Click button 3 (the lowermost button) to turn the WARBL2 on under battery power (or just plug it into USB). If operating under battery power it will turn off by default after 5 minutes of inactivity. You can also hold down button 3 for 3 seconds (by default) to turn it off, or click the reset button with a toothpick. The behavior for powering off can be changed in the Configuration Tool.

There's a very good chance that it's already turned on, because it's easy to accidentally click button 3 and turn it on. You can try turning it off by holding down button 3 for three seconds (assuming you haven't changed the default button configuration) or click the reset button with a toothpick. Another possibility is that the battery is completely discharged.

On most devices (for example iOS), BLE MIDI seems to be very reliable and convenient. It also means that you don't need to have an adapter. There will be slightly more latency (see below) with BLE MIDI but in most cases it's minimal. USB MIDI can be used for the absolute lowest possible latency.

Note: In general it is best to avoid connecting by both BLE and USB to the same host device simultaneously. That can cause confusion and connection difficulties.

Computers may disconnect USB devices after a period of inactivity or when the computer goes to sleep. If they disconnect the WARBL2 but still supply it with power, the WARBL2 thinks it is connected to a charging brick instead and may begin charging.

There is a longer discussion of this in the User Manual, but BLE MIDI typically adds an average delay of 4-8 ms . That is the amount of time it takes sound to travel 4-8 feet, so standing just 8 feet away from the sound source adds as much delay as the average BLE latency! Therefore, if you are experiencing more latency than you would like, try staying close to your host device and speakers, or try using different speakers/headphones or use the built-in speaker on your device (some speakers and headphones with a lot of electronics will themselves add latency).

Being connected to the Configuration Tool may add a small amount of delay because the WARBL needs to send extra data, so click "Disconnect" if you no longer need to be connected. Sending a large amount of MIDI data (pitchbend, MIDI CC messages, etc.) can add some latency, so you can try to keep extraneous MIDI data to a minimum.

If the tone hole sensors aren't properly calibrated, they can also add a "feeling" of latency because you may need to press on them to make them register as being covered.

If you're experiencing a large amount of latency, it's likely the result of audio latency associated with your host device, rather than BLE. A few things to check are:

• Are you using Bluetooth headphones or speakers? These always add a large amount of latency and can't be used with live music performance (Bluetooth audio is much slower than BLE MIDI). You'll need to use wired headphones or speakers.
• Are you using a Windows machine? If so, try selecting different audio drivers in your MIDI app settings, and possibly install the free ASIO4All audio driver.
• Are you using an Android device? Some of these have a lot of audio latency and there may not be a solution for this. I'm happy to accept returns if you are unable to attain acceptable results with your Android device.

The User Manual has information about pairing the WARBL2 with various devices. Often "Forgetting" the WARBL2 and pairing again will fix connection issues. If you have connected the WARBL2 to multiple devices in the past, make sure that the WARBL2 isn't connected to a different device. This will prevent it from connecting to another one.

Note that on Windows, a BLE device will be shown as "unconnected" until you actually open a MIDI app. Also, a MIDI device can only connect to one app at a time on Windows, so you need to close one completely before trying to connect to another (so WARBL can't connect to the Configuration Tool and another MIDI app at the same time). Also on Windows, if you are using the Korg BLE MIDI Driver on Windows and the WARBL2 won't connect or connects only very briefly, there may be a rare issue where there have been too many USB MIDI devices connected in the past. You can follow the instructions here to fix this (see where it says "Follow these exact instructions to resolve this issue").

Like many USB rechargeable devices, the WARBL2 doesn't come with a charging brick. This is to help prevent E-waste because most people own one or more USB charging bricks at this point. You can also charge the WARBL2 from a USB host device (computer, etc.) instead of using a charging brick.

If you have previously connected to a BLE host device then the WARBL2 may reconnect to it automatically. If you turn on the WARBL2 and the blue LED flashes twice, that means it has automatically connected to a host device. Once it has connected it stops advertising and will no longer be visible to other devices.

