Hi I would like to get a longer 5m USB-C cable for the AstroLab to hook up to my MacBook (mainly so I can use it for a controller for the instruments the AstroLab doesn’t explicitly support like the Mellotron. Also the longer cable would be more convenient for stuff like AstroLab updates, etc).
However I’m not very technical and I’m already running into the weeds about what kind of USB cable I’ll need for this. Do I choose a 2.0 or 3.0? Should it be a ‘data’ USB cable? I’ve also heard it may need to be some sort of ‘repeater’ cable for it to work over a longer distance (though some say this may not be necessary). Are there any specific cables people have used which they recommend?
It sort of depends on whether it’s USB2 or USB3.
You SHOULD be ok if it’s actually USB2 with a 3m cable and YES is HAS to be a data cable, as opposed to just a ‘charging cable’. I’ve never seen a charging cable that long though (you can of course use USB data cables as charging cables too).
IF it’s actually USB3 type C, then you really should stick to one of 2m or shorter, as they can start to struggle with proper data transfer. You CAN try some of the more expensive ‘specialist’ cabels such as some of the ones manufacturers like Lindy produce, as well as an ‘active’ USB3 cable which, as you said, essentially contain a ‘repeater’ in them and need an external power supply too.
I’d log into your account to contact Arturia Support to double check first before spending lots of money.