We hear you. I promise your points have been echoed internally and we've had conversations about it. We appreciate the feedback. - Points are 100% valid.

Everyone has different needs. No offense intended here. For me the front is preferred. I use this as a way that I can hook up a bunch of hardware keyboards and sound modules without the need for a (damn) computer in my live setup. It is buried in a rack with mixer. power strip, and sound modules. When I need to program the MIO, I walk up with my laptop and plug in from the front of the rack, do what I need to do, and unplug it.

1000% on the USB port on the front...for a rack mount device! I have a fairly full rack and when I brought this in it baffled me that the only way to connect USB to the computer was through the front. I could understand if it was a desktop unit because most would be using with a laptop and that would be preferable, but in a permanent installation that stupid USB connection is just dangling off the front and drives me nuts. Of course they also include the shortest possible cables in the box which were useless for my desktop computer needs, so that required purchasing longer cables. That said, the device works brilliantly and required nothing but plugging it in to establish the connections in my studio.

How do you deal with anything in life if a USB port placement is ALOT

I like it on the front!

i feels like the biggest problem is not the USB connector placement, but the fact that it doesn't act like an actual USB hub at the same time. So if you have devices that are sending MIDI over USB and are also using USB for data exchange you either run 2 cables from each device (USB for data to computer and MIDI 5 pin to mioxl), or switch USB cable from mioxl to actual USB hub and back for data related tasks, or bypass mioxl altogether with something like copperlan...

Maybe getting one of those 90degree bent USB cables would help. At least it wouldn't be sticking straight out that way.

I agree that at this price point, I was expecting a Wi-Fi, or at least Bluetooth connection to my computer for updates and preset programming. But everything else is great on this box. I love it!

It is actually a good idea to have the front porch and Connections in the front especially when you're working in a sound studio lab Electronics lab that they have to access through the front connection and then the back of neck is back connections or good when you have the thing permanently in a rock mounted unit where you cannot access to the Rock Mount unit at the back so the front porch in the front is a good idea thank you very much for the video I will be picking up one of those units sometime next week

Agreed RE: the front USB to Computer interface. First thing I thought as I was looking to purchase one. In saying that still has better features than pretty much every other MIDI interface out there. So I'll be purchasing one.

Great video. I'm at a point where I need to upgrade from the 4+. I have all 4 din, 8 host and two computing devices used up and have some synths routed thru other devices including my mixer which has midi. Other than the usb port on the front have you had any issues with the software or hardware? I also had the audio4+ when it came out but after two live performance fails (out of about 20 shows) I had to let it go. The midi4+ is not reliant on the software is the xl non reliant on the auracle software? Thanks

I agree about the connector, but also think that the firmware updates should be available via the rtp connection. This seems like a more logical way to handle the issue honestly for a forward designed device. I have my mio's buried under my desk so I never see them, but when I do have to update it is a pain to have to remember to dig out one of my units that I didn't plug a usb cable into to update.

Hi from 2024! I completely agree, and the USB port being on the front of the unit was the primary reason I decided to not purchase a mioXL. It’s surprising iConnectivity haven’t updated it to resolve this issue. I ended up buying an ESI M8U eX, which had other issues, like using double sided tape as their solution for rack ears. Disappointed for many other reasons, I ended up selling the M8U eX. Why are there no good rack mounted MIDI interfaces?! I should have kept my Emagic AMT8. Edit: Oh, no! I’ve just realised all iConnectivity’s new devices have the computer USB on the front, including their PlayAUDIO1U. I guess that means I’m never buying their stuff. :/ What a stupid decision.

The very first time I saw this device it was the first thing I thought about it as well. It is so obnoxious that it is the thing that is causing purchasing hesitancy for me. I've researched a lot and I don't really think there's a better solution. I'm to the point where I would consider opening it up and trying to route the port to the back. A right angle b cable or if you could find the perfect flat ones from Alibaba might also be a solution.

I was also looking into getting a Midi interface since I have a number of multi timbral devices that can use up all 16 midi channels. So while looking into my options both the mioXM and mioXL showed up and well let’s just say one of the reasons they are both crossed out of my list of options is indeed there not being a USB-B connection on the back of the unit. But I will also point out that the units are both way more advanced than what I need and this is also reflected in the prices of the units. And for similar prices to the mioXM there are a few better options for my use case out there and those do actually all have USB-B on the back of the unit …

As I just un-mothballed my studio over the last year and use my laptop ON the desktop so the USB routing is a bit less of an annoyance for me, but this WILL be an issue I've noted as I have been transitioning and upgrading my desk area. As many of my synths are intended to be plugged in 90% of the time, I'm in a situation where many of my front-panel connections have to route over the top of the mioXL and in the future I may well have to route them off the side and off the desk which looks and feels kinda terrible. Honestly, I wonder if the designers weren't former network engineers--it's common for a serial port to be on the front of the device for hardwired interfaces.

