Too many USB, crap!

S

Sluggo4242

New member
So not really sure where to post this, so here goes.

I'm mac book pro and all my (2) USB ports are being used with my digital interface and my dmxis light controller.

I want to buy a APC Mini midi controller, but it's USB too!

So, does a USB "hub" work?
 
Buy a powered usb 3.0 hub. It should have it's own power supply to prevent issues with hot unplugging because of bus power. It will be backwards compatable to 2.0 if needed.
 
Run the interface directly to one of the lappy ports. Run the USB hub for everything else. Trust me. :)
 
I have found that almost everything USB works fine on a hub on a PC except AIs!

But yes, you need a power supply for them and pay a decent price, there are a lot of cheap crappy one about. But, can I also commend this?

USB Sharing Switch 2 Port,ShenZhen YongXinTong Electronics Co.,LTD.

It is about the size of a matchbox and does exactly what is says on the tin. It allows one USB device to be switched from one PC to another. It works for printers, memory sticks and dongles. Not tried a full blown AI yet. Comes with a small disc with drivers for PC and mac. Got mine from cpc.co.uk

Dave.
 
In the spirit of not creating another thread I'm going to ask this question here since it's somewhat related. Is USB 3.0 absolutely necessary for home recording use? My recording laptop is an older Macbook Pro and only has 2 onboard USB ports. Right now I have a Belkin 4 port USB 2.0 hub that works great, but I need to upgrade to a hub with more ports since I'm often unplugging things to make room.

What kind of "home studio" equipment required USB 3.0? Or is it just for "future considerations"? I can't seem to find a relatively inexpensive name brand hub with more than 4 ports that's also USB 3.0 for some reason.

Thanks in advance.
 
Xcaliber said:
In the spirit of not creating another thread I'm going to ask this question here since it's somewhat related. Is USB 3.0 absolutely necessary for home recording use? My recording laptop is an older Macbook Pro and only has 2 onboard USB ports. Right now I have a Belkin 4 port USB 2.0 hub that works great, but I need to upgrade to a hub with more ports since I'm often unplugging things to make room.

What kind of "home studio" equipment required USB 3.0? Or is it just for "future considerations"? I can't seem to find a relatively inexpensive name brand hub with more than 4 ports that's also USB 3.0 for some reason.

Thanks in advance.
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I have seen so few USB interfaces (only 1 that I have seen). It might make a difference at some point in the future, but other than data throughput, seems USB 2.0 works for audio recording. Now, for faster HD throughput and video, that might be a different story.
 
Xcaliber said:
In the spirit of not creating another thread I'm going to ask this question here since it's somewhat related. Is USB 3.0 absolutely necessary for home recording use? My recording laptop is an older Macbook Pro and only has 2 onboard USB ports. Right now I have a Belkin 4 port USB 2.0 hub that works great, but I need to upgrade to a hub with more ports since I'm often unplugging things to make room.

What kind of "home studio" equipment required USB 3.0? Or is it just for "future considerations"? I can't seem to find a relatively inexpensive name brand hub with more than 4 ports that's also USB 3.0 for some reason.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

No, you do not need USB 3.0 for audio purposes and will not for the foreseeable future*.

The one area where USB 3.0 makes a difference to the home computer jockey (not just audio) is for external drives.
I have just spent 60quid on a 2TB Seagate desktop drive and it is BLINDING! (can't so far make a Win7 C drive "image" but no doubt I shall get that sorted in the fullness!).
The drive plugs into one of two 3.0 ports in my Asus new build. I have another W7 PC with a USB 3.0 PCIe card in it but I have not tried the drive in that so far.

*USB 3.0 interfaces are virtually non-existent as yet. There is a MADI system from RME (drool!) but no conventional AIs so far.
There are those that say we don't NEED USB 3 for audio. Well you don't actually need USB 2.0 for many of them! Any AI with just 2 in and 2 outs can still run 24 bits at up to 48kHz and MIDI to boot. Then we have Firewire 800? VASTLY more bandwidth than virtually any projjy studio needs but peeps still bought them, with an eye to future expansion no doubt?

