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USB C: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.
I'm finally getting a USB C iPad so I have been doing some research on hubs and connectivity, charging etc... It's a confusing topic, with many gotchas and so I thought it would be worth sharing my findings. Please feel free to add to the discussion (and also correct any mistakes I might have made).
First of all: do you need an expensive USB C hub?
IMO probably not, unless you specifically need external display support and/or pass-through charging.
One of the reasons that USB C hubs are expensive is because they all support external displays, but in many cases as an iPad musician you will be paying for a feature that you will never use. Most of us use our iPads untethered to a second screen.
Pass-through charging is more useful, but it comes with a major caveat: you will very likely need a powerful wall charger to deliver enough juice to the hub so that it can power the iPad, any attached accessories, and the hub itself. In many cases the standard 20w charger that comes with the iPad will not be sufficient. You will need to buy a third-party wall charger rated at 65w or so to deliver enough power.
One way around that is to get a splitter rather than a USB C hub. This is a dongle that has a USB-C port for power and USB A port for data. You can then simply connect a basic USB 3.0 hub to the data connection and charge your iPad using the 20w power adapter that comes standard with the iPad.
There is also the Apple AV adapter which comes with a USB C connection for charging, and a USB A socket as well as an HDMI socket. This option is as expensive as many premium USB C hubs, but at least it's made by Apple so in theory should not have any compatibility issues, and will charge the iPad using the standard 20w charger.
So to summarise: if you need to charge your iPad while using it you have three options:
- A USB C hub with pass-through power, with a 60w wall charger.
- A basic splitter dongle with USB C for charging and a USB A connection for data. This will work with the standard 20w charger.
- The Apple USB-C AV Multiport Adapter. This also works with the standard 20w charger.
In this situation the USB C hub only makes sense if you really need external display support, and even then you might still want to consider the Apple AV adapter since it also offers HDMI and works with the 20w charger.
The cheapest option though is to get a splitter and connect a basic USB 3.0 hub to it.
But what about powering your peripherals?
You can use a USB 3.0 hub to power your audio interface and other accessories, just make sure it has 5w power in via USB and use a power bank to deliver power through the hub. By using battery power you can avoid any hum or noise problems that can come from using mains power.
Many hubs have 5w mini USB power inputs, this is enough to power an audio interface with phantom power without draining the iPad battery.
You can use this in combination with a splitter or the Apple AV adapter to also power your iPad via a second cable, or just plug the hub into a regular USB A to USB C adapter and run the iPad from its battery.
And of course you can run an audio interface straight from the iPad, with no external power. This will however drain your battery much faster.
What about headphones?
This presents another potential minefield. If all you need is to plug headphones into your iPad then the Apple 3.5mm to USB C adapter is the most obvious choice. However if you need to use headphones alongside other peripherals then you will need a spare USB C socket in your hub for the Apple adapter - the problem is that many USB C hubs don't come with USB C data sockets, only USB C power sockets. There are some hubs (such as the Kingston Nucleum) that do have two USB C sockets, one for power and the other for data. Those will work just fine with the Apple headphone dongle, but they are relatively rare.
Alternatively you can use an audio interface with a USB A socket - this will be compatible with any hub. The choices here range from simple USB DACs all the way to fully-fledged interfaces.
Finally you could also use a hub with a 3,5mm headphone out, or a splitter with a headphone out (one input for power, one output for audio).
A couple of additional points that are relevant:
Many USB C hubs come with very short cables, suitable for use with a laptop but not an iPad. You can get extension cables to fix this issue.
There are some dedicated hubs that plug straight into the iPad with no cable, they just hang off the device. According to several reports these are to be avoided as they can fail more easily, and also potentially damage the USB C port of the iPad itself. It's best to just get a hub that uses a cable.
So as you can see there are a bewildering array of choices. My preference would be to just go for a simple USB 3 Hub plugged into the Apple USB A to USB C adapter. This won't charge the iPad, but with a powerbank plugged into the USB hub it will power my audio interface. For headphones on the go I can either use the Apple 3.5mm to USB C adapter, or a USB DAC such as a Dragonfly plugged into the Apple USB C to USB A adapter (or even a generic 3rd-party adapter). A USB 3 hub is pretty cheap, add the cost of a powerbank and the relevant dongles and it's still way cheaper than most USB C hubs.
