iConnectAUDIO4+ discontinued. Alternatives?

[stimresp]

Hey All,

All my gear has been in storage a few thousand km for the last few months. I've decided to settle where I am right now, thank to lockdowns, and it looks like I wont be able to retrieve my stuff for quite some time. So I thought I would buy another iConnectAUDIO4+ online but see that it is no longer available.

Features I really liked were:

- the USB host port that allowed up to 7 midi devices to be attached via a hub,
- the ability to run ipad and laptop together seamlessly,
- the fact that it also charged my ipad

4 inputs are plenty for my needs. I've been scouring online stores in Europe for something similar but nothing seems to have this feature set.

Or am I wrong? Any ideas?

If not I might just have to go to the second hand market (though I worry about obsolescence).

Thank in advance

[kovacs]

The actual product is discontinued but I think it might be supported by their software for a while yet. I sold my iCA4+ this summer after endless problems with iConfig and the new Aureal software just did not work as promised.

When it worked it was a stellar interface, when it didn’t it was too much work.

I have not found another interface which supports simultaneous connection and routing to Mac and iPad.

[mindnoise]

I'd scout the used market for iCA4+, first.

Only other alternative interface that can host 2 computers at the same and stream audio between them are Metric Halo 3d interfaces - 1 over USB and 1 over MH Edgebus (Ethernet). Streaming MIDI will be implemented at a later date and full Windows-support will come after the Mac version has it's 1.0 release.

MH are a 'tad more' expensive though but streaming works like charm on my Mac/ iPad already.

Theoretically the RME Digiface AVB should also work but I have not tested that and it's also not exactly cheap.

But with charging and USB-Host you/ we are out of luck.

I really hope iConnectivity will release some new Plus-products, while my Audio2+ and MIDI2+ are still working.

[jazzmess]

Hi there did you try Sonobus with Lan (wired connection), this opens the possibilities to even a larger number of idevices ? Of course you won't have the shared midi port which is great on the iCA4.

[mindnoise]

Hi there did you try Sonobus with Lan (wired connection), this opens the possibilities to even a larger number of idevices ? Of course you won't have the shared midi port which is great on the iCA4.

I tried Sonibus with LAN-USB3-Adapter (Anker) + Apple Lighting USB3-Adapter on my iPad Pro 1.st Gen - worked flawless over ther local router with my Mac. But the software is of course still rather basic.

I was hoping it would do multi-channels per client but it does not (yet) and no MIDI.

I also have the MIDI2+ and Audio2+ and they work great! But I will slowley phase them out because I use my Metric Halo 2882 3D now, which is also supposed to provide MIDI-streaming at a future date.

[jazzmess]

Hi there did you try Sonobus with Lan (wired connection), this opens the possibilities to even a larger number of idevices ? Of course you won't have the shared midi port which is great on the iCA4.

I tried Sonibus with LAN-USB3-Adapter (Anker) + Apple Lighting USB3-Adapter on my iPad Pro 1.st Gen - worked flawless over ther local router with my Mac. But the software is of course still rather basic.

I was hoping it would do multi-channels per client but it does not (yet) and no MIDI.

I also have the MIDI2+ and Audio2+ and they work great! But I will slowley phase them out because I use my Metric Halo 2882 3D now, which is also supposed to provide MIDI-streaming at a future date.

Great !!!!! How was the latency like ? How many channel were you able to stream at once ?
I am struggling to configure a lan network...

[mindnoise]

Great !!!!! How was the latency like ? How many channel were you able to stream at once ?
I am struggling to configure a lan network...

I think it was like 13 ms and as I said only 1 stereo channel per client NOT per instance!

The devs seem more focussing on multi client internet streaming than local and I was interrested in Sonobus solely as a replacement for the iC-Interfaces but without LAN-Multichannel per client it cannot.

[jazzmess]

So you have to go the ADAT route and use RTP midi...

[jazzmess]

Which is poorly implemented in iOS since you can only have 1 session, so you re out of luck if you using several MPE midi controller