Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
By infiniteloopz Mon Oct 13, 2025 6:03 pm
So I went down a rabbit hole of USBC adapters, cords, workarounds, etc and I still can't find any info of whether or not I can sample to the Live 3 from my iPhone 14 pro which has a lightning port. Has anyone found an adapter or workaround that works?
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By MPC-Tutor Mon Oct 13, 2025 7:46 pm
USB-C to lightning cable doesn't work for me, nothing even detected, suspect it's not possible. No problems with my iPad Pro (USB C).

For sampling from a lightning port (iPhone 13pro) I've always used this cable:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DHRYC59N? ... tle_2&th=1

Works every time.
By infiniteloopz Mon Oct 13, 2025 8:01 pm
How did you get that Y splitter to work on the Live 3? I always use that one on the MPC One but can't get it to work on the Live 3. Please advise.


H
MPC-Tutor wrote:USB-C to lightning cable doesn't work for me, nothing even detected, suspect it's not possible. No problems with my iPad Pro (USB C).

For sampling from a lightning port (iPhone 13pro) I've always used this cable:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DHRYC59N? ... tle_2&th=1

Works every time.
User avatar
By MPC-Tutor Mon Oct 13, 2025 10:58 pm
I haven't actually used with the the Live 3, but as it just creates an analog signal from the iphone output I can't see why it wouldn't work fine plugging into the MPC Live 3 trs jack inputs, should just work with any sampler in that respect. I can't find the cable ATM, I'll have a look for it tomorrow.
By infiniteloopz Tue Oct 14, 2025 4:18 pm
For some reason mine doesnt work with the Live 3. Perhaps I'm not setting up the correct input, although I tried all of the options. Let me know if you are able to verify. Thanks bud!

MPC-Tutor wrote:I haven't actually used with the the Live 3, but as it just creates an analog signal from the iphone output I can't see why it wouldn't work fine plugging into the MPC Live 3 trs jack inputs, should just work with any sampler in that respect. I can't find the cable ATM, I'll have a look for it tomorrow.
By infiniteloopz Tue Oct 14, 2025 4:21 pm
I was wondering about that option but the item description didn't mention that it could be used for audio. I might have to try that if I can't get my Y cable to work. Thanks bud!

Yorgos Arabatzis wrote:
Elijah wrote:You’ll probably need a Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter and a USB-A to USB-C cable.


And not any lightning to USB3 camera adapter..You need this: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MX5J ... ra-adapter

It has the power port that is needed for it to be detected..
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By MPC-Tutor Tue Oct 14, 2025 5:15 pm
Can confirm that this cable is working 100% with the MPC Live 3. As I said previously, from the MPC perspective you are just connecting two 1/4" jacks containing an analogue signal so it will always work with the MPC.

so either your cable is faulty or there's an issue with the iPhone config somewhere - there's no actual config needed, not on my phone at least, I just plug it into the lightning port and connect the jacks to the MPC Live 3.

infiniteloopz wrote:How did you get that Y splitter to work on the Live 3? I always use that one on the MPC One but can't get it to work on the Live 3. Please advise.


H
MPC-Tutor wrote:USB-C to lightning cable doesn't work for me, nothing even detected, suspect it's not possible. No problems with my iPad Pro (USB C).

For sampling from a lightning port (iPhone 13pro) I've always used this cable:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DHRYC59N? ... tle_2&th=1

Works every time.
By philphil Thu Mar 05, 2026 11:44 am
Hey all, I can also confirm that an apple lightning to usb camera cable allows to sample from lightning usb iPhone to MPC and record sounds coming from MPC to phone :)
Make sure to select the correct USB input/output on the machine.

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By NearTao Thu Mar 05, 2026 12:39 pm
Yeah... the problem is that the straight (non camera kit) lightning cable basically puts the iPhone in usb device mode... it's a *bit* more complicated than that... but just think of it as a usb device. The usb-c port on the MPC Live 3/XL are also usb device ports... and neither the MPC nor the iPhone is in a mode to become a usb host and load drivers etc.

The lightning to camera kit cable effectively puts the iPhone (or iPad) into usb host mode, so that it can then load the drivers and communicate with usb devices for things like audio/midi/storage.