2018 - A Year to Remember
2018 - A Year to Remember
Can we really be at the end of 2018 so quickly? Here at iConnectivity, it’s been an exciting and eventful year for us, unlike anything else we’ve known in the company’s history.
We thought it an ideal time to reflect on some of the events and achievements which have made 2018 a year to remember.
PlayAUDIO12 - the new playback standard
Back in October 2017, we launched the PlayAUDIO12, the world’s first Audio and MIDI interface designed purely for live musicians. What set PlayAUDIO12 apart was a combination of price, portability and function.
Never had an interface this size offered an integrated Audio/MIDI failover solution; PlayAUDIO12 was also accessible to all, being easy to use and affordable.
When we launched PlayAUDIO12, we felt we had something pretty special on our hands, but we were surprised at how quickly this humble little box revolutionised the live playback industry. Internationally, technicians have been ditching their large, heavy, expensive and complex playback rigs and switching to the PlayAUDIO12.
Once techs got their hands on PlayAUDIO12, they also began to embrace the show control aspects offered by PlayAUDIO12’s architecture. The advanced Ethernet MIDI integration soon saw backline techs using PlayAUDIO12 as the hub for an entire live show.
Auracle - power is nothing without control
As the last embers of 2017’s fire were burning out, we quietly launched the initial beta version of Auracle. Auracle is our answer to harnessing the huge power of iConnectivity interfaces with an easy to use, quick piece of software.
One of the most common complaints we received from users and retailers was regarding our old control software, iConfig. Whilst uniquely powerful and flexible, iConfig required a huge investment in time by users before they could access their interface’s features fully.
Auracle has solved that problem by putting the power of iConfig behind a simple, intelligent, and easy to use front-end. Our mission, from day one, was to allow the software and the interface to “get out of the way” of your music making and creativity.
With every revision, Auracle has grown in functionality and usability; it’s also grown in user-base too! Musicians, studio engineers and live technicians alike have embraced Auracle with open arms.
RTP-MIDI Management
With the latest revisions to Auracle, we’ve included functionality iConfig could only dream of. Now you can configure a complete RTP-MIDI network solely within Auracle. No more lengthy puzzling out network management programs, no cryptic ethernet configuration sessions, just click and connect!
Our live users have already embraced the power of Auracle’s RTP-MIDI Management, but it’s also a hugely powerful studio tool. Where MIDI gear is separated from your computer by distance, Ethernet allows simple, clean, connectivity.
Using Powerline connectors, you can effectively use your household mains wiring to transmit MIDI anywhere in your studio or home. Once you’ve experienced networked MIDI connections, you will never want to go back!
iConnectAUDIO4+ gets an upgrade!
You may not have noticed but we’ve quietly given our most popular audio interface, the iConnectAUDIO4+, a subtle makeover. You’d be hard pushed to notice any differences from the outside, but “under the hood” our boffins have made some useful tweaks…
Reduced Energy Consumption: What use is there in being a musician if we don’t have a world left in which to play? Latest versions of iConnectAUDIO4+ use less power and run cooler.
Phantom Safe Outputs: We’ve lifted the output design from the PlayAUDIO12 so that now you can connect the balanced analogue outputs of your iConnectAUDIO4+ directly to mixing desks with no fear of damage from phantom power. Hugely over-specced DC de-coupling capacitors ensure that accidental phantom power won’t blow up your interface’s outputs. Ideal if you take your iConnectAUDIO4+ from the studio to the stage.
Instrument Capable on all Inputs: We’ve enhanced the input circuitry of iConnectAUDIO4+ so that you can connect up to four high-impedance devices (such as electric guitars) simultaneously if you need to.
This gives added flexibility, as each of the four combi inputs can now be used for microphone, line and instrument level inputs. More flexibility for more creativity!
Onwards to 2019
Overall, 2018 has been a remarkable year for us; once again we’d like to thank you for playing a part in the ongoing success of iConnectivity interfaces. It’s you, the musicians, the programmers, the performers, the engineers, and the technicians who push us forward in everything we do.
If you think 2018 has been exciting, however, wait until you see what we have planned for 2019. You ain’t seen nothing yet!