI brings wireless MIDI control to Eurorack

Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

SDS Digital WifiMIDI module · Source: SDS Digital Previous Next

SDS Digital’s WiFiMIDI Eurorack module popped up on Modular Grid the other day. It’s still under development but has a very intriguing feature set. It’s an 8 channel wireless MIDI-to-CV converter wrapped up in a 6hp module for Eurorack. This enables iPhones, iPads and other tablets and wireless devices to have wire-free control over your modular system.

WiFiMIDI

It has 8 main outputs which can represent whatever MIDI message you want to send to them. You could, for instance, send it 8 MIDI notes of a sequence from your DAW. For a more polyphonic experience you can control 4 VCO’s with envelope and a VCA by pairing the outputs. The white sockets output 1V/Oct while the black ones output Gate. If you then send a MIDI controller message to a jack then it takes on that control – no menu diving or settings need to be changed, the module will adapt to whatever it’s being sent.

MIDI resolution, as we know, is 128 values which is low in the world of analogue control voltage. WifiMIDI contains a smoothing technology to increase this to 4096 values making it compatible with the iPad TouchOSC controller app.

The Clock Output is derived from the tempo of notes being played. It works very much like a tap tempo so can be set by a sequence and then it will continue after it’s stopped. It can also be used as a standard trigger or gate output. There’s also a MIDI output, that can be used to route incoming MIDI messages back out to another MIDI device.

WifiMIDI can act as a network server or client and the configuration can all be done in a web browser interface on your wireless device. And, of course, it doesn’t have to be all about iOS. Using RtpMIDI it can also be controlled from any Windows device with a wireless network port.

It’s a pretty comprehensive solution and I’m a fan of anything that finds interesting ways to bridge the computer device-to-modular divide. Rebel Technologies did something similar with their Open Sound Module but it only has 2 channels and is focused purely on OSC. WiFiMIDI looks to be offering a great deal more than that. SDS Digital say there’s more to come and hope to have it complete by April. It would be really good to see some videos of it in action to get a better idea of what it can do.

You can find all the current detail on the Modular Grid page or on the SDS Digital website.