Nice review, and yes, points are valid :) Thanks. Great channel name btw. Sub'd.

What I'm wondering is, how tight are the timing of these units. Especially for fast phased EDM music in which you are trying to lock down all LFO of all synths connected?!

i wished EVERYTHING was on the front. sick of plunging at the back of my rack to make connections. Thats why im moving from motu expressXT and think about MRCC instead

Can use standalone mode? patch presets with dedicated switch? panic button on all midi outs? Basically, I want a DAW preset, and various Standalone Presets I got Motif XF, Korg M3, Virus TI, RM1x, MicroKorg etc. For example I sometimes I need Motif to Virus TI other times RM1x to virus TI with MicroKorg as Controller, sometimes M3 to Virus TI, etc. I’m looking for a dedicated patch preset switcher does this do that?

I wonder if there is a ethernet to USB type B adapter that would work. I know I have seen them to convert USB to ethernet.

Can you not connect the mioxl to your daw via midi i/o from your audio interface?

similar immediate thought, but seems like this box fits a unique niche though that no one else does. if I get it it will be shoved in deep lower rack so no one will see the wire sticking out. it won't be featured in my spaceship bridge : )

yo, you and i feel the sames about the usb-b on the front. i would have mede this 2ru, put all the io on the rear with one din5 pair and a handful of usb-a on the front. probably fill the front with activity leds or something. basically, all i want is a studio5 with RTP and USBa

How about to use a 90 degree angle usb conector??

Another good idea is if the manufacture would have built in WiFi and Bluetooth to not only make the network connections to your router, but it could have also connected to a laptop.

I use the MIO 10. Of course it has USB B ports both from and back. I elected to use the front to connect to one computer. I should be using RTP but don’t. But having to load a preset may require usb. So to your point it would be inconvenient. But not the end of the world.

So you bought this knowing these connections were on the front..... Or was it a big surprise. When buying gear allways weigh the pros and cons and then decide.

Thanks for sharing

I just found out that the mio10 had it on the back! Now figure out the differences between that and the x series

I’m sure you have seen it, but the RTP setup video of theirs pretty much immediately turned me off using RTP. It’s far more useful using USB DAW. Agreed with this being a valid complaint. Aside from my PG-300 plugged into the front of my MKS-70, all my other cables are nicely hidden away at the back of my rack. Except the one connecting to the Mac. Crazy. Maybe to keep everyone happy they could have allowed us to switch a rear USB host port to USB DAW instead. I dunno.

When I bought mine, I was always going to use RTP/UDP as I run nearly everything in my studio over ethernet, so I didn't care much about USB for my own sake. But nonetheless I do agree. Putting the USB interface on the front plate is idiotic. I have a feeling it may have been something to do with the internal PCB layout, and who knows, it may have been a few cents cheaper to put that socket on the front and then gaslight the target consumer with "it's not a bug, it's a feature". Yeah, no it's not, and nobody is buying that angle, iConnectivity. Either put all the primary interface connectors on the back so that cable routing isn't an issue, or don't force firmware through USB. Better yet, make the device a dedicated ethernet device and quit playing both sides, because all things considered, this is actually quite a good MIDI router.

100% agree, usb device port on the front is entirely ridiculous. it just makes no sense to me

Even worse: on the MioXM the RTP connector is also on the front of the unit.

I sold mine, it really didn’t do anything for me in the end. It also f*#k’d with the audio/Midi setup on Mac. It also couldn’t power many of my usb midi devices. I bought a 8 bank streamigy usb hub for $90 that lets me have 7 devices connected, on and off switches for each, it always works and doesn’t even need to be powered most of the time (I don’t know how, but its true) Don’t get this. Its a waste of money

Hey Output! I don;t know who you are... But fuck YEAH that rant is right! WTF with a front firing USB port? Right? Gonna look at the rest of your channel here, and see wassup! Thank you!

lol show me where RTP midi protocol can be used to perform firmware updates. 😂 Of course you need to use USB. (I agree it should be on the back lol)

1000%

Maybe spend a little more time talking about the product, not just your opinion on their io ports. Was hoping to find a video of the product being used, not 3 minutes of complaining about one port. Thanks

No one ever likes it? I think most any laptop user prefers the connection to be on the front. I know I do, but maybe I am a nobody. :)