Ripcord lets you power your synths, pedals and amps over USB

It's one thing to have a portable music making setup that you can fit in a backpack, but you still need some way of powering it. It's not so much of a problem if all you have is a fully-charged laptop or iPad and a MIDI controller, but what if your rig also contains compact synths, FX pedals and an amp, for example?

That's where Ripcord comes in. This is designed to add a USB powering option to all manner of hardware devices, so you can run them from your laptop, phone or USB powerbank, for example.

It comprises a tangle-free, supposedly durable cable with a USB plug on one end and a power plug on the other. It comes with a range of adapters to fit as many devices as possible.

Ripcord is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, with pledges starting at €12 for a single cable.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.