Review: Yamaha UD-BT01 – Wireless MIDI Adapter

Bluetooth is a standard feature on all digital pianos, allowing easy connection to piano apps. But do not worry if your digital piano does not support Bluetooth! The Yamaha UD-BT01 Wireless MIDI Adapter conveniently solves this problem.

Why Go Wireless?

To avoid confusion, the Yamaha UD-BT01 is not intended to connect a Bluetooth headset to a digital piano. Instead, the device only allows the transmission of MIDI data through Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth connection not only has the advantage of being wireless. Generally, nothing prevents you from using USB MIDI (if you already have it). However, you cannot establish a USB connection to mobile devices without an accessory, the so-called On-The-Go (OTG) adapter. Apple misleadingly calls this the “Camera Connection Kit”.

Another advantage concerns current iOS devices that come without an analog headphone jack. In this case, you need the UD-BT01 to establish a MIDI connection, as well as a Lightning or USB-C headphone adapter to pick up the audio signal.

Yamaha UD-BT01 vs. MD-BT01

When it comes to wireless, Yamaha’s stance is clear: if you want it, go wireless. Accordingly, they released two adapters to fulfill this wish, the UD-BT01 and the MD-BT01.

Both adapters do basically the same thing: They convert MIDI to wireless MIDI and use Bluetooth technology for transmission. The advantage is that both adapters work with all digital pianos and MIDI devices, so you can use them as universal adapters.

The MD-BT01 connects to a MIDI interface. To use it, you need an instrument with MIDI In and MIDI Out ports. These MIDI ports also serve as the power source for the MD-BT01.

The Yamaha UD-BT01 connects to the USB to Host port of the digital piano or keyboard and requires a USB power supply.

Connecting the Yamaha UD-BT01

The UD-BT01 is small enough to fit in a pocket. To avoid losing it, attach a key ring or similar object to the hole on the bottom right. The wireless MIDI adapter has a USB port and a built-in USB B-type connector. The port allows you to connect a USB cable to the digital piano’s USB to Host jack.

The USB plug, on the other hand, is used to connect the UD-BT01 to a standard USB charger. Once connected, the built-in LED will flash alternately in red and green, indicating that Bluetooth is on but not connected to any device.

Pairing the UD-BT01 with an App

You establish the Bluetooth connection between the mobile device and the digital piano using the Bluetooth MIDI dialog of the respective music app (not via the Bluetooth menu in the system settings of your mobile device). Once you have paired the two devices, the LED on the Yamaha UD-BT01 will light up solid red.

Yamaha UD-BT01 in Practice

I’ll say it upfront: if you expect a perfect, latency-free MIDI connection, you shouldn’t use Bluetooth at all. After all, Bluetooth generally suffers from minimal latency. While Bluetooth MIDI latency is acceptable, Bluetooth audio latency is much higher (about 1 second).

Therefore, it is essential to consider the capabilities of a Bluetooth connection when using a wireless MIDI adapter. In principle, you can connect the UD-BT01 to any Bluetooth-enabled computer and mobile device. We tested it with iOS devices, where the UD-BT01 worked perfectly in everyday use. However, there are two things to keep in mind:

1. Firmware: To ensure that the adapter works optimally, you should always have the latest firmware installed. If the adapter fails to connect, it may be because you have a copy with outdated firmware. This can be done in a few simple steps using Yamaha’s free Utility app. Documentation could be better here.
2. MIDI data: Keyboards that generate more data than is needed to play the piano can cause problems. This includes MIDI keyboards with aftertouch. It is better to turn this off so that only the note on/off and sustain controls need to be transmitted via Bluetooth.

During our test, the UD-BT01 very rarely caused notes to drop or hold, and only when connected to a keyboard with aftertouch. Slight inaccuracies in note length were noticeable from time to time.

An alternative to Bluetooth MIDI would be a USB MIDI connection. However, this requires the purchase of an OTG adapter for mobile devices, which can cost between $20 and $50. However, if you want a fast and reliable MIDI connection, you are generally better off using USB MIDI.

Conclusion: Extremely Practical

The UD-BT01 is a practical way to add Bluetooth MIDI functionality to a piano or MIDI keyboard. Unlike the Yamaha MD-BT01, the UD-BT01 will probably be the right device for most people to connect a mobile device and a digital piano. After all, every digital piano has a USB port.

Yamaha UD-BT01 – Overview

Release date: February 2016
Concept: Wireless MIDI Adapter / USB MIDI to Bluetooth MIDI
App: Yamaha MD-BT01/UD-BT01Utility (iOS only)
Manufacturer/Distributor: Yamaha

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