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Motu M2 with IPad Pro M1 audio interference issues
Hello all. Please forgive me if this has been discussed in a previous thread. But I’m having loads of interference and just overall audio issues with my Motu M2 and iPad Pro. Using a dongle the audio will sometimes lose data connection and the audio will switch to the iPad and not the interface and I’ll get terrible feed back due to it crossing back over to the iPad audio. I’m chocking this up to a bad dongle as this is an older one I’ve used with my MacBook with similar issues. Currently waiting on a kingston nucleum as suggested on several threads here.
The other issue is when running my Motu M2 directly into the iPad with a Usbc cable I will get intermittent crazy bitcrushing interference. It does this in AUM and if I’m just using iTunes or Spotify to listen to music. Anyone else having these issues when running direct?
Should I have just waited until we are out of this Mercury RX to fuss with a new recording set up!? 🤣😭
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Comments
@dirtydongle , Is it possible that the USB-C port on your iPad is dirty, filled with dust or whatever? It wouldn't take much. This was always a problem with Lightning, and USB-C is more sophisticated, more connections in the same space. I'm suggesting this because it's common to both your problems (of course so is the Motu M2).
Ugh. I’m hoping it’s something like this! Thank you for the input. I’m off to try it.
Do you have a case on your iPad? If so, is it magnetic? Some of these have had issues where they seem to trigger the iPad flipping from external interfaces to the internal on the iPad and causing lots of quick disruptions to the audio.
Another thing to check are your USB cables. The USB-C connector separation on the pins is tiny and some cable don't seem to fit very well.
I read about that prior and removed my case as there was a magnet in it. This didn’t help. It still drops the audio.
All the cables are new that I’ve been using and all new Mac Usbc cables. I will try an alternate one to be on the safe side.
Also cleaning the port did not help. The search continues..
Are you seeing any power dropout on the M2 when it glitches? My M4 drops power pretty fast when the connection is pulled, but it does a bit of a soft boot when I plug it in.I'm wondering if you can rule out connection on the M2 side being the problem that way.
I don’t have your first problem, but I get the data transfer/bit crush bleeps and bloops with my BLA Revolution interface. It wasn’t like this when I first got it. Sometimes its barely audible, sometimes it’s overpowering. I have found one room in my house where I don’t get this interference, so I go to it when I need to actually record (also works just fine at a friend’s house). But just jamming and listening to stuff, yeah it’s so fucking annoying. It’s so weird and I can’t figure it out. I’m usually not an update conspiracy theorist, but the problem only started around the time iOS 15 came out. Really almost ruins iOS for me.
I'd bet it's the dongle. I use an iPad Pro M1 and MOTU M4 with a Nucleum hub and I can't recall ever having a problem.
The M2 runs fine on my old MacBook from 2015. Just plug it in with a usb c to Usb c and no interference or dropping signal.
When it drops signal on the iPad it doesn’t lose power that I can tell.. but something is definitely losing connection. I just played in AUM for about and hour with no issues.
Running the current dongle I have with my iPad laying flat on my desk and the dongle laying flat not hanging off the iPad. Almost certain it’s the dongle at this point. As I can watch the Ethernet option going in and out on my settings tool bar. Which matches up when the audio drops to the M2.
Will keep posted when the new dongle arrives Friday.
You know what. Now that I think about it, I’m running a vintage receiver in the same room as this set up. On the same desk, I use it to monitor through when brainstorming ideas. I wonder if that has any thing to do with the interference side of this. The interference only happens when I take the dongle out of the equation and run the M2 to the iPad with the Usbc to Usbc. I will test it with the receiver off later today. See if that works. Thanks!
Almost certain it’s the dongle I’m using now. It’s probably a few years old tbh.
I should verify that my dongle has an Ethernet port. That’s what I was referring to when I said I could see the Ethernet option drop out too when the audio drops from the M2. Which would make sense that the M2 doesn’t loose power since the dongle has power pass through. S
One note on the Nucleum, should you get one. The fixed cable on hub is short, like six inches. You can buy a USB-C extender but make sure that, a) it’s a good one, and b) if it doesn’t seem to work, try it with the connection rotated 90 degrees. I didn’t know that (some?) extenders have to be used with a specific polarity and that drove me nuts until I reread the specs on Amazon.
Oh man, I have been having a somewhat similar issue and have so far chalked it up to me being an idiot. I have been on a 2017 iPad up until last Xmas, got me a 2021 12.9 Pro. I was super excited to grab Loopy Pro and an audio interface to record my hardware into Loopy, AUM, etc. I specifically purchased an M4 after hearing that it was a breeze to connect an iPad pro, just a USB-C cable between the iPad and the interface.
When I use the M4 connected from my super fancy hw synth to my windows PC, everything seems to work without issue. The moment I connect hw synth to my new iPad, it all goes to shit. Everything sounds totally fine for a minute or so, and then I start getting feedback that is too loud to work through. When I stop playing said synth, the feedback goes silent. The moment I hit a note, or play back audio recorded into Loopy or AUM, feedback.