The gyroscope has been calibrated in the "factory" and you may never need to calibrate it again. If the roll/elevation readings seem to drift while the WARBL2 is stationary, you can try recalibrating (set it on stable surface so it is totally stationary and click "Calibrate Gyro").

Computers often throw an error when the firmware updates and the WARBL2 changes from a drive back to a MIDI device. This can be ignored, and the update was almost certainly successful despite the error.

WARBL doesn't make any sound on its own, so you'll need to connect it to a MIDI host device. This is fairly easy, because most portable devices (and desktops) support MIDI, and there are lots of free or inexpensive MIDI apps. I highly recommend iOS (Apple) devices because they handle MIDI very well and are easiest to set up. Some suggestions for iOS apps include Appcordions Celtic Sounds, EPipes, and Thumbjam. The SoundFonts app is great for producing the sounds of a wide variety of instruments because it plays freely available SoundFonts, including the WARBL SoundFont (available here). Connecting WARBL to portable devices by USB rather than BLE may also require a suitable adapter (not included with the WARBL--see the question below).

If your device has a headphone jack or you are okay using its built-in speaker, you can simply use a USB-C cable (for all devices with a USB-C port) or an Apple USB to Lightning adapter (for iOS devices with Lightning ports). For older Android devices with a micro-USB port, you'll need to use a USB "On-The-Go" (OTG) adapter.

It has gotten a bit more difficult to use USB-MIDI controllers with headphones because many new devices don't come with 3.5 mm headphone jacks. However, the correct adapter can add a headphone jack to your phone or tablet. For iOS devices (iPhone or iPad) with a Lightning port, I suggest this adapter or a similar one (look for mentions in the dscription or reviews that it works with MIDI keyboards). You can also use a USB hub plugged into an Apple USB to Lightning adapter.

There are also similar adapters for USB-C (found on all Android devices and newer iPhones and iPads). This is an adapter that I have tested to work with iOS devices (I assume it should work with Android as well). Feel free to contact me for suggestions for selecting an adapter or hub.

If you are connecting a WARBL2 by BLE MIDI it's much simpler, because you just need a common USB-C (or Lightning) headphone adapter to output audio from your host device.

Bluetooth audio unfortunately has too much latency (delay) to work with MIDI devices, so it would be very difficult to play using Bluetooth audio. Wired speakers or headphones are recommended instead. Please see the question above if your device doesn't have a headphone jack.

The WARBL should work with any device that can recognize MIDI controllers. However, some devices may have more latency or take additional time to set up than others, and the reason I suggest iOS (Apple) devices for use with WARBL is that they work consistently well, while Android compatability is difficult to predict. I can accept returns if you buy a WARBL and it doesn't end up working well with your Android device. Android phones and tablets usually require a USB On-The-Go (OTG) adapter, micro USB to USB-C cable, or USB hub to connect to WARBL. For a variety of sounds on Android, Windows, or Mac, you can try using an app that plays SoundFont files, like Bismark BS-16i MIDI app or FluidSynth, for Android, or Sforzando for Windows or Mac. You can then use those to play the WARBL SoundFont file that I made, which contains tin whistle, uilleann pipes, flute, highland bagpipes, and Scottish smallpipes sounds. There is a description and download link here.

There is also a new web-based version of the Celtic Sounds app, which is a great way to have MIDI sounds on any platform. It allows loading of many different types of instrument sounds in addition to the stock Celtic instruments. Just navigate to this page in a browser like Chrome that supports WEB MIDI. This video describes how to use it. For much more information, see the WARBL WebMIDI Sound Modules group on Facebook.

The hole spacing is similar to a D tin whistle (with an added R4 "pinky" hole). Here's a photo of the WARBL hole spacing.

