For people wondering about IPad audio pass through on an ICM4+, hereās how it worksā¦
Din and usb midi hosting aside, the ICM4+ can connect 3 computer devices Mac/pc/iOS through 3 special ports.
The device is seen as an audio interface by all 3 devices. If connecting a computer and an IPad for example, the IPads outputs will be seen by the computer as inputs, the computer will have outputs that the IPad sees as inputs. Using software on either device that allows input/output selection, a DAW for example, you can freely route digital audio between the devices.
This allows digital audio to be routed but the ICM4+ has no audio outputs so how do we hear it?
By using a computer with an audio interface you combine the ICM4+ with the interface as an aggregate device. This combines the in/outs of both units to be seen as one audio interface by the computer, on a Mac this is called an aggregate device, for PC thereās another nameā¦
Now since your computer sees the in/out of the ICM4+ and the interface as one, in whatever software your using, letās say a DAW, youād set the input of the track to be the digital outs from the IPad, and the outputs to be the analog outs from the interfaceā¦
You can go a lot further with the audio routing too, like passing it though multiple devices as fx units and back to your analog outs, for exampleā¦
Once you set this up its not as bad as it sounds, just leave the aggregate as the audio device in the DAW, and from then on when you power everything up and open the DAW itās all set up.
You do need to power up everything though, as you need the computer and interface going to hear the IPad.
The device will work standalone for midi though without having to change anything, so if you just simply power it and a couple midi devices up, it will route them as you last configured it.
This is all separate from the usb host port which is used strictly for class compliant usb midi devices and does not pass audio, but using a hub it can connect 8 midi devicesā¦
Theres also an audio routing matrix in the config software which allows you to further customize which in/out each device sees from the other, and also you can change bit depth and sample rate at the exchange of more or less tracksā¦
Thereās a bunch more stuff this box does too, but Iāll leave it here for nowā¦