MidiWrist Documentation
Quickstart
MidiWrist turns your Watch into a MIDI controller that can interact with any CoreMIDI connection that is available on your iPhone.
The MidiWrist MIDI panel on the iPhone allows you to select specific MIDI destinations. MidiWrist also creates a Virtual MIDI source 'MidiWrist' that allows you to directly interact with any synthesizer app on your iPhone.
If you don't have a synthesizer app available, AudioKit Synth One is a great open-source synth that you can download freely.
Once Synth One is installed, launch it by tapping its icon, press the Hold button and tap on a key on the keyboard to hear an arpeggio playing.
Launch MidiWrist on your Apple Watch and tap on any of the two top-most circles to activate them as virtual knobs. When you turn your Watch's digital crown, you'll see the Frequency knob or the Rez knob on SynthOne rotate.
Tip: Sometimes WiFi networks can introduce delays, disabling WiFi on your phone or your Watch to have a direct Bluetooth connection, can improve performance.
From here onwards you can enable or disable any knob by tapping on them, or double tap a specific knob to only activate that specific one.
Reference Manual
You can find all the details about the MidiWrist app here.
Configure Your Apple Watch
In order for MidiWrist to be the most predicable and comfortable to use, there are a few Apple Watch settings that we recommend.
Connectivity
Sometimes WiFi networks can be slow or introduce delays. If you experience laggy MidiWrist behavior, disabling WiFi on your Watch will force it to connect to your phone over Bluetooth instead, which can feel more immediate.
Wake Behavior
To be able to make immediate tweaks, even when a long time has passed, the following General > Wake Screen settings are a good idea to activate.
- Wake Screen on Wrist Raise
- On Screen Raise Show Last App Within 1 Hour of Last Use
- On Tap Wake for 70 Seconds
Haptics
Haptic feedback makes your Watch vibrate when you interact with MidiWrist, this can be useful to make tweaks without looking or to get additional sensory confirmation of your intentions.
The following Sound & Haptics settings are a good idea to activate.
- Alert Volume > Silent Mode
to only feel the haptics and to not be disturbed by the alert sounds - Haptics > Haptic Alerts
to feel the haptic vibrations - Haptics > Prominent
to feel the vibrations really well - Crown Haptics
to make the digital crown feel more tangible
Siri
Siri allows voice control over certain MIDI commands.
Siri can be activated by long-pressing the Digital Crown, and the following settings allow you to access it hands-free:
- Siri > Hey Siri
to be able to say "Hey Siri" and have the Watch listen to your command - Siri > Raise To Speak
to be able to raise the Watch in front of your face and have it listen to your command - Siri > Control With Silent Mode
to not hear the voice feedback
Siri support on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad
MidiWrist's Siri support isn't limited to the Apple Watch. All the Siri Shortcuts also work directly on other iOS devices. This opens up hands-free voice control even when you don't own an Apple Watch or want to use this on other devices.
The follow settings are recommended when you want to use MidiWrist Siri without an Apple Watch:
- Siri & Search > Listen for "Hey Siri"
to be able to say "Hey Siri" and have your iOS device listen to your command - Siri & Search > Press Home for Siri
to allow you manual control over when to activate Siri, this might be another button on certain devices - Siri & Search > Allow Siri When Locked
to have to unlock your iOS device to be able to give Siri voice commands - Siri & Search > Voice Feedback With Switch
to be able to silence Siri's voice feedback
Note that Siri activation with "Hey Siri" might not work on the same device that is running the audio app that you want to control, due to the audio device being used for other purposes. You can still use your iOS device as a MIDI controller for other devices or your computer DAW for instance.
Controllers Panel
The Controllers panel allows you to configure how your MidiWrist Watch controllers behave, and also allows you to monitor their behavior.
The five sections Transport, Programs, Knobs, Buttons and XY correspond to the five pages of your MidiWrist Watch app. By swiping left or right on the Watch app, you can switch between the different pages.
Tapping any of the rows in these sections in the iPhone app, allows you configure which MIDI messages should be generated by MidiWrist for each control.
Transport
The Transport Watch panel has four icons, from top-left to bottom-right these are: Rewind, Record, Stop and Play.
When you press any of the transport buttons, the MidiWrist iPhone app will briefly display the command it received.
For example:
To be able to control your DAW with these buttons, you have to set your DAW up to accept MIDI Machine Control (MMC) or Mackie Control Universal (MCU) input over the destination MIDI ports that MidiWrist using (see the MIDI section of the iPhone app).
