Why this is a game changer for me (AIAIAI TMA-2 Wireless+)

Merch!

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:41 Live loop
1:24 Benefits of working wirelessly
4:03 Modular design
5:16 Issues with Bluetooth
7:07 Demo of "ultra low latency"
8:08 Tips for reducing latency in general
11:51 Pros & cons of W+

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Thanks for watching today and a big hug to you if you share this video with someone!

[iamsushi]

Can we just say, what an absolute madlad, playing synth keys and physical drums at the same time

[ScottsSynthStuff]

Back in the late 1980's, I used to DJ in large dance clubs in Toronto, using wireless headphones. You couldn't use digital then, for the same reason (latency - you can't beat mix from a delayed cue channel!), so I had a set of Koss headphones that connected over infrared, like a TV remote! Sennheiser had digital ones that broadcast PCM over infrared, but they had latency - the Koss headphones were all analog. It worked great, had no RF interference, and freed me to move around the booth and quickly pull records to slap down on the turntable without getting wound up in wires. I wish I still had them.

[moebest]

I bought the TMA-2 headphones after Andrew mentioned them in an earlier video and a fair warning for people with big ears: the over-ear pads aren't really over ear. For me they became uncomfortable to wear after 30 minutes. Compared to my trusty Beyerdynamic DT770s, the sound is also quite bass heavy and slightly muddy in the low mids (I got the S05 MK2 capsules). The highs are there but not as pronounced. Sound isolation from the outside is sort of... half-open half-closed.

The latency is fantastic (16 ms) and the battery life is enough to last you for 12+ hours in low latency mode - A+ there.
But the wireless transmitter clips HARD when the signal is too loud - no distortion but uncomfortable clipping. There also is a noticeable hiss when you turn up the volume too much that you mostly notice when there is a quieter passage in the music.

Also I'm not sure if there is any way to tell if the battery is about to run out. It sometimes plays a sound but I couldn't find any documentation in the manual about the bleeps and bloops it produces.

So if you have average sized ears, are comfortable to spend a bit more on your headphones and are fine with a slight hiss - go for it. Despite the flaws (and the weird charging port) they are still IMO the best option for low-latency wireless studio headphones.

[henritremolo]

I have TMA-2 and I generally like them, I started using them for almost all needs: listening music, office meetings, studio work, live recording, sometimes even for live mixing.

However, 16ms is far from latency free or ultra-low latency. The delay is still so annoying that I need to use the supplied cable when recording electronic drum set controlling a drum module in DAW. It just feels so laggy and definitely makes the playing harder than it should be. Without wireless phones, my DAW setup is stable at 32 samples buffer, which means less than 2ms round trip audio delay. Accustomed to that, the additional 16ms is just too much for me.

I know, 16ms means just ~5 metres, but you don't actually play drums from 5m distance. Your brain expects the sound hit as you hit the drum. This is especially noticeable on the hihat parts, while still doable.

Soundwise, I like the product and while it allows me to use wireless for most daily use cases, it's definitely worth of the money. The option to use a cable for killing the latency makes me feel better for the time-critical use cases.

Technologywise, I'm still expecting lower latency.

[davidwave]

Whenever a new Andrew video drops, it feels like the return of an old friend. So glad that this channel exists.

[vapdw]

Andrew - loved your work since discovering STWPT almost 20 years ago now. Knew your voice years before knowing your face. Watching you rise to this level has been just insane to watch, and I’m really happy for you! The tons of effort are seen and appreciated for the difference it makes. I hope even greater things for you down the road. Thanks for always sharing your knowledge, and pulling us forward with you.

[LilDeuceDeuce]

I've been researching wireless headphones for awhile now and this is the first thing that convinced me to take the plunge, just ordered and can't wait to try tracking drums with these

[RogueAstro]

God damn, even when you're just talking about latency and wireless headphones your videos still look like a work of art

[Flargenyargen]

Latency is why I never stepped from playing instruments to producing music. I tried but the latency drove me up the wall. Too frustrated to keep trying. These tips make me want to give it another go!

[Rob_]

Wow, wow, wow.
My TMA-2 Wireless+ just arrived 2 hours ago and I can't stop listening to music.
Sound quality is great, fits my ears perfectly and does not shift when I move around.

[Fox_is_Fox]

I have been a professional producer for 25 years and I must say that you are really impressive! Being a musician and a technician at the same time is very difficult because it requires the ability to use both hemispheres of the brain. What you are obviously doing. Bravo! Could you make a video about the difficulty of making personal life and musical production coexist? Thank you :)

[ambiention]

I know it was mentioned, but I think direct-monitoring wherever possible is worth emphasizing. If you don't have the option on your interface, you can achieve the same thing running your instruments/mics into a mixer first and monitoring from that

[joeyo]

Similar tip to your bounce one, but exporting an entire instrumental for vocal production. For background I use logic, but I think all daws make this easy.

I’ll use a recent example: I received a voice memo style demo from an artist and built most of a track around it. Then when it came time to track the vocals, instead of worrying about committing or freezing, I just muted the demo vocals, bounced the entire project, and imported it into a separate session. Then we had plenty of cpu headroom to record vocals even with fancy reverb and compression and several layers and whatnot. Then I went back to the full session, chose Import Logic File, and brought the vocal tracks back over with all their takes, plug-ins, and routing still perfectly in tact

[jasonpillingmusic]

I've also used my live in-ear performance monitor for no-latency recording applications. Not bluetooth...it's radio. They aren't cheap either, but if you want to spend that much cash, and you're a live performer, you can get two use cases out of the same gear?

[RedFeatheredRaven]

I love these headphones, they were worth every penny. One thing that I think hasn't been covered enough about the AIAIAI TMA-2 Wireless+ headphones is the extended battery life in Bluetooth mode. If I am not doing any music production (using the wireless+ mode) then I only ever have to charge them once a week.

[karniumsden]

For some reason I can't comment on a comment. Someone said the latency of aptX adapters was better, and I did some looking into it. I don't know where they got 3ms per adapter but if that's true that doesn't account for the 32ms of transmission delay in aptX. AptX is what is used to give Bluetooth 5.0 that 32ms fast end. W+ is twice as fast. And a good pair of studio headphones for 350 sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

[MageThief]

4:54 DAMN this beat is so good, so hard to sit still and it just kicks ass. Hope that you continue to work on it and release it.

[dtm]

This will help so much with performances for my classes, thank you.

[cabbycabby]

Love the stuff they make. I have an almost 10 year old pair of TMA-1 Studios. Great cans.

[alexanderusov]

Its something I can't live without after having it for about couple of months. If you think this latency will prevent your from jamming live watch some of Gnarlys finger drumming videos! Awesome content Andrew like always! Happy to see this collab <3