iConnect Audio 4+: Discussion

jazzmess

Thanks ! How do you set this up on the ICA4+ or on the iPad ? Otherwise I think I have an usbhost to usbhost cable lying around, with a cck it should work ! Not an elegant solution though..

Telefunky

sorry, I have no gear to connect to the iCA‘s host port.
An iDevice with CCK isn‘t appropriate because it ends in a type B plug, but the hub expects A.

jazzmess

No, the guys from sevillasoft sell and to usb host (A) to usbhost (A) cable so that you can plug 2 midi hosts ! Didn't bother to try it, but so far, I am amazed by what you can achieve with the ICA.
So far I managed to plug 3 MPE keyboards to send midi data to record 8 clips into Bitwig midi tracks which send midi into individual ports on my air 2020, which has AUM with 8 channels (some geoshred instances here) and get 8 tracks of stereo audio (so 16 mino tracks) back in Bitwig in separate channels, I can sample, add effects etc etc. This reduces A LOT the CPU footprint. Mind blown ! I can share the Bitwig project, AUM session and ICA config file

I am now trying to implement a channel as a send FX, and but can 't manage to set it up in Bitwig. Getting enormous feedback so something is obviously wrong here . Will have to inquire more.

Hkor

Hi.
Let’s talk about latency.
I use my ICA4+ with an Elektron Octatrack.
ICA4+ inputs =
1 Moog DFAM
2 Moog M32
3&4 TR8 with a Microfreak connected to the TR-8 inputs for extra inputs and sidechaining.

The IPad AUM tracks, the M32 and the TR-8 is going to the AUM master track and finally going to the Inputs 3&4 of my Octatrack.
DFAM is going to the first input of my Octatrack.

All is working well, I can process my external hardware with iPad FX and saving a lot of money like this.
Plus I can clock and sequence my hardware via IOS 😈🤖🙌

I always use AUM inside AUDIOBUS3 for IAA state saving, more clock / MIDI options in AUDIOBUS.

My problem is that I have latency between the Drum loop I play with my Octatrack and the drums on my iPad and of course the other hardware devices.
I use a 128 buffer size but I have audible Midi / Audio latency.

How do you configure the OFFSET SETTINGS in AUDIOBUS?
Can you share me a screen capture with your offset settings please.

Thanks

Hkor

I tried with a 64 buffer size, i have latency too...

jazzmess

Did you try messing with the the parameter on the audio info page in iconfig ?

Hkor

@jazzmess said:
Did you try messing with the the parameter on the audio info page in iconfig ?

Yes.
I need some explanation about how the Audiobus offset works.
How to compensate delay with.

jazzmess

Sorry can't help I'm only using the "digital part" with iOS computer setup :-)

Hkor

@jazzmess said:
Sorry can't help I'm only using the "digital part" with iOS computer setup :-)

Thanks.
I think a Trhead explaining well how to use the offsets settings in AUDIOBUS could be nice.
My english is bad 😟

edk

Hi,
is it possible to connect a iCA4+ to a raspberry pi thru the usb host port and send bi-directional midi to other devices connected by usb with the raspberry pi?

funjunkie27

Anyone have recommendations on a USB-C hub to use with ICA4+ and the USB-C iPad that passes power and audio?

JohnInBoston

I own two: an Insignia 7-port hub and a HyperDrive HD319B. Both pass power through a separate power-only USB-C input, and both work with the iCA4+.

I prefer the HyperDrive for 2 reasons:
1) Form-factor - instead of a short, stiff USB-C cable to connect to the iPad, it has a short stub and sits flush against the side. I've found this to be much more reliable
2) It has a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones. Don't need this if I have the iCA4+ connected, but it means I can also hook up a small MIDI keyboard to the USB-A input and headphones when I'm on the road.

These are both fairly expensive, in the $70-$80 range, but they don't seem to make cheaper ones with the same feature set.

funjunkie27

@JohnInBoston said:
I own two: an Insignia 7-port hub and a HyperDrive HD319B. Both pass power through a separate power-only USB-C input, and both work with the iCA4+.

I prefer the HyperDrive for 2 reasons:
1) Form-factor - instead of a short, stiff USB-C cable to connect to the iPad, it has a short stub and sits flush against the side. I've found this to be much more reliable
2) It has a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones. Don't need this if I have the iCA4+ connected, but it means I can also hook up a small MIDI keyboard to the USB-A input and headphones when I'm on the road.

These are both fairly expensive, in the $70-$80 range, but they don't seem to make cheaper ones with the same feature set.

Thanks @JohnInBoston. I'll take a look at these.

Tatobx

If anyone is interested this shop sells one at a really low price
https://scolopendra.it/dettaglio_strumento/studio/53083/iconnectivity-4-cv22829&lang=en

stown

@MusicInclusive said:

@gburks said:

@MusicInclusive said:

@gburks said:

@wellingtonCres said:
i believe the ica4 has the ability to reserve midi ports for usb devices, intended to solve the very problem you are having.

Can someone tell me how to do this? This is causing major problems every day trying to reopen my projects...

I covered it in one of the official iCA4+ videos here:

@MusicInclusive this was INCREDIBLY helpful. I have been watching a few of those videos but had not made it to this one. Great videos!

These instructions achieved most of my needs - my saved Modstep and AUM configurations do not shuffle around from session to session any more.

