How to Connect Your iPad, iPhone, or Mac to a Church Sound System for Multitracks (Prime App)

If you’ve ever wanted to use multitracks in a live worship setting but weren’t sure how to connect your device to the church sound system, you’re not alone. Many worship leaders, musicians, and tech volunteers find this step intimidating. But with the right cables, adapters, and setup, it’s easier than you might think.

In this post, I’ll walk you step-by-step through the process of connecting your iPad, iPhone, or Mac to your church’s soundboard so you can run Prime app multitracks with confidence.

(Note: This post contains product links to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.)

🎵 A Quick Multitrack Review

If you saw my earlier post and video on How to Use Multitracks in Worship (Even If You’re Not Tech-Savvy) with Loop Community’s Prime app, you know that multitracks split the audio into two separate channels:

• Left Channel – Click track + guide cues to help musicians stay in sync (in the Prime app, these tracks are shown in red)
• Right Channel – The music tracks (piano, bass, drums, etc.), shown in blue, which the congregation hears through the main speakers

The key is to send the click track only to the musicians’ headphones or in-ear monitors while sending the music to the house speakers. To do that, we’ll split the stereo signal into two mono channels.

🔌 Step 1: Get a Stereo Breakout (Y) Cable

The first piece of gear you’ll need is a stereo breakout cable, often called a “Y cable.”

This cable splits a stereo audio signal into two 1/4” mono jacks (one for the left channel, one for the right channel)

💡 Tip: These cables are inexpensive, and I’ve linked recommended options in a free PDF guide at the end of this post.

📱 Step 2: Match the Cable to Your Apple Device

You'll need a breakout cable that can connect to your Apple device:

1. Headphone Jack (Laptops)
   • Use a 3.5mm (minijack) breakout cable with dual 1/4" TS ends.
2. Lightning Port (Older iPhones)
   • Use a Lightning breakout cable with dual 1/4” TS ends.
3. USB-C Port (Newer iPhones, iPad Pro, recent iPads)
   • Use a USB-C breakout cable with dual 1/4” TS ends.

🎚 Step 3: Use DI Boxes for Clean Sound

If your device is on the platform and the soundboard is far away, you’ll need two DI (Direct Input) boxes—one for each channel.

• Why? DI boxes convert the unbalanced signal from your device into a balanced signal that can travel long distances without interference.
• How to connect:
  1. Plug the left channel from your Y cable into one DI box (label it “CLICK — L”).
  2. Plug the right channel into another DI box (label it “TRACKS — R”).
  3. Run XLR mic cables from each DI box to however you connect to your church's soundboard, just like you'd connect a vocal mic.

🎛 Step 4: Sound Check

Before the service (or in a separate rehearsal):

1. Set your device volume to around 75%.
2. In the Prime app, set the master volume around 75%.
3. Have the sound engineer set input gain levels on the board.
4. Make sure click/cues are routed only to musicians’ in-ears, while music goes to the main speakers.
5. Start the multitrack playback in the Prime app and balance levels.

💡 Pro Tips for Success

• Turn on Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb before starting playback.
• Keep your device plugged into power.
• Have a spare Y cable as a backup.

🎼 Take Your Worship Setup to the Next Level

Once you’ve set this up a few times, it’ll become second nature. For a handy visual guide, download my free PDF setup diagram, “Prime Multitrack App to Soundboard Signal Flow.” It contains links to various cables and connections at Amazon.com. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

And if you haven’t tried multitracks yet, check out my “Wade in the Water” multitrack  — a soulful, jazz arrangement—perfect for a memorable and impactful worship service.