Topic by ejma01

  • Avatar
  • ejma01
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 24-03-2022
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

I've read here and on other forums that many have had success using Audiofront's MIDI Expression devices to connect continuous sustain pedals to their PC. 

In December of 2021, Audiofront released a redesigned MIDI Expression iO with four inputs alongside MIDI in and out.

Has anyone bought and had success with this redesigned unit? The older four input Quatro will not be available for purchase until mid-2022 due to supply chain issues. I plan on using the new MIDI Expression iO with a Roland RPU-3 triple pedal unit.

Last edited by ejma01 (24-03-2022 21:24)

Reply by YvesTh

  • Avatar
  • YvesTh
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: France
  • Registered: 30-06-2020
  • Posts: 263

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

ejma01 wrote:

I've read here and on other forums that many have had success using Audiofront's MIDI Expression devices to connect continuous sustain pedals to their PC. 

In December of 2021, Audiofront released a redesigned MIDI Expression iO with four inputs alongside MIDI in and out.

Has anyone bought and had success with this redesigned unit? The older four input Quatro will not be available for purchase until mid-2022 due to supply chain issues. I plan on using the new MIDI Expression iO with a Roland RPU-3 triple pedal unit.

I used for more than a year the quatro version which worked very well... until last week when it broke down... I didn't find on the market any other way to connect my RPU-3 directly on my PC ( I can't connect it on my fp10), does it exist ?
I have contacted the designer of the devise (Robert Jonkman of audiofront in Taiwan) and he seemed very surprised by this breakdown because this material is very robust so he offered to fix it for me (free of charge), I have just sent it to him and I am waiting for it impatiently. The new model iO seems to be a good device too... a little more powerfull I think...

Last edited by YvesTh (24-03-2022 21:55)

Reply by ejma01

  • Avatar
  • ejma01
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 24-03-2022
  • Posts: 4

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

YvesTh wrote:

I used for more than a year the quatro version which worked very well... until last week when it broke down... I didn't find on the market any other way to connect my RPU-3 directly on my PC ( I can't connect it on my fp10), does it exist ?

That's rather worrisome.  I'd like to have something that costs so much to last a lot longer.  Was your quattro just left plugged in and stationary?  How many months of use did you get out of it before it failed?

I've done a fair amount of searching on forums and online retailers and am not aware of any other options out of the box for easily connecting pedals to a PC.

Reply by YvesTh

  • Avatar
  • YvesTh
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: France
  • Registered: 30-06-2020
  • Posts: 263

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

ejma01 wrote:
YvesTh wrote:

I used for more than a year the quatro version which worked very well... until last week when it broke down... I didn't find on the market any other way to connect my RPU-3 directly on my PC ( I can't connect it on my fp10), does it exist ?

That's rather worrisome.  I'd like to have something that costs so much to last a lot longer.  Was your quattro just left plugged in and stationary?  How many months of use did you get out of it before it failed?

I've done a fair amount of searching on forums and online retailers and am not aware of any other options out of the box for easily connecting pedals to a PC.

My quattro was almost always plugged and I used it everyday several hours. My mistake may be to have installed it under cables and with very little air. Yes it's so expensive but I never found any other option too...

Reply by weightedKeys

  • Avatar
  • weightedKeys
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 26-12-2021
  • Posts: 73

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

I have the midi expression IO, works perfectly well with the pedals and pianoteq.
i dont understand why it is so expensive, but it is very well built - in fact a metal case instead of the plastic cases of the other products. i expect it to last a long time

Reply by ejma01

  • Avatar
  • ejma01
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 24-03-2022
  • Posts: 4

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

weightedKeys wrote:

I have the midi expression IO, works perfectly well with the pedals and pianoteq.
i dont understand why it is so expensive, but it is very well built - in fact a metal case instead of the plastic cases of the other products. i expect it to last a long time

The new metal case is definitely a nice upgrade.  But I'm mainly concerned about the quality of the internals.  Also, newer doesn't always mean better when you see some brands actually cutting corners to improve their bottom line.  I haven't seen a lot of people complaining on forums about these devices having quality or design issues.  It's just a little tougher spending a decent chunk of change on something where you can't see a large, consolidated number of reviews.  Rob at Audiofront seems to have a good product with some reports of great customer service. But smaller operations just don't inspire confidence that you may get with more established brands/retailers. 

