Today iConnectivity announced their new mio Advanced MIDI interface series. The mio interfaces are designed to work both standalone or with up to six Macs and/or PCs at the same time.
All of the mio boxes feature built-in MIDI merging, filtering, remapping, and routing functions. The mio10 has 10×10 5-pin MIDI, the mio4 has 4×4, and both support USB MIDI, Ethernet MIDI, and more. The mio2 (2×2 5-pin MIDI) supports two Macs/PCs at the same time.
All three interfaces are USB MIDI Class-Compliant, so there are no drivers to install.
mio10 Features:
- 56 user-configurable 16-channel MIDI ports
- 10×10 5-pin MIDI ports
- USB Host Port supports a USB MIDI Class-Compliant device (add your powered USB hub and connect up to ten devices)
- Ethernet Network MIDI port- use with wired and wireless MIDI networks
- Works standalone or with up to six computers at the same time
- 1U rack mountable enclosure
- Capacitive touch display for monitoring MIDI activity
- Configuration software makes it simple to create and save routing/merging/filtering presets
- Plug-and-play – no drivers to install (USB MIDI Class-Compliant)
- PC and Mac-compatible
iConnectivity’s mio 10 MIDI interface has an MSRP of $349.99, retails for a suggested “street” price of $299.99.
mio4 Features:
- 48 user-configurable 16-channel MIDI ports
- 4×4 5-PIN MIDI ports
- USB Host Port supports up to eight USB MIDI Class Compliant devices
- Ethernet MIDI Port to use with wired and wireless MIDI networks
- Works standalone or with up to six computers at the same time!
- Configuration software makes it simple to create and save routing, merging, and filtering presets
- Plug-and-play – no drivers to install (USB MIDI Class-Compliant)
- USB bus-powered
- PC and Mac-compatible
iConnectivity’s mio4 MIDI interface has an MSRP of $179.99, and a “street” price of $149.99.
mio2 Features:
- Ten user-configurable 16-channel MIDI ports
- 2×2 5-PIN MIDI ports
- Works standalone or with up to two computers at the same time!
- Configuration software makes it simple to create and save routing, merging, and filtering presets
- Plug-and-play – no drivers to install (USB MIDI Class-Compliant)
- USB bus-powered
- PC and Mac-compatible
iConnectivity’s mio2 MIDI interface has an MSRP of $89.99, and a “street” price of $69.99.
Availability. The mio MIDI interfaces are available now, via the iConnectivity website, and from dealers.
I wonder what’s the difference between mio4/mio2 and iConnectMIDI4/2+. I’m currently doing complex MIDI routing and filtering with an Arduino-like board connected to my iCM4+, it would be nice to do that natively.
Edit: I just noticed that the mio doesn’t seem to include a Lightning cable.
These look to be purely MIDI devices, while the ICMs are midi+audio.
I am curios to if the mio2 has usb midi host features like the iconnectmidi 4+ (but not the 2) if it does I kinda want one as a more portable usb midi host\interface
Do these not work with iPads? no mention of them so….
And no mention of audiopassthrough. Guess studiomux made that a feature they don’t want to develop.
There is no need for them to pass through audio. These are meant as a separate MIDI only offering and are not intended as a replacement for the ICM series.
Any CoreMIDI compliant app will work with it.
the iconnectmidi4+ has ipad functionality and pass through audio – (never used it as I don’t have an apple device – one day I should probably change that) so it is possible that these do but you never know because the features vary so much, the previous generation to the 4+ both had usb midi hosts but of the the midi2 and 4+ only the 4+ has usb midi hosting –
I’m for one super excited to see this. Their ICM series has hands down some of the most feature-rich and comprehensive per-port routing I’ve ever seen in a midi interface. Light years ahead of what I’ve seen on stuff from MOTU, Steinberg, etc.
I was wondering if they would branch out into this after other people like MOTU dropping their high end midi offerings. It’s a definite hole in the market.
Although now it’s got me wanting a rack mount ICM…
How can a midi port be other than 16 channel ?
2×2 midi ports apparently means 2 input and 2 output ports ?
Major point of interest of these things, to me, would be their filter programmability and non-volatile storage, which make them a serious competitor for MIDI Solutions.
It is very nice to see MIDI interface in the VSTi days. In my studio I use three old school Opcode STUDIO 5 LX and they work great!!! I thing it’s time to replace them with four mio10
My thoughts exactly. I also use 3 Opcode Studio 5 LX’s :-). The sad thing with the mio10 is that although it has the inputs and outputs (each is effectively a 20×20 interface is you also use the USB host port) you can’t really network multiple mio10s together like the Studio 5’s, unless you have a running computer in the loop. It would be so brilliant if you could network them together using their Ethernet ports (like the Alyseum AL88c) to form bigger interfaces/standalone patch bays.
Also I still find the Studio 5 configuration interface much more intuitive than iConfig.
man oh man, do i miss Opcode. the stuff they got right, they really, really, really got right.
Im curious to know how you guys are using your 5LXs? how do you manage them? I have an old OS9 G4, but it doesnt have serial ports….
Looks like they’re taking-on MOTU’s MIDI Express XT. Can’t wait to see the reviews.
Really pleased to see a new midi solution in the market. I own the Alyseum AL88c and I like it but sometimes I wish it had 2 more midi ports. I also like that it has 3 midi inputs / outputs on the front. Wonder if it can route to midi usb devices connect to the computer like the al88c does.
I’m a happy owner of an iConnectAudio4+ but if these have the same configuration program it sounds like a total nightmare. It’s confusing/messy enough with the far fewer number of ports on the iCA4+.
Let’s hope they upgrade their software and drivers as well. I had a iConnectMidi4+ for a while, but the frustrating software that came with it made me send it back.
I would buy a mio2 if only it had usb host functionality… hopefully in the future…