KVR Audio

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:58 am

I recently bought some dirt cheap monitors as an aid but I'm having a problem which I don't understand.

I connect my iPad with a 3.5mm jack out to the Aux in on the monitors but I'm only getting sound out of both speakers when playing Spotify or using Cubasis (my main IOS DAW). When I load up standalone synths (Housemark, Neousoul Keys, Korg Gadget etc, only one speaker works (and that is the "slave" one.

Using an AI would probably be better using either TRS or RCA but I dont understand what makes some IOS apps work and what doesn't..

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:30 am

Are these synths mono and perhaps only outputting a single channel?
What do you hear if you plug in a headphone into the same 3.5mm socket?
If cubasis works fine: can you load these synths into cubasis?

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Thu Jul 27, 2023 11:17 am

When using headphones everything is just fine.

I realised I forgot to mention a most important thing actually (bit too late and tired

). This only happens when I've connected my Kawai ES110 digital piano through a MIDI adapter (2 x DIN to USB) and Camera Connection Kit. Even in this scenario when listening to the headphones via the iPad I get stereo sound but plugging the cable into the monitors leads to the issue.

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:22 pm

If headphones work OK but monitors plugged into the same 3.5mm socket does not, then check the cable and the connection again. Sound from one channel could be caused by the plug not being fully inserted or the cable is broken.

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Fri Aug 11, 2023 10:56 am

So I bought a new cable and the problem persists. Is there some logic looking into a 3.5mm jack to a split RCA or TRS cable?

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:14 am

Finding the root cause is a game of elimination.

What cable exactly have you bought? Brand & model of the cheap speakers? The 3.5mm side goes into the headphone socket of the iPad, right?

What about that camera connection kit. Is it an official Apple kit or a bootleg? Does that have a headphone out or not? (I don't have an iPad or iPhone, so...) Is it perhaps sitting against the cable somewhat? Did you check sound of other non-synth apps while using the camera connection kit?

The 3.5mm output jack you use might be made (or is surely made) for a headset with a mike. These have TRRS plugs instead of TRS: an extra ring! It should be TRS compatible, but there is only a small margin for TRS plugs to work correctly in TRRS sockets. A tenth of a millimeter could be the difference between working ok (stereo) and a short-circuit (dual mono) or having sound out of one side only.

There are boatloads of adapters, eg:

gandson · Post by **gandson** » Sat Aug 12, 2023 4:47 pm

BertKoor wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 11:14 am Finding the root cause is a game of elimination.

What cable exactly have you bought? Brand & model of the cheap speakers? The 3.5mm side goes into the headphone socket of the iPad, right?

What about that camera connection kit. Is it an official Apple kit or a bootleg? Does that have a headphone out or not? (I don't have an iPad or iPhone, so...) Is it perhaps sitting against the cable somewhat? Did you check sound of other non-synth apps while using the camera connection kit?

The 3.5mm output jack you use might be made (or is surely made) for a headset with a mike. These have TRRS plugs instead of TRS: an extra ring! It should be TRS compatible, but there is only a small margin for TRS plugs to work correctly in TRRS sockets. A tenth of a millimeter could be the difference between working ok (stereo) and a short-circuit (dual mono) or having sound out of one side only.

There are boatloads of adapters, eg:

I second this, sometimes finding myself carefully twisting the jack in and out by nanometres until I get the stereo signal, before knocking it with my hand and having to readjust again

Osman65 · Post by **Osman65** » Fri Dec 01, 2023 5:11 am

Hi,
The issue you're facing with your dirt-cheap monitors might be due to the 3.5mm jack connection. For Spotify and Cubasis, both speakers work, but when using standalone synths like Housemark or Neousoul Keys, only one speaker functions.

Using an audio interface with TRS or RCA connections might yield better results. The inconsistency in app performance might be related to how these apps process stereo output, causing issues with the 3.5mm connection while functioning better with higher-quality audio interfaces.

Thanks

Why only sound from one monitor when connected to iPad?