iRig Blueboard Wireless Controller

Product Description

iRig BlueBoard is the first wireless MIDI pedalboard for iOS and Mac that allows you to control your music apps and more from the floor. Now control parameters of your MIDI-compatible apps like Amplitude wirelessly from the floor. Switch between presets, change patches, turn effects on and off and control effects like volume wah pedals all from the stage floor without worrying about tripping over wires. Setup is as simple as turning the iRig BlueBoard on and telling it what you want to control. iRig BlueBoard features four backlit soft-touch pads housed in a sturdy, stage-worthy chassis, two TRS expansion jacks for connecting additional MIDI controllers like expression pedals, and is powered by four standard AAA batteries. IMPORTANT: Please note that a newer revision of the iRig BlueBoard is now shipping which has the latest Firmware update installed. The USB terminal inside the battery compartment has been removed, all firmware updates are now done via Bluetooth. This is not a defect and does not require an exchange or return of the item.

Features

• CONNECT WIRELESSLY: Take control of your music with a Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard that gives you the freedom to jam anywhere. It connects wirelessly to your iPhone or iPad, providing 10m/ 32.8' of range.
• 4 BACKLIT SWITCHES: iRig Blueboard wireless floor controller offers four backlit assignable foot switches that enable you to control your effects and patches effortlessly on stage.
• 1/4" EXPRESSION PEDAL INPUTS: This pedal board controller features two 1/4" inputs for assignable expression pedals or switches, perfect for the musician or the performer who needs real-time control.
• PORTABLE PERFORMANCE TOOL: Comes with a blueboard iOS app that translates Bluetooth messages to MIDI for use with any app and offers direct integration with IK apps on iPhone and iPad.
• COMPATIBLE WITH: Take control of your entire rig from the floor, and keep your eyes on the audience. This distortion pedal device is compatible with devices supporting Bluetooth 4.0, iOS 6.1, Android 4.3 and later, and Mac OS 10.7 or later.

Top Reviews

Great accessory for your mobile or live rig!!
by Chris Inahara (4 out of 5 stars)
January 7, 2018

I use this with an iRig HD 2 and AmpliTube 4 with an iPad Pro and iPhone 7+.

This is truly a fun addition to my iRig HD 2, the combination makes a perfect mobile studio or practice/live rig. I primarily use this at home to practice but have taken it to the studio, plugged into the PA and jammed with boys, works great.

The only thing I would change is the buttons. They are very soft and do not offer any feedback, other then the visual of the light changing, when the button is engaged. I am, such as the majority of guitar players, use to the on off feel of a metal button from either stomp boxes or your amps channel switcher. These soft buttons are not that but they engage and perform the switching of presets, on off of stomp boxes, loop sessions with ease. For the price tag I think they could have made it with metal switches but it does the job its intended to do. The batteries are holding up well. I use this nearly everyday.

With that being said I am still very happy with my purchase. This is a great addition to any iRig setup.
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Works great with JamUp
by Daniel Quintero (5 out of 5 stars)
June 15, 2016

I have just received mine and I LOVED IT! It does what it was intended. I use it mostly for switching my presets in JamUp Pro.

It is important to mention that there IS a lack of instructions from IK in order to know how to use the board (in my case, I had to look into youtube), but the Blueboard works just great. A -free- app from IK must be downloaded first, so the Blueboard can communicate with another apps through MIDI, this app must be launched first and recognize the pedal, and then you can open another app. First I was having some issues to communicate with the JamUp, I ended up closing both apps (JamUp and pedal app) and after that, all went well.

The blueboard has two different modes that can be set in the pedal app:
- PROGRAM CHANGE MODE, that can switch between your A/B/C/D presets (there is no need on programming something, as easy as "plug and play")
- CONTROL CHANGE MODE, in this mode the buttons are completely programmable for control changes, like turn on/off specifically effects. This allows maximum flexibility, but you have to take your time to program each button to do what you want them to do.

Bank switching is possible, just activate this option in the pedal app and the A or B button must be hold pressed like 2 sec and the bank is changed. You DO NOT feel like a "click" when pressing the buttons, so be sure you pressed it. It needs 4 AAA batteries (included). It's super light since it made out of plastic, but feels very stiff... however time will tell.

Hope this helps!
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Great when it works
by Dennis D. (4 out of 5 stars)
August 2, 2018

Great when it works. Tends to disconnect from the computer a lot and requires restarting Amplitube sometimes to get it to pick it back up. But ti gets the job done. Nice that it can be powered by a USB cable instead of battery. Kind of a dumb design though because you have to take the battery cover off and the plug sticks out the bottom. Solved this by drilling a hole through a block of wood and putting the USB cable through it.
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I couldn't get this to do what I wanted.
by G. Bennett (3 out of 5 stars)
August 16, 2019

Seems well made, but not too flexible when sending midi. It seems like it should be possible to send out any sequence of midi command with a button is pushed, I tried midi flow, but it seemed like setting things up was very time-consuming. Also means a lot of every time you turn off the iPad.