However, I renamed the ports under USB Device Jacks and USB Host Jack1, from names like "HST 1" to names like "nanoKEY2," but all of my iPad apps still list the ports under the generic names ("iConnectAudio4+ HST1"). Shouldn't these friendly names show up as the port names on my iPad?

Unfortunately - there's the rub... When you first connect your iPad to the interface, as I understand it, it caches the names of whatever the ports are set to in the attached device (this isn't a specific iC issue). The only sure way round that is to completely reset your iPad and start over. Not a good solution. It's an Apple / iOS issue.

So, no, it will not reflect the changes in iOS that you made in the iConfig software

@MusicInclusive I just ordered an AUDIO4c for connecting my iMac and my iPad (audio streams), and for sharing midi devices. Do you know if this naming caching kerfuffle has been sorted/improved? Will the iPad pick up new port names if done with iConfig on iMac? And what did you mean "completely reset your iPad"? Do you mean just a reboot (no problem), or do you mean factory reset and restore my device (EEP!), or something else? Sorry I din't have a good grasp on the terms....

Basically I will be setting up for the first time in the next day or two, and am nervous about locking myself into names I don't care for when accessing from iPad. Any advice for first time set up? I still need to get a hub so I guess I probably can't reserve/rename ports until I have one and plug devices in. Hrrrrm

Thank you!

stown

I think I found my answer to the "completely reset your iPad" in another thread here. Seems to be just resetting iPad settings. Painful but doable. Still curious if latest iOS fixes the need for this, and also open to any advice/wisdom for initial setting up. I have about 7 usb devices I want to put on a host hub: nanokey, nano Kontrol, nektar lx25, sensel morph, hydrasynth, neutron, and minilogueXD Thanks!

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Suspish said (in "Iconnectivity Iconnect Audio 4+ Help requested" thread): "If you reset all settings on the ipad, the next time you plug the iCA4+ into the ipad after the reset, it should pull the updated names from iConfig. I have had to do this several times. It is a bit of a pain, because you then need to check all of your settings, but it is the only way to do it on an iPad."
.....
"No, it is the iPad settings. You access by going to "General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings". Make sure you don't have the iCA4+ connected when you reset. After it has been reset, it should pull the names from iconfig the next time you connect it. You will have to reenter any privacy, notification, wifi settings, etc... on the iPad."

stown

@jazzmess said:
Nevermind I figured it out .
Iconnectivity use the same naming for all devices (each of them have some HST, USB ports), which has confused me. I thought they were the same but it's not the case. So I managed to set up Bitwig 4 HW instruments sending midi, and routing back the audio of 4 channels in stereo, can sample and slice to Bitwig drum machine. Great stuff !

@jazzmess I'm trying to do initial setup on an AUDIO4c and them using the same names has REALLY messed with my head as well! Having the names mapped to the same thing obfuscates things in the manual(s) and videos and makes it more difficult to understand. Also, I would have been more inquisitive and pro-active with changing names and seeing what shows up on iMac and iPad within Logic and AUM, but I wanted to get things close to perfect before connecting to the iPad since the iPad doesn't easily update port names once set. So that's made me really cautious.

Anyway, like you I want to use several ports to send MPE midi from my computer to my iPad. Could you possibly please explain how you created/allocated those ports that you used for MPE? Would for example selecting USB2 (in my USB Device Jack 1 list) and highlighting (as destinations) USB Device Jack 2's "1-10" create 10 ports (like USB2.1,USB2.2, etc....)? Or is it more that I should rename a few of the USB Device Jack 1's HST1-8 entries and then redirect their destinations? And how? Thank you for any help in advance!!!!!

the first option.... (note I started renaming HST# ports to H# because "H" is enough to indicate "host")

mistercharlie

I have an iConnectAudio4+, but I have a doubt.

If I use the software to route the analog inputs direct to the analog outputs, is it a straight analog path? Or is there an AD/DA conversion in the middle?

Telefunky

There‘s conversion and passing through the internal microcontroller/processor.
(no digitally controlled analog parts inside the unit)

mistercharlie

@Telefunky said:
There‘s conversion and passing through the internal microcontroller/processor.
(no digitally controlled analog parts inside the unit)

Cool, good to know. 👍

mistercharlie

What I wonder is, if I send my guitar into my Mac via another USB audio interface (a K-Mix), then forward the digital signal out to the iConnect and on to an iPad, will the Mac+iConnect stage introduce any latency?

It seems not, as it’s just passing on the digital signal, but this part is beyond my knowledge.

uncledave

There should be a delay due to buffering, but that would be all. This stuff is all working with blocks determined by the buffer size, and a buffer cannot be sent from the input A/D converter until it's complete. The rest of the data moving can be as quick as the hardware/software allows.

mistercharlie

Unfortunately the delay is too long for guitar playing.

I'm trying to bring my iPad and Mac together with the iConnectMidi4, but keep using my K-Mix as the main interface. It's not working though.

What does work is using the Digitakt as an interface for the iPad, and routing audio between the Digitakt and K-Mix over analog cables.

uncledave

Have you tried smaller buffers, 128 or 64?

mistercharlie

@uncledave said:
Have you tried smaller buffers, 128 or 64?

Yes, but I can’t set the buffer size on the Mac. I’m using Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback to connect the Kmix and the iConnect.