Focusrite/Kemper to bluetooth transmitter?

    Morning all,


    I run my Kemper and PC into a Focusrite 6i6. I've recently got a bigger room so I can walk about & do the whole posing at home like a rock star thing ^^


    Problem is that I run headphones out from the Focusrite & headphone cable is annoying.


    Obvious solution seems to be a bluetooth transmitter from the Focusrite & buying a set of bluetooth headphones.


    Has anyone done this or similar & any recommendations for gear to do it? Saw a few transmitters online but many have said not for instruments due to latency.

    Bluetooth generally has far too much latency for ‘real time’ playing.
    You don’t notice it if it’s just streaming music. However, if you then want to play along with that music through the Kemper in real-time, that is where the latency becomes a big problem.

    Maybe try a wireless ‘in ear’ system instead?

    Vinny Burns is right. Bluetooth has way too much latency. It’s fine for audio playback, but won’t work for something like an instrument.


    At best it’s around 35ms. For earbuds it gets well past 100ms.


    Headphone amps like Fender’s Mustang Micro have Bluetooth for playback, but use a wired headphone for this very reason.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    Like 3
    Quote from Vinny Burns

    Bluetooth generally has far too much latency for ‘real time’ playing.
    You don’t notice it if it’s just streaming music. However, if you then want to play along with that music through the Kemper in real-time, that is where the latency becomes a big problem.

    Maybe try a wireless ‘in ear’ system instead?


    How would a wireless in ear system differ from bluetooth?

    Is the latency a problem though?


    I use a practice device that relies on Bluetooth to play along to songs. There is significant latency BUT because they are both the backing track and guitar sound are delayed, unless I try to play along to a video ( where the latency is visible) it doesn't matter - they remain roughly in sync.


    In other words, if the source is the same for both audio i.e. both coming from the Focusrite then the latency is equal and the fact that the track is actually delayed shouldn't cause an issue???


    An in ear solution is probably best though as suggested ( I have a couple of LD systems for sale if you in the UK!!). In my "studio", I use some old Sony RF headphones which also work quite well.

    A wired connection is less than 10ms. Closer to 5.


    It’s not the audio. It’s the feel of the guitar under your fingers. Use transpose on the Profiler. You'll feel the latency. It works, but a steady diet *sucks*. I can only deal with it for one or two songs.


    Now, play like that ALL the time.


    Edit: Another idea.... Set up a single delay at 34ms, set it to full-wet (100% mix) and play. Then take it up to 100.

    Ewe.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    Edited once, last by Ruefus ().

    The backing track and guitar are in sync but your hands and brain are not 😃

    New talent management advice to Laura Cox -


    “Laura want to break the internet? let’s shoot another video of you covering the Nightrain solo in the blue singlet, but this time we’ll crank up the air conditioning”.

    Like 3


    The transmitter would plus into the headphone out of the Focusrite & would carry signal from both audio source and kemper in parallel.


    What systems do you have for sale? I'm in UK.

    Quote from 1Towneley

    How would a wireless in ear system differ from bluetooth?

    Because it's optimized for low latency (and a few other things)

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    Like 1
    Quote from 1Towneley

    The transmitter would plus into the headphone out of the Focusrite & would carry signal from both audio source and kemper in parallel.


    What systems do you have for sale? I'm in UK.

    Like I said, that delay will (and does) destroy the feel of the guitar. It has zero to do with the audio (song or backing track). It has everything to do with the round trip from plucked string, through the system and out to your ears.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    Like 1

    I know bluetooth latency is significant, couldn't work out why I don't get it on my Nuxplug which uses bluetooth, I see my error :)


    I know that level of latency is virtually unplayable!

    Quote from 1Towneley

    The transmitter would plus into the headphone out of the Focusrite & would carry signal from both audio source and kemper in parallel.


    What systems do you have for sale? I'm in UK.

    Yeah I was wrong, you need an alternative.


    In ears don't use bluetooth which has inherently bad latency, they use RF or Digital transition and as mentioned latency specifically a factor they look to address in these solutions - similar to wireless guitar transmitters etc.


    I have 2 LD MEI 100's for sale and 4 transmitters. They are on Facebook - PM if interested.

    Quote from V8guitar

    I know bluetooth latency is significant, couldn't work out why I don't get it on my Nuxplug which uses bluetooth, I see my error :)


    I know that level of latency is virtually unplayable!

    I had to wrap my head around it when I bought the Mustang Micro. "It's got Bluetooth....why can't I use bluetooth headphones?!?"

    *Google search* - Wait....what? Latency? .....HOW MUCH?!?!?........ It's like playing (at its very, very best) a 100% mix, 34ms delay.


    It destroys everything.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    Like 1
    Quote from 1Towneley

    Is this the type of thing I should be looking at?


    https://www.gear4music.com/PA-…-System-by-Gear4music/OUE

    Something like that can work, sure. Something that inexpensive may not give you the best audio and RF interference might cause intermittent issues.


    But yep, that's the idea. Make sure it's stereo, though. I've seen products from (X-vive makes one) that work fairly well....but aren't stereo.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

    For me just a small amount of latency destroys my time keeping. There are songs I cant play no matter what if there is latency. Your tempo will be way off.


    MY DUMB THOUGHTS

    Bluetooth was meant to be a universal system for printers, cameras, sound, etc to pass data around. It will have latency just because it needs to run smoothly on a million different devices running at different speeds etc. This means sound will be buffered and transmitted in chunks. The buffering is the problem.


    Where a dedicated wireless system is only designed for that hardware and latency will be its key focus. They will buffer as little as possible.

    Quote from 1Towneley

    How would a wireless in ear system differ from bluetooth?

    Well, the wireless in ear system uses a different technology to transfer the music. The transmission works as with a radio. The information is modulated onto a specific frequency and then extracted at the receiver. There are a very few systems that transmit digital information, but most just modulate the music directly onto the frequency (e.g. all the Sennheiser Systems as well as the Shure Systems, at least as far as I know).


    I tried achieving low latencies with bluetooth, but the encoding/decoding seems to take quite a while with bluetooth. And in the end, the sync between hands and sound was just not useable.