Aerodrums 2 usb port?

Post Reply
InTheWorks
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat May 28, 2022 11:59 pm

Aerodrums 2 usb port?

Post by InTheWorks » Wed Jun 07, 2023 6:44 pm

There is not enough details about what the Aerodrums 2 usb port is capabale of. If it is capable of usb host mode with some power capability, the options are almost endless.

I am hoping that in the future you can add midi input over usb with Aerodrums 2 in host mode. If usb host mode is already supported with bus power that's great. If not, hopefully the following will convince you to add it.

I also think that Aerodrums 2 should be capable of powering a bus powered usb-c hub (providing usb A connectors) that can provide bus power to downstream ports. This way the number of usb devices aren't limited except by firmware support.

For example, once you use the usb port with an audio interface, you can't connect a midi in trigger module. With a usb hub you could, with additional latency, add the necessary devices to get all the desired functionality. In future firmware updates.

I have zero experience with stage equipment. However, after a bit of research (youtube), I've discovered the following.

On stages where there is sound reinforcement (ie. a PA) there is something called a stage box that connects the instruments on stage to a mixing console elsewhere. The stage box is connected to the mixing console using an XLR snake or a digital snake (cat5).

The stage box will have heaps of XLR ports. I haven't seen any products that are usb hosts that can output XLR by interfacing with usb devices; aside from a PC that is. There are lots of 8 channel usb audio interfaces that will give analogue XLR, but they are all usb devices.

Digital snakes have the capability of moving many channels of audio over a single cable using a protocol such as AES50 or Ultranet. Ultranet is a proprietary Behringer interface that's on a lot of Behringer equipment. AES50 is an open protocol. Both run over cat5e. They require an 'active' device at each end to get back to analogue.

It's also worth mentioning that many bands (on youtube) are using the Behringer XR18:

https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0BI8

to build IEM rigs. It has Ultranet for sure, but may also have AES50. So if they were going this route anyway, then I would think you didn't need to go to XLR first. If Aerodrums 2 could output AES50 or Ultranet you could go directly to that XR18 or use one of these:

Behringer SD8 8-channel Stage Box
<https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -stage-box>

To get 8 analog XLR outputs to feed the "real stage box" with a single cable. An RJ45 jack on Aerodrums 2 seems unreasonable though.

There are products with usb inputs that go to Ultranet or AES50:

Ultranet
Klark Teknik DN4816U StageCONNECT Interface Bridge
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ace-bridge

AES50
Klark Teknik DN9630 AES50 to USB 2.0 Converter
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -converter

But they have type B usb connectors. That means they need to be connected to a usb host.

AES50 uses ethernet signalling on all 4 pairs, so you could probably use off the shelf PoE injectors and splitters to power Aerodrums 2 from off stage. I've seen some talk of this on the internet so it's not a completely crazy idea.

PoE+ splitter
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08HS4NT13

PoE+ injector
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MJVYB32

The Klark Teknik DN9630 is usb bus powered only.

You'd have an unsightly bunch of boxes at the base of the Aerodrums 2 stand (strapped to a board perhaps), but the cable run could be a single cat5e cable to wherever the stage box is. Assuming this combination of Aerodrums 2 plus DN9630 can work from the approx 20W of available power. But since AES50 uses ethernet signalling, you can step up to 90W of PoE at significantly more cost.

Ultranet provides data over 2 pairs and power over 2 pairs. The power provided is only about 4W. On cat5e you can send 25W over 2 pairs with PoE+. That means you can potentially homebrew a box that only passes through the 2 Ultranet data pairs, but connects the power pairs to a PoE+ injector to the now unused power wires. Then you could use a PoE+splitter with a similar homebrew box to get 12V to run Aerodrums 2. From what I can tell the Ultranet pinout is compatible with PoE+ so you may not even need the homebrew box. This would not work with higher levels of PoE though because Ultranet doesn't use ethernet signalling.

The Klark Teknik DN4816U box runs off of 12V, but because they also power their "StageConnect" interface and other Ultranet devices, they require 12V, 2.5A which is more than you can get over PoE+. It may not need nearly that much when just using the Ultranet output. So it could potentially work from the same power that Aerodrums 2 would get. Otherwise it means plugging it in and then you might as well plug Aerodrums 2 in.

Post Reply