Installation guide

Wiring the station into your PA

For the tech or whoever looks after the sound: connection options for every iPad, amplifier inputs, 100V line systems, setting levels, hum, and a commissioning checklist. The whole job is one audio lead and power. This page covers every variation you might meet. For using the app, see the Manual.

1How it fits together

The iPad is just another audio source to your PA, like a CD player or a radio used to be. It plugs into the amplifier's line-level input and the amplifier does what it always did. No software goes on the amplifier, nothing on your network changes, and your existing microphone and speakers are untouched.

10:53 RIVERSIDE LIBRARY iPad station always on power · app open wall charger audio lead 3.5 mm or adapter — section 3 AUX / LINE IN Existing PA amplifier mixer-amp or 100V line amp — unchanged existing speaker runs Your speakers Staff phones Wi-Fi
The complete system. Orange is the one audio lead you add. Everything else already exists.

Where the iPad lives: with the amplifier, in the rack or cupboard. Once installed it's controlled from staff phones, so nobody needs to reach it day to day.

2Hardware checklist

ItemDetailsTypical cost
iPadAny iPad on iPadOS 15+ — standard iPad from 2017 (5th gen) onward, iPad mini and Air from 2019, any iPad Pro. Second-hand is fine and common.$0 (existing) – $300 used
Audio lead3.5 mm stereo to whatever the amp takes — usually 3.5 mm-to-RCA or 3.5 mm-to-3.5 mm. Buy shielded; length to suit the rack.$10–20
USB-C audio adapterOnly for iPads without a headphone jack. Choose one with PD charging pass-through so audio and 24/7 charging share the one port.~$20
Lightning adapterOnly for Lightning iPads without a jack: Apple Lightning-to-3.5 mm, or a dock with audio out and charging.$15–45
Ground-loop isolatorOptional insurance. A small inline barrel that kills charger hum instantly if it appears. Worth having in the kit.~$15
Mount or standOptional: rack shelf, wall bracket or a simple stand. The iPad just needs to sit safely near the amp with power.$0–50
Total for most venues: under $50 in parts on top of an iPad they already own.

3Connecting the iPad, by model

A — iPad with a headphone jack
Standard iPad up to 9th gen (2021)

The easy one: a single 3.5 mm lead from the headphone jack to the amplifier's line input. The charging port stays completely free for the normal wall charger.

This is why older iPads are actually ideal for a permanent station.

B — USB-C iPad, no jack
iPad 10th gen (2022) onward, recent Air / Pro / mini

Use a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter with PD charging pass-through — audio out one side, the iPad's charger into the other, so the station charges 24/7 through the same adapter.

A plain dongle works too, but then the port is occupied and the iPad can't charge — no good for a permanent install.

C — Lightning iPad, no jack
Some Lightning-era iPad Pro models

Apple's Lightning-to-3.5 mm adapter for audio, with charging via a Lightning dock or a splitter offering audio plus charge. If you have a choice of iPads, prefer A or B — fewer parts.

D — Bluetooth or AirPlay?
Not recommended

Wireless audio adds delay, drops out, and forgets its pairing after a power cut. A cable never re-pairs itself at 8:59am. Use the wire.

4The amplifier side

Most venue PA amplifiers are either a mixer-amplifier with several inputs, or a 100V line amplifier feeding ceiling and horn speakers. Both have a line-level input, and that's where the iPad goes.

  • Input to use: AUX, LINE, CD, TAPE or TUNER. Any line-level input. Do not use a MIC input — it's far too sensitive and will distort badly.
  • Connector: usually RCA (red/white) or a 3.5 mm socket, sometimes a Phoenix/Euroblock terminal on installed amplifiers. A 3.5 mm-to-RCA lead covers most cases. For Euroblock, use a 3.5 mm-to-bare-wire lead with tip to signal and sleeve to ground.
  • Priority inputs: some amplifiers have a priority input that ducks everything else. If yours has one and you want announcements to override other sources, put the iPad on it.
  • Zones: if the amplifier has zone selection, decide which zones should hear announcements and set the iPad's input accordingly. Music might suit some zones and not others.
Check the mute logic. On some installs a desk microphone mutes all other inputs while its switch is down. Make sure a scheduled announcement can still get through, or move the iPad to the priority input.

