Bluetooth TXmitter For Mixer Output

[sjoens]

Any ideas how to add Bluetooth to your mixer output for remote room monitoring?

Looked at several Bluetooth TX/RX on Amazon but some reviews aren't so promising.

[John Vere]

Just be aware that Bluetooth has over 30 seconds of latency. It’s not exactly the best system for overdubs. Fine for playback if you don’t mind the audio degradation 

Just Google “ Bluetooth Latency “. 

Edited November 25, 2021 by John Vere

[Terry Kelley]

4 hours ago, sjoens said:

Any ideas how to add Bluetooth to your mixer output for remote room monitoring?

Looked at several Bluetooth TX/RX on Amazon but some reviews aren't so promising.

John's point is important but as far as transmitters what doesn't look promising? I've bought three different transmitters and they all work. Charge, input music, connect, listen. It is challenging to connect with devices that don't have a display so you know what you are connecting to. None that I have use a PIN though.

I use one to listen to the output of Cakewalk via my headphone jack when I am doing other things. Works fine. I would never attempt to record with it unless I planned on doing a lot of time sliding. The delay is at least 50ms

Edited November 25, 2021 by Terry Kelley

[John Vere]

I just noticed this  

6 hours ago, sjoens said:

to your mixer output for remote room monitoring?

I'll assume this is a iso booth for recording new tracks. ? If so your best bang for the buck is a small mixer with at least 2 balanced inputs. 

The Client ( or you?) then can have full control of the headphone mix. 

How I do this. 

Run a balanced cable(s) from output 3/4 of my audio interface to the mixer. It needs to be balanced if the run is 10' or more.  Depending on the mixer routing you should be able to set up a mix of the vocal or guitar amp mike and DAW playback in the phones.  Sometimes you have to use a mike cable splitter ( XLR Y cable or Radial  box)  to send half to your interface and the other half to the little mixer. This system will have Zero latency because it's analog. 

[sjoens]

Not for recording.

4 hours ago, Terry Kelley said:

I use one to listen to the output of Cakewalk via my headphone jack when I am doing other things.

^This! What brand are you using?

Some reviews say the units are too aggressive about pairing whenever their phones are nearby or cut out repeatedly.

I ordered one from Amazon over a week ago but they still haven't shipped it, tho they say it's "in stock".

Edited November 25, 2021 by sjoens

[John Vere]

Ok that’s different when you said remote room monitoring 

I bought a set of Sony Bluetooth headphones from Costco a few years ago. $75. My wife stole them and won’t give them back. Paired with her laptop so she can listen to her art lessons without  the cable to trip over. Always worked. 
I was disappointed with the latency for studio use. 

[Terry Kelley]

58 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Not for recording.

^This! What brand are you using?

Some reviews say the units are too aggressive about pairing whenever their phones are nearby or cut out repeatedly.

I ordered one from Amazon over a week ago but they still haven't shipped it, tho they say it's "in stock".

Check your PMs. I am no sure what the forum's policy is on product placements. Don't expect much more than 20ft of range though depending on your walls.

Edited November 25, 2021 by Terry Kelley

[sjoens]

Thanks. Probably OK to post links here too. Looks like the ones I saw on Amazon. Reviews for this one aren't the greatest but they are what they are. Apparently nothing is being shipped or they're back logged 2 weeks.

As far as range goes my Skull headphones paired to a galaxy phone will go about 70 ft.

Edited November 26, 2021 by sjoens

[John Vere]

Cakewalk forum has never blocked any posts containing any products and the links to them. Including other DAWs.  Only if it’s obviously spamming.  But someone still has to report it. 

[Craig Anderton]

Don't forget you can also stream from Cakewalk directly to a Bluetooth device, you don't need a separate transmitter unless you specifically need to stream from the hardware.

The following is excerpted from my book, The Huge Book of Cakewalk by BandLab Tips. If you have the book, the complete section with illustrations starts on page 395. But the following should be enough to get you going.

It’s entirely possible to stream Cakewalk by BandLab’s audio. Bluetooth adds about 30-40 ms of latency so you probably won’t be doing any overdubbing, but for listening back it’s fine. To do so, you need to use the Windows drivers, not ASIO. MME is the fail-safe option, however it adds lots more latency. WASAPI Exclusive or WASAPI Shared mode is a much better option. I’ll use iLoud as an example, but the protocol for other Bluetooth devices is essentially the same.

1. Pair your Bluetooth device with your laptop or desktop Bluetooth. Your device will provide instructions on how to do this, but it generally involves pushing a button while the two Bluetooth-friendly devices are turned on, and in close proximity to each other.

2. Choose Start > Settings > Devices, then click on the Bluetooth category. Verify that Bluetooth is turned on, and make sure that your Bluetooth device is shown as Connected, not just Paired.

3. Return to Settings, then click on Personalization. Next, click on Themes, then Advanced Sound Settings.

4. Your Bluetooth device should appear in the list of potential playback devices. Click on it, and use Set Default to make the Bluetooth device your default playback device.

5. In Cakewalk by BandLab, under Preferences > Audio > Playback and Recording, choose MME as the driver mode. I’ve also used Bluetooth successfully with the WASAPI driver mode. Note that you will not be able to obtain latencies comparable to ASIO, so if there’s distortion, aliasing, etc., try increasing the latency.

6. Also in Cakewalk by BandLab, under Preferences > Audio > Devices, choose your Bluetooth playback system as the output device.

[sjoens]

Thank Craig. Didn't know about this. And it actually works!

Effective latency with MME, 8 buffers in queue & size set to Fast is 70 msec.

Edited November 26, 2021 by sjoens

[Craig Anderton]

Glad it worked for you! Don't forget to try WASAPI to see if you can reduce the latency.

I also use this technique to listen on a variety of Bluetooth devices to sort of get an average of what the typical consumer might hear. It helps make for more transportable mixes.

Oh, and of course, I would be remiss not to point out that the book is full of other useful tips...like over 400 pages of them ?

[sjoens]

Thanks. WASAPI doesn't work with my headphones.