Comments
Excellent post. I concur with the use of a splitter and USB 3.0 (or 2.0) hub for simplicity and utility over a USB-C hub.
I wanted to add this hub as an option, I use it connected (unpowered) to my splitter and then power the iPad via the PD/USB-C connector. However, I also like to connect the iPad to my Mac laptop via IDAM / STUDIOMUX with the same USB hub. I can connect the hub to the laptop and the iPad to the hub, but initially found my old hub was not up to powering the iPad. This D-link hub (and a very few others) pass 2.4A through the USB ports, enough to keep my iPad 12.9 USB-C charged (when used like this though the hub does needs powering).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Link-7-Port-External-USB-DUB-H7/dp/B0002AFZVM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=d-link+7+port+usb+hub&qid=1669051941&sr=8-3
Coincidentally I own that very hub - am I right in thinking that it can only be powered via the wall plug, and not via the mini-USB socket on the rear? I can't use it powered because the mains in my house is too noisy, so I get ground hum.
This is funny, over the weekend I was going to post a post about USB-C and emarker chips, didn’t get time, other things transpired to prevent for a few days now so maybe later in the week
Or I could summarise it by saying
Your usb-c lead might not necessarily be any faster than a usb-2 speed lead
If it hasn’t got an e-marker chip in it, it will default to usb-2 speeds (as do most Apple 🍏 USB-C leads that are designated as ‘charging’ leads (after all, it’ll charge, and it’ll do basic data transfer, so stop complaining)
If a cable has an e-marker chip in it that tells the devices not only what kind of PD voltage and current the cable itself allows itself to carry, but also the top speed of data (and even Thunderbolt 3, 4, etc)
Not all cables are equal, not all equal cables aren’t counterfeit, and not all of them are marked (and even some matter which way round you use them (that can’t be a feature?)
@u0421793 thanks - that's yet another dimension of this rabbit hole I had absolutely no idea about. I guess for connecting things such as audio interfaces it's not an issue, but for people doing a lot of file transfer from external storage that's going to be a big deal.
Hmmm… mine has a 5v dc jack in and a chunky Usb-b for data connection. I don’t power it all when connected to usb-c ipad (with 4 controllers and an audio interface).
When i do power it, for using with a laptop, i go from either a 12v li-po battery or mains to 12v converter (female cigarette sockets) and then a 12v cigarette plug to 5v adapter, then usb to DC cable (that sounds really convoluted now i come to write it, but now i’ve plumbed it all it’s very straightforward). No hum in that setup (from mains or battery).
Slightly tangentially, the YouTube channel ChargerLab is really pleasing to watch, they tear down a load of expensive chargers and cables and expose/measure/test very technically https://youtube.com/@ChargerLAB
For me this usb-c situation is a highly ironic clusterf**k that is only beginning to become apparent as it pervades the mass market. How much simpler life was when we had different shaped plugs on our cables… and how popular was i when friends knew i could be trusted to have the cable for every occasion… now i’m as bamboozled as everyone else
@zah thanks for that, good to know.
Again serendipitously I’m just reading through the manual for my Roland V-02HDmkII and noticed this little panel or box out at the bottom of p30, which says it’ll knock the stream down to 480p if you connect a USB-C cable that isn’t USB 3 spec. I was thinking “good luck finding out which of your cables are or aren’t” then noticed it actually tells the user what the cable conformance is! That’s handy. More gear should do that.
Really excellent post, I’ve just got the M2 Pro and I’m in the same boat. As I already have an audio interface (Steinberg), I’ll probably just get the USB-C Apple camera connector kit to connect my powered USB hub for my peripherals and continue as I did before, as I want to continue using my wired headphones to monitor and mix.
In case it is of any interest. I had a USB-C hub for a couple of years that worked well and I discovered the PD port. Worked really well charging the laptop and the M1 pro depending which one was plugged in. I then had it plugged into the laptop and performed an operating system upgrade. During that operation there was a power recycling that occurred and it broke the PD input. It doesn’t pass charge through anymore.
I went and bought a replacement. from KMart of all places and they sell a USB-C adapter for under half the price as anywhere else. Works great.
