Ableton Forum

Hey there,

as I have only two USB ports on my MBP, but several synths, a MIDI interfac 8x8 plus two dongles I wonder how I could connect all that stuff to my computer. A hub should be the right choice, but could you please give a real life example what works for you?

I give you a detailled list of my current & planned setup

Ableton Push
Arturia Microbrute
Moog Sub 37 (planned)
MiniNova (planned)
Arturia Beat Step Pro (planned)
MOTU 8x8 MIDI Interface

Any suggestions or recommendations?

In my opinion, you need to take a look at how many of the these devices are bus powered. Can your internal hub handle the current draw of all those devices? Especially where MIDI is involved, like in synths and controllers, once they start starving for power, you get a lot of drop outs and misfires.

So the first step is to get out the owner's manual of any of your bus-powered devices, and add up the total current (usually measured in mA) you're going to need. I discovered that even my mouse draws 500 mA! My M-Audio keyboard is rated at 900 maA. It can all add up quickly.

So I knew I needed plenty of power and I wanted to be able to turn off devices I wasn't using. Some controllers don't have power switches, so having a switch on the hub is a nice feature. I ended up with this unit, which has four switched outlets and a 4 amp (4000 mA) power supply.

http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Powered-a ... B00BJPRI1Y

I also added an un-powered hub for things that don't need to draw power (or very little).

http://www.amazon.com/4PORT-USB-Ultra-M ... hub+f5u407

This is how I'm set up now:
Powered hub: high-resolution gaming mouse, USB webcam, Novation Impulse25, M-Audio Keystation 61es
Unpowered hub: license dongle, computer keyboard, MOTU Express XT MIDI hub, Lexicon MX300

My audio interface is on Firewire now, so I don't have to worry about USB for that.

Hope that helps!

I have a few different Plugable brand USB2 and USB3 hubs here that all work fine, I just get them cheap on Amazon.