5Setting the levels

  1. On the iPad, set the volume to about 80% and leave it there.
  2. Turn the amplifier's input gain for that channel right down, then play a test announcement from the app.
  3. Bring the gain up until the announcement is clear and comfortably above the room noise, without distorting.
  4. Now play music and check the balance. Announcements are boosted in the app, so if music sits right, announcements should sit slightly above it. Adjust to taste.
  5. Walk the space. Check a far speaker and a near one.
  6. Mark the gain position on the amplifier with a marker so it doesn't get "helpfully" turned down later.
Do this with real content. Test with an actual recorded announcement and an actual track, not a tone. They behave differently.

6Hum and noise

If you hear a steady hum once the iPad is connected and charging, it's almost always a ground loop between the charger and the amplifier.

  • Fit a ground-loop isolator inline on the audio lead. This fixes it instantly in nearly every case.
  • Or move the iPad's charger to the same power circuit as the amplifier.
  • Unplug the charger briefly to confirm the diagnosis: if the hum stops, it's the charger, not the lead.
  • Keep the audio lead away from mains cabling, and use a shielded lead.

7Wi-Fi and the phone remote

The iPad and the staff phones talk directly over your Wi-Fi. This only affects the remote and streaming; the timetable itself runs regardless.

  • Same network. The iPad and the phones must be on the same Wi-Fi network. A guest network that isolates devices from each other will not work.
  • Client isolation off on the staff network, and Bonjour/mDNS allowed. Most venue Wi-Fi is fine by default.
  • Reserve the iPad's IP on the router as a static lease. Not essential, but it makes support easier later.
  • Streaming: Apple Music, Spotify and internet radio need a working internet connection at play time. Your own imported music does not.
Belt and braces: schedule imported music files for anything that really matters, and use streaming for variety. If the internet drops mid-morning, the essentials keep playing.

8Making it permanent

  1. Auto-Lock off: iPad Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock → Never.
  2. Always on power. Use the wall charger, not a computer USB port.
  3. Set a lock PIN in the app's Kiosk settings so nobody changes the schedule in passing.
  4. Guided Access (iPad Settings → Accessibility) so the app can't be closed by accident. Triple-click the top button in the app and tap Start.
  5. Turn off automatic iPadOS updates so the iPad doesn't reboot overnight and sit at the lock screen. Update deliberately, and open the app afterwards.
  6. Take a backup from the app's Settings once everything is set up, and keep it somewhere safe.

9Commissioning checklist

Before you hand it over, walk this list with the venue:

  • A scheduled announcement plays at the right time, through every speaker that should hear it.
  • Music plays, ducks for an announcement, and resumes afterwards.
  • Levels are right for both announcements and music, and the amplifier gain is marked.
  • A staff phone is paired and can record and play an announcement from the far end of the building.
  • A quiet day is marked and confirmed silent.
  • The emergency page has been demonstrated, and staff know it is not a certified alarm.
  • The iPad is locked with a PIN, Guided Access is on, Auto-Lock is off and it is charging.
  • Power-cycle the iPad, open the app, and confirm the schedule resumes.
  • A backup has been exported and saved somewhere off the iPad.
  • Someone at the venue knows how to add an announcement and mark a quiet day.

10Troubleshooting

SymptomCause and fix
No sound at alliPad volume down, amplifier gain down, or the lead is in a MIC input. Check in that order.
Distorted announcementsYou're on a microphone input, or the amplifier gain is far too high. Move to a LINE input and re-do section 5.
Quiet, thin soundRaise the amplifier input gain rather than the iPad. The iPad should sit around 80%.
Steady humGround loop through the charger. Fit a ground-loop isolator. See section 6.
Phone can't find the stationApp not running on the iPad, different Wi-Fi network, or client isolation on. Check in that order.
Spotify stopped workingThe sign-in expired. Re-link in the app's Spotify settings.
Nothing plays after a power cutThe iPad rebooted and the app isn't open. Open it. Turn off automatic updates so it happens less.
Sound in some zones onlyThe iPad's input is routed to a subset of zones on the amplifier. Adjust the zone routing.

Still stuck? Email chrisc@reflectionsav.com.au with a photo of the amplifier's rear panel and what you're hearing.

Hardware done? Set up the app.

The manual covers the timetable, announcements, music, the phone remote and locking it down.

Read the Manual Back to overview