How to connect an Ipad USB Hub to a Mac USB Hub?

The Lounge Other Gear
1

Help needed please!

4 Ipads in my setup, two are connected to Macs via Ethernet adapters (for OSC), one is connected via MIDI router (so no direct connection). The fourth, I’m unsure about how to connect it.

It’s an Ipad 9th. I understand you can connect with a simple Lightning-to-USB cable (have done this in the past).

However, the Ipad is connected to a USB hub (via CCK), as I need an audio interface to connect to the hub. So somehow the hub needs to connect to one of the Macs (Mac Minis).

I think a USB-A to USB-A cable is sure to fail (as thats not how USB works).

I think, my options are:

  1. Buy another MIDI router, connect via router.

  2. Buy 2 USB to Ethernet adapters, connect via Ethernet cable.

Or am I overlooking something obvious?

EDIT: It’s only to send MIDI back and forth.

2

How about Bluetooth MIDI? A quick sketch of the Mac, iPad, and Camera Connection Kit/USB hub/audio interface connections might help us understand better what you need.

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just plug it into the mac and open up your audio and midi settings, i think its called midi studio im not at my mac now, you can send midi and audio without any extra plugins or hardware. I often send midi from aum or drambo on my ipad to a track in ableton this way

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Ah, thanks, I forgot about bluetooth!

Tbh I’m a bit anti-bluetooth, bit of a traditionalist… whatever next, audio down USB cables? :grin:

Seriously though, my whole setup is optimized for latency and timing, and I wouldn’t want to add even the tiniest bit from the bluetooth.

Solution I tried worked in the end, dual USB to Ethernet adapters and running it as Network Midi in Drambo/Ableton.

6

Thanks for the reply!

I should’ve made the thread title clearer (changed it now). What I was wanting was to connect an Ipad’s USB hub to a Mac’s USB hub.

USB-A to USB-A cables do exist but wouldn’t work in this case.

In case it helps anyone else, the solution was relatively simple:

2 USB to Ethernet adapters (fairly cheap) and an Ethernet cable.

Network MIDI. Job done. Only small drawback is having to enable it every time I turn my Mac on.

This solution works from Drambo (Ipad) to Ableton (Mac), and enables me to have a hub connected to my Ipad, and still connect the Ipad to a Mac.

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