Selecting which protocol is used, can be done through the Transport controller configuration panel.
Siri Support
All the transport commands can be triggered through Siri Shortcuts, providing you with hands-free voice control when using the "Hey Siri" feature.
Each Siri Shortcut has to individually be configured for your voice.
Tapping the Add to Siri button next each transport command, guides you through the standard iOS procedure to set up the phrase you want to use. MidiWrist will suggest an appropriate phrase, but you can record anything you want.
Once Siri is setup on your iPhone, your Apple Watch and any other devices that are tied to the same Apple account, will automatically understand the same shortcuts.
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
Setting MMC up is different for each DAW, in Logic Pro X for instance, it needs to be configured both in the global preferences and the project settings, while in Reaper it's just a single preference in the MIDI settings.
The screen shots below show you how to do this for some popular DAWs.
Apple Logic Pro X 10.4
Cubase Pro 10
Pro Tools 2018
Harrison Mixbus32C 5
Cockos Reaper 5
Mackie Control Universal (MCU)
The MCU protocol allows for additional capabilities that can be accessed through the Transport Force Touch menu.
These capabilities are Save, Undo, toggle Cycle and toggle Click and rely upon each DAW's individual support for these functions.
Setting MCU up is also different for each DAW, the screen shots below show some popular examples.
Apple Logic Pro X 10.4
Cubase Pro 10
Ableton Live 9
Harrison Mixbus32C 5
Cockos Reaper 5
Korg Gadget
MCU sometimes takes longer to configure, but it has the advantage of being just a series of MIDI note messages that are being sent out.
This allows hosts that don't explicitly support MCU to still be controllable through MIDI remapping techniques.
Below, the Midiflow iOS app with the Controller Remapping IAP, converts the MCU Notes to MIDI CCs so that Korg Gadget can learn these actions in its Transport settings section.
You can download this Midiflow preset here.
Programs
The Programs Watch panel allows you to send MIDI program change messages, either by pressing the - and the + buttons, or by rotating the digital crown.
Tapping the program number will resend the current program.
The value of the program change that was transmitted will appear in the Controllers panel on your phone.
For example:
Tapping this row in the MidiWrist iPhone app, allows you to configure which MIDI channel the program change message will be sent out on.
You can change the channel number by using the - and + buttons, or tap the number to change it with a numeric keyboard.
Alternatively, you can press the Learn button, which will listen for MIDI program change messages on the enabled MIDI sources. The channel of the first program change message that was received will be automatically configured.
Knobs
The Knobs Watch panel allows you to use the digital crown to turn up to four virtual knobs that send CC messages. Tap a knob to enable or disable it, double-tap it to only enable that knob.
By using a Force Touch, a menu appears that allows you to reset all the knobs to zero, or to link them together in their current positions. By linking them, the knobs will respect their respective offsets even when they've moved to the extremes.
When you turn any of the knobs, the MidiWrist iPhone app will display the last value that was transmitted.
For example:
Tapping one of the rows in the Knobs section in the MidiWrist iPhone app, allows you to configure that knob in detail.
You can change the Channel and CC Number by using the - and + buttons, or tap one of the numbers to change it with a numeric keyboard.
The Minimum and Maximum values that the knob can be set at can also be changed, allowing you to focus on the control range that is most appropriate for your needs.
Alternatively, you can press the Learn button, which will listen for MIDI CC messages on the enabled MIDI sources. The Channel and CC Number of the first CC message that was received will be automatically configured.
If you want a label to be displayed for this knob on the Watch panel, you can provide it as the first option in this section. Please note that there's very little space available and longer words will be cut off. By disabling the Display MIDI Values option in the Settings, more space will be available for the label.
The color of the knob can be selected in the color picker, and a Reset button underneath allows you to revert it back to its standard color.
Buttons
The Buttons Watch panel provides four buttons that can either be stateful or momentary. When the button is stateful, tapping it will toggle between CC value 0 (off) and 127 (on). When the button is momentary, it will automatically turn back off after 100ms.
By using a Force Touch, a menu appears that allows you to reset all the buttons to their off state.
When you tap any of the buttons, the MidiWrist iPhone app will display the last value that was transmitted.
For example:
Tapping one of the rows in the Buttons section in the MidiWrist iPhone app, allows you to configure that button in detail.
You can change the Channel and CC Number by using the - and + buttons, or tap one of the numbers to change it with a numeric keyboard.
Enable the Momentary option to make this button turn automatically back off 100ms after it was pressed.
The Minimum and Maximum values that the button can be set at can also be changed.
Alternatively, you can press the Learn button, which will listen for MIDI CC messages on the enabled MIDI sources. The Channel and CC Number of the first CC message that was received will be automatically configured.
Each button can be triggered through a Siri Shortcut, providing you with hands-free voice control when using the "Hey Siri" feature.
Tapping the Add to Siri button, guides you through the standard iOS procedure to set up the phrase you want to use. MidiWrist will suggest an appropriate phrase, but you can record anything you want.
Once Siri is setup on your iPhone, your Apple Watch and any other devices that are tied to the same Apple account, will automatically understand the same shortcuts.
If you want a label to be displayed for this button on the Watch panel, you can provide it as the first option in this section. Please note that there's very little space available and longer words will be cut off. By disabling the Display MIDI Values option in the Settings, more space will be available for the label.
The color of the button can be selected in the color picker, and a Reset button underneath allows you to revert it back to its standard color.
XY
The XY Watch panel provides a two-dimensional pad where different CC numbers can be used for the X and the Y axis. By dragging your finger over the XY pad, you change the position of the dot and the values that correspond to it.
By using a Force Touch, a menu appears that allows you to reset the dot to the pad's origin or to the maximum top-right position.
When you change the position of the dot, the MidiWrist iPhone app will display the last X and Y values that were transmitted.
For example:
Tapping one of the rows in the XY section in the MidiWrist iPhone app, allows you to configure that axis in detail.
You can change the Channel and CC Number by using the - and + buttons, or tap one of the numbers to change it with a numeric keyboard.
The Minimum and Maximum values of each axis can also be changed, allowing you to focus on the control range that is most appropriate for your needs.
Alternatively, you can press the Learn button, which will listen for MIDI CC messages on the enabled MIDI sources. The Channel and CC Number of the first CC message that was received will be automatically configured.
Presets Panel
The Presets panel allows you to save and load all the Controllers configurations, the enabled MIDI ports and the Settings. This allows you to fine-tune your needs for specific scenarios and to easily recall them later.
The top toolbar provides New, Save and Save As buttons.
Once a preset is saved, it will appear in the list below, and tapping it will load its settings.
By swiping to the left on a preset, a Share button appears that allows you to share this preset with other people or to save it outside the app. The Delete button that appears, allows you to remove the preset from the list.
MIDI Panel
The MIDI panel allows you to configure which MIDI destinations MidiWrist will send its messages to, and also which MIDI sources it will listen to.
When messages are received from MIDI sources that correspond to the configured CC messages, they will automatically change the state of the appropriate Controllers. This is very convenient for MIDI devices that broadcast the state of their presets over MIDI, since your virtual knobs will be exactly where they should be.
Before being able to connect to Bluetooth LE MIDI devices, you need to either first setup a Bluetooth MIDI Central or Peripheral. The Central finds and connects to other devices, while the Peripheral advertises MidiWrist as an available Bluetooth LE MIDI device. Once either is configured, the corresponding MIDI ports will appear. Don't forget to enable them if you want to use them.
Settings Panel
The Settings panel provides configurable options for the MidiWrist Watch app.
- Haptic Feedback
When enabled, your watch will generate haptics to confirm each interaction. Note that it's currently technically not possible to dissociate this from an alert sound, so we recommend to set your Watch to silent when haptics are enabled. - Display MIDI Values
When enabled, the MIDI CC values will be displayed on the Watch screen. - Colored Knob and Button Outlines
The outlines of the knobs and buttons are by default gray, if you want them to be the same color as the inside, enable this option. - Link Knob Offsets
This is the same option that is provided in the Knobs Force Touch menu and they're kept in sync. By linking knobs, they will respect their respective offsets even when they've moved to the extremes. - Stay Active in Background
iOS pauses an application's MIDI output when it's been suspended in the background for a while. This can cause MidiWrist's MIDI messages to be delayed for a few seconds.
By enabling this option, MidiWrist stays active even when it's in the background and will always send MIDI messages as fast as possible at the expense of battery power. - Page Visibility
Each controller page on the Watch app can be hidden, so that you don't have to swipe through pages that are not useful to you.