I switched to the morningstar MC6 MKII which does have the flexibity that I want. but it to easy to really mess up when hitting the footpedal in the wrong way. (hitting two buttons instead of one - which is really easy to do)
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Connection issues and limited functionality.
by Jerence (2 out of 5 stars)
September 4, 2019

I used this in rehearsal for eventual use in a live performance environment, and it seemed to be fine. I get it out in the real world - full of Wi-Fi signals from our PA system and monitor rugs, wireless in-ears and mics, and other Bluetooth interference - and it won't hold a Bluetooth LE connection for more than a couple minutes. The unit is no more than 4 feet from the laptop (new MacBook Pro). After reconnecting it on the fly during live performance for the 10th time in a set, I reverted to my old usb manual switches and won't ever use this again. Also, the nice switch backlights only function in a mode I cannot use; I connect via the MIDI over Bluetooth mode 1. :(
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Only Bluetooth MIDI pedal with expression pedal inputs
by John Sadler (4 out of 5 stars)
September 4, 2019

I use the Blueboard to control my Peavey Vypyr Pro amp via an iPad and a Yamaha MDBT-01 MIDI adapter. I wanted to be able to switch among four patches and control master volume with an expression pedal. The Blueboard gets the job done easily. I have used it several times now with the IOS Blueboard app, and it has worked flawlessly. It was very simple to set up in native mode. The IOS app lets you select the CC event to associate with each of the expression pedals, and emits consecutive MIDI program changes on the channel of your choosing for the 4 buttons. For my purposes, that was flexible enough. The new 1.2 firmware lets you bypass the IOS app if you want to, but the two direct MIDI modes are not as flexible, so you may find yourself forced to use another IOS app to translate note or cc events from the pedal into whatever you really want to send to your device.

It would be helpful if the IOS app could connect and forward events to a wireless MIDI device, and if there was a way to make the button illumination momentary rather than latching in native mode. Even better if the button illumination could be controlled by a MIDI event as it can in the direct MIDI modes of operation.

Four stars instead of five because tech support did not respond to my inquiry.

Update: I heard back from tech support after several days. I have now used the Blueboard in gigs and practice indoors and outdoors. It still works great, battery life is very good, and I am using one of the direct MIDI modes with MidiFlow on IOS - a very flexible setup. I am also using an expression pedal to control the master volume on my amp with very satisfying results. Recommended.
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Disappointing Customer Service
by Kindle Customer (1 out of 5 stars)
February 24, 2019

I purchased this device January 3, 2019 new from Amazon. I planned to use this device to control the auto scrolling function of Ultimate Guitar app. But I was unable to register the device, because I did not have the product serial number. The number is apparently found somewhere in the packaging material-which I no longer had at the time I tried to register the product. From what I can tell, neither the current blueboard app, nor the operation manual, can be obtained without registering the Blueboard. And, since I did not have the serial number I could not register the product.

So I contacted tech support, thinking that if I conclusively demonstrated that I purchased the purchased the new blueboard from Amazon, that would suffice to obtain the latest app and manual. Wrong! In the absence of the serial number, I cannot register the Blueboard.

I have no idea whether this product will work with the Ultimate Guitar app. But I can't get it to link to the UG app. I have no use for the Blueboard as things are now. I'm out $100. It was my fault that I lost the serial number. However, Im very disappointed that tech support could not allow me to obtain the most recent interation of the Blueboard app and the manual, given that I could prove when and where I purchased the new blueboard.

The lesson: Be alert for the product serial number in the material that comes with the Blueboard. There is no serial number on the Blueboard.
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Solid concept let down by limited software
by M. Benigni (3 out of 5 stars)
February 10, 2014

I think the hardware is great. It connects reliably, it has quiet, backlit switches, and inputs for two expression pedals. Sold.

The problems arise when you try to configure for specific apps and realize that the Blueboard software *always* sends a CC on and CC off in quick succession when you press a button. You can't configure it do this, or instead toggle on/off, or send a momentary on with suppressed off in order to ensure that an application will behave correctly. You also can't program button values (other than 0/127) or exp. pedal ranges... Basically, it's like IK never had any musician of any sort look at the software side of this product for more than 5 minutes.

Except, presumably to control Amplitube, which they assume you will also buy from them. If you prefer a competitor's app, oh well and thanks for your money. So for instance, if you use Jam Up, you can select presets, but you can't turn effects on and off individually.

I might have gone as low as two stars on this basis, but I have had some luck configuring Loopy HD to work with this pedal, and if I keep kicking around I'll probably find some other uses for it. I'm also hoping that IK will come through with a software/firmware improvement to fix my complaints above. But for the moment, this is just another half-baked product with potential.
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Super Simple and easy
by renoboyd (5 out of 5 stars)
June 27, 2019

I work with the iRig and this was the natural progression to that unit and an iPad. Super easy to set up though the instructions were kinda meh. You download the app on your i device. Run that device app and find the blueboard Takes about 10 seconds. You need to choose which options in the Amplitube app you want to switch between (or make your own). You can footswitch between the 4 of your choice which all I have done is sequential. But I switch between clean and overdrive/heavy fairly often. This makes is very easy.
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Worked with Mainstage. Won't reconnect after computer sleeps. Returning.
by Thomas Buttner (1 out of 5 stars)
February 12, 2018

IK do not appear to have really wrung the bugs out of this. Looks like the kind of product they throw over the wall as a loss leader to sell software licensing to Amplitube, which is like trying to play guitar while watching the shopping channel, but with more pixels.

I could put up with the cheap plastic construction. I could put up with the need for an app just to use BLE instead of finding a way to run natively. But every time my computer sleeps with the app open, it crashes the BLE stack and it when the machine wakes up again, no amount of app restarting or pedal power cycling gets it connected again. Gotta reboot to hook it back up. Every time.

Worked fine with Mainstage once I got it working, but I'm returning it and buying a Logidy UMI3. Which I will connect over USB. Because that works.

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