Regarding the cost, I actually don't see it as unreasonable when you factor in design, sourcing parts, manufacturing, developing software, maintaining software, testing testing testing against many different types of pedals and designs, providing customer support, shipping, warranty service, etc.  I just want to make sure something that costs 150 bucks shipped is going to last a long while. 

Good to see some feedback on the new unit.  Thanks for your input.

Last edited by ejma01 (25-03-2022 10:17)

Reply by ejma01

  • Avatar
  • ejma01
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 24-03-2022
  • Posts: 4

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

YvesTh wrote:

My quattro was almost always plugged and I used it everyday several hours. My mistake may be to have installed it under cables and with very little air. Yes it's so expensive but I never found any other option too...

Interesting.  So I take it that the quattro was warm to the touch when in use?  Did you also have any issues with the connecting USB cable or USB port on the PC?  Was there a USB hub in between?

I'd be a little impatient too if I couldn't use my pedal at all for long while.  Hopefully Rob can get it fixed soon.  Unfortunately, shipping between France and Taiwan can't be terribly quick.

Reply by sigasa

  • Avatar
  • sigasa
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: UK
  • Registered: 09-01-2008
  • Posts: 2,030

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

ejma01 wrote:

I've read here and on other forums that many have had success using Audiofront's MIDI Expression devices to connect continuous sustain pedals to their PC. 

In December of 2021, Audiofront released a redesigned MIDI Expression iO with four inputs alongside MIDI in and out.

Has anyone bought and had success with this redesigned unit? The older four input Quatro will not be available for purchase until mid-2022 due to supply chain issues. I plan on using the new MIDI Expression iO with a Roland RPU-3 triple pedal unit.

I use a Roland RPU-3 with Audiofronts triple socket unit. Works like a dream!

Warmest regards,

Chris

Reply by YvesTh

  • Avatar
  • YvesTh
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: France
  • Registered: 30-06-2020
  • Posts: 263

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

ejma01 wrote:
YvesTh wrote:

My quattro was almost always plugged and I used it everyday several hours. My mistake may be to have installed it under cables and with very little air. Yes it's so expensive but I never found any other option too...

Interesting.  So I take it that the quattro was warm to the touch when in use?  Did you also have any issues with the connecting USB cable or USB port on the PC?  Was there a USB hub in between?

I'd be a little impatient too if I couldn't use my pedal at all for long while.  Hopefully Rob can get it fixed soon.  Unfortunately, shipping between France and Taiwan can't be terribly quick.

Good news, I got my fixed quattro version today. Rob fixed it for free, I just paid for shipping. It was not a hardware problem but just a problem of the firmware, he just had to reinstall again. Rob is a very nice guy he did it fast and good.

Last edited by YvesTh (27-04-2022 13:16)

Reply by sigasa

  • Avatar
  • sigasa
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: UK
  • Registered: 09-01-2008
  • Posts: 2,030

Re: Continuous sustain pedal USB interface - Audiofront MIDI Expression iO

YvesTh wrote:
ejma01 wrote:
YvesTh wrote:

My quattro was almost always plugged and I used it everyday several hours. My mistake may be to have installed it under cables and with very little air. Yes it's so expensive but I never found any other option too...

Interesting.  So I take it that the quattro was warm to the touch when in use?  Did you also have any issues with the connecting USB cable or USB port on the PC?  Was there a USB hub in between?

I'd be a little impatient too if I couldn't use my pedal at all for long while.  Hopefully Rob can get it fixed soon.  Unfortunately, shipping between France and Taiwan can't be terribly quick.

Good news, I got my fixed quattro version today. Rob fixed it for free, I just paid for shipping. It was not a hardware problem but just a problem of the firmware, he just had to reinstall again. Rob is a very nice guy he did it fast and good.

Pleased you got it sorted YvesTh.

Warmest regards,

Chris