These unbranded 4 port hubs with PD work really well too. I think @supadom originally recommended? I used very successfully until i went back to the single usb port splitter type (as recommended by @richardyot on this thread) along with a usb 2 hub.
https://cpc.farnell.com/unbranded/usb3c-hub4bp-wpd/usb-type-c-4-port-usb-hub-pd-function/dp/CS31229?mckv=s_dt|pcrid|491022671175|kword||match||plid||slid||product|CS31229|pgrid|81645187374|ptaid|pla-1658003063936|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-SHOPPING-946687896-81645187374-CS31229&s_kwcid=AL!5616!3!491022671175!!!network}!1658003063936!&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImoyu66_A-wIVgsLtCh1elQ6DEAQYAyABEgK6R_D_BwE
Below is the best, relatively affordable and simple hub for an iPad I have found. Works perfectly with everything I have thrown at it from iPad or Mac.
4 USB-C ports (one 100w PD) and all other ports supply 5v/1.5A and support 10gbps…
https://sitecom.com/lu/usb-c-hub-4-port/cn-386/p/1881
I really appreciated this info. It makes me feel vindicated for just buying a new 9th gen ipad. And it still has the headphone jack.
Great post Richard. It is worth adding that many (maybe all? I don't know) of the USB hubs with headphone sockets can only send audio out. So for example if you have a headset with inline mic you will not be able to get your voice audio into the ipad through that headphone socket.
The right hub doesn’t really exist.
I tried some expensive ones with PD but none really suited me for music.
Luckily the M1 pro is good with battery life and all of my peripherals can use external power (power bank.)
However I wouldn’t mind some kind of splitter so I could get some power to the iPad with one input and use my non powered hub with the other.
Yes that's definitely an issue. If you need the inline mic you have to use either the Apple 3.5mm to USB C adapter into a hub with spare USB C ports (expensive and relatively hard to find) or use a cheap 3-ring 3.5mm adapter to USB A into a more basic hub:
3.5mm with inline mic to USB A adapter
With my current 10.5 inch 2017 iPad Pro, which has a Lightning connector and a headphone jack I rarely use the headphone jack, usually preferring to use a USB DAC. Lightning port devices require a powered hub to connect audio interfaces, so going to USB C isn't going to be that different - it's mostly a case of changing the dongle that connects to the iPad, switching from a Lighting dongle to a USB C one.
In my current setup I always use a power bank to power the audio interface and other peripherals, it works flawlessly and the whole setup is super-cheap (the USB hub cost £14, the powerbank £20):
You can also power additional devices this way:
Add a second powerbank and with the right Apple dongle you can also charge the iPad:
All of this setup will also work with USB C iPads, it's just a case of changing the Apple dongles from Lightning to USB C. And with USB C iPads you don't even need to get Apple dongles, you can get 3rd-party ones that should work.
Just make sure your hub has an input for USB power:
And if you want a more portable setup with say a MIDI keyboard and wired headphones you can always get a cheap little DAC to plug into the USB hub, something like a Sharkoon or a Soundblaster Play.
Or go fully portable with just the Apple 3.5mm to USB C dongle. OR a small USB DAC into a USB A to USB C adapter.
So in summary, there is no need to get a USB C hub if you only need to use music gear such as audio interfaces and MIDI keyboards. The only use case for expensive hubs is if you need external display support or fast data transfer to and from external disks.
Anyway I hope this is helpful, it's taken me a while to get my head around all the options and see what actually makes sense without needing to spend a ton of money on features that aren't needed.
Thank you for this very informative post. Still very happy with my 10.5 inch 2017 iPad pro and don't feel the need to upgrade yet, but those devices are not eternal... Also I believe that in the near future, more big players are going to jump on the iOS train. On that day, M1 iPad would probably be the minimum recommended to get those big apps running smoothly.
Can’t wait for USB-D, that’s going to be the REAL spec lol
it'll be this
Just an update on the Apple 3.5mm to USB-C adapter - you can plug it into a regular USB hub with an adapter. I've just tested this and it works fine.
