Virscient Partners with CME Pro to Launch First LiveOnAir Wireless Audio System

Virscient, the engineering development house from New Zealand, has revealed a collaboration with renowned MIDI control manufacturer CME Pro to expand its existing wireless MIDI (WIDI) solution for electronic music creators. The product development result will be the first-ever product to feature LiveOnAir and will allow CME Pro to deliver an ultra-low latency wireless link with audio and MIDI, significantly expanding the creative possibilities for live performance.
 
Originally unveiled by Virscient in 2023, LiveOnAir is an ultra-low latency audio solution over low power wireless links with huge potential in gaming and live performance applications (e.g. digital wireless microphones and in-ear monitors), or any audio application scenarios requiring tight synchronization. LiveOnAir supports a range of topologies, codecs, and RF options, and is able to deliver high-quality audio over long- or short-range wireless links with a latency of less than 5 milliseconds from analog input to analog output.

LiveOnAir combines a flexible protocol with a suite of codecs that can operate on off-the-shelf System-on-a-Chips (SoCs). For example, Virscient's wireless microphone reference design is implemented on Nordic Semiconductor's nRF5340 Bluetooth LE SoC, which runs both the protocol stack and codecs. LiveOnAir makes efficient use of the nRF5340 dual-core architecture by deploying the optimized low-layer protocol stack on the network processor and running the codecs (with down to 1.5 ms algorithmic latency) and upper application layers on the application processor. In this partnership with CME Pro, Virscient will extend the functionality of CME Pro's leading WIDI product range (currently transmiting MIDI over Bluetooth) to transmit live audio together with MIDI control and synchronization. This will take the form of an integrated USB interface that facilitates device firmware updates and USB audio transfer, while I2S/I2C interfaces provide flexible connectivity to an ADC and/or DAC for high quality audio reproduction.

“While amateur musicians may tolerate a single link's 20 millisecond lag, by the time this compounds across multiple links it is almost inevitably unacceptable," says the Director of Virscient's Audio Centre of Excellence, Jonny McClintock. "While the definition of 'low-enough' latency varies, it is universally accepted that lower is better, and crystal clear that solutions like the classic Bluetooth A2DP protocol with its 40 to 150ms latency simply don't cut the mustard," continues McClintock. "These changes make it more appealing for performers to remove cables for mics and enjoy the freedom of performing wireless."

The agreement between the two companies was finalized by McClintock and Zhao Yi Tian, CEO of CME Pro. Zhao anticipates that a prototype from CME Pro featuring LiveOnAir will be ready for market in early 2025, saying, "LiveOnAir will enable CME Pro to extend our WIDI offering and include live instruments. This will be a game changer for our creator audience, and we are looking forward to presenting a prototype early in 2025."
By implementing LiveOnAir in their WIDI product development, CME Pro will be able to deliver ultra-low latency audio to musicians, DJs, and music creators. Among many possibilities, this new CME Pro solution will enable music creators using a wireless MIDI controller to also blend inputs from different instruments.

With five locations around the world, Virscient works with the world's leading semiconductor and product companies, leveraging its deep expertise in wireless and connectivity technologies. In every strategic engineering project, Virscient develops secure embedded software for connected systems, designing hardware from silicon to PCB/product-level, and supporting all other aspects of the connectivity journey from technology selection through to product RF and interoperability certification. CME is a digital musical instrument (DMI) brand originally owned by Central Music Co in Beijing, established by Mr Zhao Yitian and his partners in 1993. CME was originally able to rise to fame with a powerful range of master keyboard and MIDI control products, distributed worldwide in 56 countries. More recently CME became synonymous with being the creator of wireless MIDI (WIDI) for electronic music creators. Central Music Co also distributes professional audio systems and DMI from other countries within China. 
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