The most common reason for this is that the "MIDI Channel" slider (the third slider form the bottom) is set to something other than "1". It may have been inadvertently moved. Another possibioity is that the adapter that you're using to connect the WARBL to the iOS device isn't working properly. Verify that the LED on the WARBL flashes when you plug it in, indicating that it is receiving power, and that the WARBL is recognized by the WARBL app or other MIDI apps that indicate when a MIDI device is connected. The MIDI Wrench app is great for troubleshooting MIDI devices.

Yes! WARBL is open-source, so you are free to modify the software and use it as you wish, as long it you keep it open source. It is available on the Documentation page and uses the Arduino language. Information about uploading the software from the Arduino IDE is available on the WARBL2 GitHub page and the Original WARBL GitHub page. If you aren't comfortable with coding but have ideas for software improvements, feel free to contact me with suggestions for future updates.

Here's a screenshot of an example setup for controlling drones and regulators. Byte 3 in the button configuration section is the velocity (volume) of the regulators, so you can adjust that to your preference. The drones will turn on and off if you click button 1 while covering only the right index-finger hole. There is a full list of possible drones and regulators here (click on "more" to see the full description of the app with command list).

WARBL sends MIDI messages on Channel 1 by default, so your MIDI app should be set up to respond to messages on that channel. Many connection problems with MIDI apps can be solved by forcing the app to close (on iOS, double-click the home button and swipe the app upward), unplugging/replugging WARBL, or a combination of those two things. Note: If you have been sending CC messages from WARBL to control the volume of the app with the pressure sensor, after every breath, the volume of the app may be turned down to zero. It is easy to forget about this after changing settings, so if your app isn't making sound, check to make sure the volume control in the app itself isn't turned all the way down.

WARBL uses MIDI CC messages on channel 7 to communicate with the Configuration Tool. Most MIDI apps and modules will ignore CC messages in this range (CC 102-119), but if they are causing any problems you can click "Disconnect" in the Configuration Tool or unplug WARBL and plug it in again to make it stop sending.

I have chosen to only sell WARBL on this site partly because the cost actually ends up being lower for the consumer. Even though you have to pay duty/tax in most countries, this is less than the markup that distributors would charge. The UPS Express shipping is quite fast (around 2-3 business days.

To set up Celtic Sounds MIDI Module, see this video. Also see the question above about using drones and regulators. There is also a new web-based version of Celtic Sounds here. This video describes how to use it. For much more information and many custom instrument sound files, see the WARBL WebMIDI Sound Modules group on Facebook.

To set up the EPipes iOS app, see this PDF.

To set up the FluidSynth app on Android, this video.

To set up the SForzando app on Windows or Mac, this video.

On all platforms except iOS, open this web page in a web browser that supports WEB MIDI (Chrome is recommended). On iOS, install the free WARBL app.

Although the Configuration Tool is primarily web based, it generally works offline after the first visit. If you are using the WARBL iOS app, internet should only be required to install the app and then receive new automatic updates to the Configuration Tool (which happens about once a year on average, when there is an update to the WARBL firmware).

On desktop computers, the Configuration Tool is a Progresive Web App, meaning that your browser (Chrome, etc.) should download all the necessary files the first time you visit the site. After that, it should continue to work offline. For even greater confidence, you can click the "install" link in the navigation bar of your browser, which will install the page as a standalone app on your machine.

All the documentation for the original WARBL, including the use manual and instructions for the updating the firmware, are on this page.

The WARBL produces no sound on its own, and the 3.5 mm jack is only for the optional "bell" sensor for emulating uilleann bagpipes. If you use the bell sensor, be sure to also use the special right-angle micro USB cord with the slim plug (supplied with the sensor). Many micro USB cords have a wider plug that could put too much pressure on the sensor and cause damage to the device.

I'll consider adding more fingering patterns if they are ones that are close to real intruments and will have broad appeal. Because of limited space, I do need to be somewhat selective. Feel free to contact me with suggestions.