So for most people the Apple headphone dongle is going to be the simplest solution, you can plug that straight into the iPad if all you need is a headphone jack:
And then if you need to use it alongside other peripherals you can plug it into a USB-C to USB-A adapter (just make sure to use a dongle that has data throughput and not just power), and then you can plug that into any hub you have available:
This should also work with headsets.
I've just watched @jakoB_haQ 's latest video where he recommends a particular USB-C hub, that retails for $75. This is not meant as a criticism of Jakob, who is a great guy and a wonderful resource to this community, but it seems to me that the video really epitomises the thinking around USB-C iPads: that there is this notion that you need an expensive hub to connect your peripherals and power the iPad. By the time you buy such a hub, and the necessary 60W charger for it, as well as the cables to deliver that kind of power, you'll be spending in excess of $150. For most iPad musicians this is just not necessary.
Ironically, in that video Jakob himself explains that he doesn't really need the features that make this hub expensive: he doesn't use the HDMI outlet, and doesn't need the 10 Gb/s transfer speeds that you can get over USB-C. He specifically says that as a musician you might only need the 500Mb/s that you get with USB 2.0.
From what I can tell Jakob would be just as well served with a more basic hub that simply has USB 3 ports, without all the extras. Especially if that hub has a 5v inlet so that it can be powered by a powerbank. Something like this, that only costs £15.
This hub is USB 3, supports transfer rates of 4.8Gb/s, and with a powerbank connected will happily power an audio interface and a bunch of MIDI controllers without draining your iPad's battery.
So unless you actually need features such as HDMI output, 10Gb/s transfer speeds, and really need to charge the iPad while these are connected (and even then you can just get a splitter for this purpose), IMO you are wasting your money on these expensive hubs.
I haven't watched the video, but for me the main differentiating feature about the UNI hub is that you can use your own cable, instead of relying on extension cables which, as far as I know, are not really part of the USB spec. Of course, if that's not a feature one really needs then there are better alternatives for a lower price.
Did anybody experience flaky USB-C connectors so far?
I had one USB-C hub and an external hard drive connected to a Macbook so far that had flaky connectivity, giving me warnings about disconnecting the hard drive without properly ejecting it. It had to put some foam material under the USB-C plug to improve the connection.
I never had this happen with USB-A and USB-B.
Incidentally, I don’t like the idea of usb hubs that have unnecessary interfaces – the drivers will be loaded every time whether you use the sockets or not
I was cool with the little Apple USB-C headphone Jack dongle, for a while
But lately lots of issues with headphones that have remotes or just always cutting out/pausing audio
I know they are cheap like 10$ but I could see myself going through a lot of them with the wear and tear I put on them.
Bring back the HP Port!
Great article! I wish I would have seen this before I went through a similar process after getting my 12.9 M2. I came to the conclusion that there are no decent iPad hubs at this time, especially ones designed to be used mobile. They are all designed for laptops. Who needs the HDMI port while mobile?
Just get something cheep for now and wait until the vendors start designing hubs for the new iPads.
I went through this product selection process and decided on a 2 product solution. I wanted a HUB that is pretty mobile and also includes headphone D-to-A capability, SD Card slot, USB-C Powering Port. I have my headphones on and am always connected to power with the most portable solution. But the iPad can power this hub to make it a rather larger headphone adapter and some midi controllers will also light up… my Presonus audio adapter will not without extra power supplied. I hate to have to choose between powering and headphones so I went this route. The braided cable makes a solid connection and works well hanging off the side. I considered velcroing it to the back of the Smart Keyboard back panel but never got around to doing so.
Been using it hanging for months.
But I also wanted enough power (i.e. Wattage) to connect a USB-A powered hub and all my USB peripheral keyboards, Audio Interfaces, etc. So, I went for this beefy monster… I could have settled for less but over the next few years more and more USB-C stuff will tempt me. And then! USB-D with “Smell-o-vision” capability to complete the VR experience for those group chat fart “jokes”:
Thanks for commenting on my other post!
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/1144680#Comment_1144680
I like the look of the UGreen, and you're right, it's very cost-effective. I'm assuming that the out-of-the-box iPad block will provide the power. And as you mention, there are alternatives for the headphone jack. At the price, I can live with the inability to charge the iPad at the same time. This discussion, in conjunction with other posts about whether the M2 is worth the price difference over the 5th Gen (2021), will save me about $500.