Ableton Forum

Hey,

So I have a Push, a Midi Keyboard, portable HD, and an Audio Interface and only 2 USB slots on my MacBook Pro. Was wondering if anyone has used a good USB Hub that would support all of these simultaneously without any hiccups? Or if anyone has any recommendations of manufacturers or products on this front. I remember having some issues with one I had in the past, but I'm assuming that there are hubs that will work with all of these devices?

Here are a couple I found:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... d=1&name=5

Thanks!!
B

Also looking for one of these - seem some by Anker and Satechi which look nice although some seem pricey for what they are.

thanks in advance for any experiences shared

You need to bear power requirements in mind when choosing a hub. Make sure that the PSU supplied with it is capable of providing enough current.


In theory each USB output can supply up to 500mA of current, so a ten output hub should have a PSU capable of at least 5A (500mA x 10).

Hubs are often supplied with PSUs which have a spec lower than that required to run the outputs at capacity.


Not a problem if all your devices are low powered, but something to remember.

Been using powered Plugable hubs here for a rehearsal with no issues at all.

My favorite:

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-USB-Port ... B00483WRZ6

Yep, that's one of the ones I use too.

illsub1 wrote:My favorite:

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-USB-Port ... B00483WRZ6

Thx illsub! I picked one up and LOVE IT!

Vote for Satachi. Specifically the heavy duty "mac" one.
http://www.satechi.net/index.php/satech ... black-trim

Backwards compatible completely, and ready for USB 3 devices and drives. Running Rig Kontrol, Kore, Launchpad, QuNexus, iLock, and a Novation Remote Sl on it with no problems.

My thinking is why buy a USB 2 hub when it will just possibly be a problem in the future? My last hub lasted about 9 years.

Machinesworking wrote:Vote for Satachi. Specifically the heavy duty "mac" one.
http://www.satechi.net/index.php/satech ... black-trim

Backwards compatible completely, and ready for USB 3 devices and drives. Running Rig Kontrol, Kore, Launchpad, QuNexus, iLock, and a Novation Remote Sl on it with no problems.

My thinking is why buy a USB 2 hub when it will just possibly be a problem in the future? My last hub lasted about 9 years.

Ouch! I just ordered the above mentioned based on the positive feedback.....
The gear I'll use on is usb 2 so maybe it did not throw all my money away.

I was also considering buying a USB hub, but to any hub users - is there a noticable decline in responsiveness from MIDI devices (i.e. latency) that are linked to your USB hub?

Consider getting one that is Multi-TT (Multi-Transaction Translator).

Single vs. Multi-TT hub comparison:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb ... 677-3.html

Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hub
To allow high-speed devices to operate in their fastest mode all hubs between the devices and the computer must be high speed. High-speed devices should fall back to full-speed when plugged in to a full-speed hub (or connected to an older full-speed computer port). While high-speed hubs support all device speeds, low and full-speed traffic is combined and segregated from high-speed traffic through a transaction translator. Each transaction translator segregates lower speed traffic into its own pool, essentially creating a virtual full-speed bus. Some designs use a single transaction translator, while other designs have multiple translators. Having multiple translators is only a significant benefit when connecting multiple high-bandwidth full-speed devices.

It is an important consideration that in common language (and often product marketing) USB 2.0 is used as synonymous with high-speed. However, because the USB 2.0 specification, which introduced high-speed, incorporates and supersedes the USB 1.1 specification, any compliant full-speed or low-speed device is still a USB 2.0 device. Thus, not all USB 2.0 hubs operate at high-speed.