Can I play birls with the a-pipes ?

Yes, totally identical to a real bagpipes chanter. It's even one of a-pipes strengths, especially compared to a practice chanter.

Are a-pipes usable for performing ?

Because a-pipes higlight all imperfect fingerings, there are mostly dedicated to personal work and would not be used for performing.

Is it possible to change the sounds embedded into the a-pipes (standalone use via the jack output)?

No, that's not possible. Only sounds played by the remote PC / Mac computer software can be changed.

Can a-pipes be used with a Bluetooth headset or a commercially available Bluetooth speaker?

No, the a-pipes uses Bluetooth only to communicate with the remote software (on PC, Mac or Android device).

On the other hand, it is possible to connect a commercial Bluetooth transmitter to the jack output of the a-pipes; in this case, a more or less sensitive latency time will appear between the moment of the fingering and the note heard.

Can a-pipes be used with mobile phone headsets?

No, cellphone headsets have a 4-pin jack because of the mic; the jack output of the a-pipes has only three pins.

With headphones, the volume of the a-pipes is very high, even when the sound is low.

Indeed, the a-pipes was designed to be used with standard ear buds (8 ohms) and be audible in an airplane.
If used with some headset, it could be necessary to use a male-female jack extension with potentiometer (a few euros on the WEB) to lower the sound at will.

Can a-pipes be used with any guitar amp?

Some guitar amps come into resonance when drones are in use. It's so unpleasant that one should mute drones.
The Cube by Rolland is one of the amps that sounds very well with the a-pipes.

Why does the a-pipes not contain an USB rechargeable battery?

The question is complex.
A rechargeable battery has a limited life, which means returning the instrument after a few years to change the battery.
Another disadvantage: you must always have the USB cable with you.
In addition, the use of electronic devices containing a lithium battery could become prohibited in cabin on different airlines in the future; there are already restrictions on flights to the US.
For these reasons, the choice fell on an external battery, to give the user complete freedom.
... A prototype of a-pipes incorporating a lithium-polymer battery rechargeable over USB (charger in board) is however being evaluated. Charging time is about half an hour and the autonomy is impressive, even when using the radio continuously (via the a-Box).

If you are interested in LI-ION a-pipes, let say it.

What is the Chinese baguette for?

The stick allows to take support on the left shoulder so that the top of the chanter can not move back, as on the real bagpipe.

Can we use any Chinese baguette?

Yes, for example the disposable chopsticks found in Asian restaurants. However, it may be necessary to adjust the tip of the wand with a knife or a knive.

Is there a functional difference between the wood version and the plastic version?

No, except that the current wooden version has a removable top adapter for Chinese baguette. On plastic model, the wand fits directly into a conical hole located on the non removable top stock piece.

Which other differences are there between the wood version and the plastic version?

The wood chanter is slightly thicker than the plastic chanter.
The exotic wood (padook) is initially orange but darks with the time and the exposure to the light, to draw on the brown chocolate in more or less long term.

The plastic chanter has the same external dimensions than McCallum chanters.
Its body is made by molded resin. It is then lacquered with two-component polyurethane spray paint.
The plastic chanter is very heavier than the wooden one: 180g. Extreme rigidity and very solid.

I have some issues when using the remote software with USB on Mac.

The USB "CH341" driver use by the remote software is worldwidely used but has never been supported by Mac OS X.
The fact that the CH341 component is not an American product is likely the cause ... and it should last.
It is therefore necessary to use one of the drivers available on the WEB.
But since Mac OS X is very unstable, every time the system is updated, a specially ported driver must be found and installed.
Some of these drivers are offered on this site.

Is there a version of the remote software for iPhone / iPad?

No, the iOS system is not supported. No development planned.

The a-pipes play the sound of two gaitas and support the fingerings of the Seivane gaïta, but the diameter of the holes and their position are those of the Scottish bagpipe. What to do ?

It would be quite possible to produce a real size "gaïta" plastic chanter, provided that there is sufficient demand. Contact us if you are interested.

With all the other electronic chanters, I have trouble playing at night, when my fingers dry. Will I have this issue with the a-pipes?

No never.

Does a-pipes work in absolute darkness, despite its optical technology?

Yes perfectly.

It also works in environments with atypical brightness (full sun, strobes, spotlight ...).

Can I use the a-pipes mounted on my bagpipes bag?

Yes, just adjust a-pipes top end vith hemp to fit into you bag's stock.

It is then possible to play in real position. You even can blow into the bag because the a-pipes let leak as much air as bagipes set with three drones. It is also possible to prevent air leak with an adhesive tape.

Does a-pipes output MIDI ?

One prototype with embedded MIDI output was build, but because a-pipes is powered at 3V3, only MIDI 2 compliant devices can interoperate with it on a reliable way. Because it is not possible to guess which device is compatible, embedded MIDI output has been abandoned. This kind of issues doesn't affect the a-box because it is powered at 4V5.