Same goes for USB 3.0 IMHO. An interface with say 8 mic inputs, another 8 lines, 8 or more outputs MIDI of course (twice!) then lots of ADAT connectivity for the future.
The 4.5W power capability of U3.0 could mean that a lot of that I/O could be bus powered.

Dave.
 
Erm... are the two ports on your 'puter USB 2.0? If so, what's the point of getting a USB 3.0 hub?

And I use USB 3.0 for backing up... waaaaaaay quicker. But that's on a computer that actually has it. I'm weird like that. :thumbs up:
 
Yep, a powered USB hub that matches the host computer's ports is useful.
I have a couple but I rarely use them.
USB3 - has great potential.
I'm inclined to use what I have for as long as it works before upgrading though.
I did some good recordings on a PII XP comp with 250Meg RAM. It was only when the interface died that I upped the comp to match a new IA.
 
Well I've watches a few "home studio" vids on YouTube from people I trust where they pointed out that their hard drives were USB 3.0 and in one of the answer to the OP in this thread someone said "get USB 3.0". I know it won't do me any good right now, but I was thinking of the future. I'll do with the 2.0 version now and upgrade in the future if/when I need to.

Thanks for the info everyone.
 
Armistice said:
Erm... are the two ports on your 'puter USB 2.0? If so, what's the point of getting a USB 3.0 hub?

And I use USB 3.0 for backing up... waaaaaaay quicker. But that's on a computer that actually has it. I'm weird like that. :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Err? Did not come across to me that the OP was going for a USB 3.0 hub?
If so no, not a lot of point. Even if they SAY it is backwards compatible with USB 2.0* I would not trust them! 2.0hubs are cheap as chips (but get as good a one as you can afford) so I would up the port count with USB 2.0 and wait for 3 .0 hubs to come down in price as they surely will.

*N very B. Audio Interfaces generally do not work well or at all from a hub. Sometimes it is just a power thing but most often it just don't work so keep a port dedicated to the AI and expand the other one.

Dave.
 
arcaxis said:
Can't speak for other AI's, but Tascam recommends a hub for the US-144mkii if the USB port on the computer can't provide adequate power. I had to do this when one older PC I had couldn't provide enough juice to keep the phantom power up high enough to power a condenser mic.

View attachment 88203
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Fekkin computers!
There is always some fekkin thing that breaks the rule! It has long been the advice that AI do not like hubs, regardless of the power considerations. I plugged a Fast track pro into a hub on an XP machine and the whole lot BSODed!

Any, fekkin way. IF! Tascam fekkin KNEW the AI might be underpowered WTF did they not fit a fekking 5V co-ax power socket for fekk's sake!

Hah!
Dave.
.
 
ecc83 said:
Fekkin computers!
There is always some fekkin thing that breaks the rule! It has long been the advice that AI do not like hubs, regardless of the power considerations. I plugged a Fast track pro into a hub on an XP machine and the whole lot BSODed!

Any, fekkin way. IF! Tascam fekkin KNEW the AI might be underpowered WTF did they not fit a fekking 5V co-ax power socket for fekk's sake!

Hah!
Dave.
.
Click to expand...

Well, I am sure they have as a part of the support requirements this listed. No different than saying a certain CPU and OS version Y and higher. I bet is states USB 2.0 compliant interface.
 
David! Mark!
I hope you realized that my remarks were meant only partly seriously???

Yes, there WILL be combinations that don't work. One of my old (rtrd) P4 machines would not power my NI KA6* from a front USB port but was fine on any of the rear ones (do you chaps fekk your front ports? I do! I had not had this Asus build a month when I banged them. Got to have the fekking front off and maybe a sloder iron job).

Did I sense that USB 2.0 and 1.1 had different power capabilities? If so I do not think so. Both will supply 500mA AFAIK.

*I am rather disappointed with the feeble phantom power capability of this AI. It runs my two AKG P150s fine but my load tests show it is rather weak. Pity when it is so superb in almost every other way.
This is not due to its high USB current draw AFAICS but I shall not go into detail since I might have a bad sample.
If anyone at Native Instruments ever reads HR PLEASE do what the Focusrite chap has done and get out of ivory tower and talk to the people that buy your kit!

(and that last was DEADLY serious in case you wanted to know!)

Dave.
 
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