Benjamin

Anyone who has learned an instrument from YouTube knows the routine: reach for the iPad, drag the playhead back, overshoot, hunt for the speed menu, and by the time playback resumes the feel in your fingers has faded. Benjamin is built to remove that screen-fiddling from practice. According to the maker, it is a physical control surface for iPad that handles play, pause, rewind, speed changes and looping from a set of large buttons, a rotary scroll wheel and a volume slider.

Loops, frames and 5% steps

The maker says a loop button lets you set start and end points and repeat just that section, with dedicated buttons and the scroll wheel for nudging either point into place. The wheel itself can jump in steps of 1, 5 or 10 seconds, by chapter, or frame by frame, and a custom step size can be chosen in settings. Playback speed moves up and down in 5% increments, with a button to return to original speed.

• Save videos, loops and bookmarks by name and organize them into playlists
• Return to start, previous/next track, full screen, mute, subtitles on/off, search, playlist recall and volume on the device
• Fixed-position, illuminated physical buttons meant to be operated without looking
• Adjustable-angle iPad stand for desk use, with VESA arm and tripod mounting and an elastic retaining cord
• Slot for routing a charging cable to the iPad

The app and compatibility

A companion Benjamin app connects over Bluetooth and, per the campaign, brings YouTube search and playback, playlists, Apple Music and compatible videos stored on the iPad into one place. It also sets button brightness, light ring color, default playback speed and scroll-wheel step size. The maker states core features do not require a subscription. Benjamin supports iPads running iPadOS 16 or later, from iPad mini up to the 13-inch iPad Pro, including with a case as long as iPad and case together are within 13mm thick. iPhone is not currently supported.

Size and battery

The maker lists dimensions of about 280×190×60mm and a weight of about 950g. A 3200mAh rechargeable battery is rated for about 9 days based on 3 hours of use per day; it charges via USB-C in roughly 8 hours and can be used while charging. The folding stand doubles as a carry handle. While pitched at guitar, keys and drums, the maker positions Benjamin for any skill learned by pausing, rewinding, slowing and repeating video.