When I turn the Motu off and back on again, the signal is perfectly clear for a minute or two, and then I start getting a bunch of interference again. It has driven my totally mad, and the frustration with it has caused me to hit a wall with regard to recording.
I was super psyched to upgrade my iPad and get an audio interface, and I've been beside myself this. I thought maybe it was a ground loop but I don't have enough experience to figure this out. Sorry to piggyback on your thread, but is this somewhat similar to what you are experiencing? Any help would be massively appreciated.
@dirtydongle and @Gordon_G_Gordon which iPadOS versions are you on?
I normally have my M4 hooked up to my Mac and use a different interface for my iPad. I'll do some testing with my iPad and the M4 tonight, but I am on the beta cycle for iOS 15, so what I have may be different from what you are using.
Using the latest update .
15.2.1
Thanks! Interested to see what you get.
Which interface are you using for iPad stuff?
I got the M2 from sweetwater so if those persists after replacing the dongle I will probably replace the M2 with something.
Thanks again.
Sounds really familiar.
The only time it doesn’t happen is when I am using the dongle but then I get the drop out which I’m chocking up to the dongle being faulty. Fingers crossed..
Thanks for the tip. Mine is suppose to arrive Friday and I got the small extension cable too. I will pay attention to the polarity too. I would have missed that and went nuts as well. Thanks!
@NeonSilicon I'm on 15.2.1. I'd be curious to see if you have any feedback/interference issues when connecting Motu interface to your iPad.
I'm on iPadOS 15.3 at this point. I tested last night and I don't have any disconnect or glitching issues with the MOTU M4 on my iPad connected directly with a USB-C cable. There is one kinda weird issue in that I can't set the audio levels using my iPad controls. It sets the output to max and any attempt to move it does nothing. The iPad buttons for volume don't work either. I don't remember it being this way before. But, I may not have noticed because that's the way I use the interface anyway. I do all the level control on the device.
I usually use a Behringer UMC204HD on the iPad. The M4 is almost always hooked up to my main dev machine where I have to do more critical listening and have my higher impedance headphones that the M4 drives much better than my other interfaces.
The M4 looks to be working fine for me. I wouldn't expect there to be any issues with it on iOS 15 and above at this point.
One thing to look out for is connecting the M4 to external devices. It has balanced outs and connecting a non-balanced cable to a an unbalaced device can cause distortion issues.
Hmm... pretty sure my hw uses unbalanced, but when hooked up to my PC, I don't get any odd issues. Within a minute of connecting it to my iPad instead, super noticeable feedback. In Loopy Pro, the output looks like it is going to the Motu outs rather than internal iPad speakers. The issue I'm experiencing is feedback while any kind of sound is being generated. Are there any other super noobish steps I should be taking to avoid feedback?
Is Loopy Pro using the iPad mic for input? That would certainly cause feedback if the Motu output is connected to speakers. Most apps mute the output when they detect mic input and iPad speakers for output. Connecting the Motu may fool that ability.
Hello all. Update on my issues.
My Kingston Nucleum came in last Friday and I’ve had no issues since. I have had several little sit down sessions with no interruptions or distorted noises that weren’t intentional. Also added an Akai MPK mini 3 to the mix and haven’t noticed any new issues arising. Pretty sure this was a dongle related issue. Thanks for everyone’s input. Very helpful.
If others are having this issue using something other than the Kingston nucleum I’d suggest picking one up. As @Schmotown noted get a Usbc extension cable for it so it can lay flat. No one wants a dangly dongle!
Glad to hear you got it sorted.
@uncledave > Is Loopy Pro using the iPad mic for input? That would certainly cause feedback if the Motu output is connected to speakers. Most apps mute the output when they detect mic input and iPad speakers for output. Connecting the Motu may fool that ability.
I mean, I believe it does automatically set up the mic as an input, but I always mute this straight away, should that not be enough? I also seem to have the same issue using AUM, which does not default to monitoring internal device mic.
So I just wanted to help out the MOTU M4 communities, as I finally have solved my problems with the MOTU M4.
I used a simple USB-C 3.0 cable and connected the M4 to my iPad Pro M1, results:
every 10 seconds crackle crackle, after 1 month, I couldn't take it, so then...
I used a really good TB3 cable and connected the M4 to my iPad Pro M1, results:
every 30 seconds crackle, after 6 months, I couldn't take it, so then...
I bought and used an OWC TB4/USB4 cable (0.7 meters), connected the M4 to iPad, results:
Not 1 crackle and whisper quiet! Works 100%, bus powered from iPad Pro M1.
Summary, literally more noise and crackling as you go from USB3 -> TB3 -> TB4...
Even tho it's "Data" it's still garbled...
As a side note, connecting M4 to a MBP w/M1 using the TB3 cable was fine, unless connected right to the MagSafe Cable.
(USB3 cable, crackle crackle)
Laters...