I’m not new to DJing but I am to most of the technology developments in the past decade or so, so please bear with me.
I’m looking for advice on the most optimal ways to connect everything from iPad which only has the one USB-C port.
For context I’m travelling and wanted something as light and portable as possible, hence - initial - decision to try just using an iPad, that might also allow me to more or less set up anywhere. What i’m discovering of course, is that it’s not that simple, especially without a controller (yes, i’ll very likely get that but not there yet), and a lot of extra paraphernalia is likely needed (again travelling is making this more challenging).
Anyway, I’d just like to know, from those of you who have met these challenges, if my proposed set up here will work or - getting a controller aside - there is a better way.
The grey items are currently secondary, as in I’d like to have these options open to me, but they are not crucial as i just get my shit together.
Secondly, is there anything i need to be aware of that might affect audio output quality?
Thirdly, is there anyway to connect to both a monitor and the main sound system (and headphones) without a controller or is that just asking too much?
Apologies for my rudimentary diagram. Hope it makes sense.
Be aware that these adapters which offer a secondary USB-C port “for charging” won’t necessarily allow it to work with anything else. You need to ensure that any dongles/hubs have a fully wired secondary port, not just a charging port.
An iPad with a single controller is an excellent simple rig; but as you add features the MacBook quickly becomes the more portable and cleaner setup. If you really want video, the MacBook will be a better choice.
Main issue with the iPad is the rats nest of dongles, wires and power plugs that are needed to connect multiple devices. It all looks good until you actually connect everything and see the Frankenstein octopus you’ve created. It will work in a studio setting, but if you’re doing impromptu live events, it can get messy with a lot of points of failure, plus all the small components that are easy to lose.
For the iPad - a Reloop Ready, Buddy, Mixtour, Traktor S2/S3 or FLX4 will give you a very portable and clean 4-channel setup. You can extend the rig a bit and still keep it clean by using a Reloop Stand Hub - Reloop
Otherwise, for a more feature-rich rig, an entry-level MacBook with a hub like this can be cleaner and more portable:
