Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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USB 2.0 hubs
We all know we should not use them, but we all do i.e. having USB hubs between our studio devices and the DAW.
What's the best way to handle that necessary evil? Using only those with external power supply is probably a good idea, but any other thoughts, suggestions? What's definitely to avoid or which types/brands did not work or which are particularly good for studio use?
(I'm about to swap one because I have my A-PRO disconnecting/reconnecting occasionally in Sonar and I see the device often "flicker" in win10 "connected devices")
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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slartabartfast
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 01:12:12
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You have six USB 2.0 sockets on the back and eight more available on the board plus 5 PCI or PCIe slots and you still need a hub?
google USB slot plate adapter or USB PCI add in card
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dwardzala
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 07:09:21
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I added a USB pci card and use it exclusively for my audio equipment (interface and midi controllers). If for some reason you have to use a hub, use it for things like keyboard, mouse, printer and external (non-audio) hard drives.
DaveMain Studio- Core i5 @2.67GHz, 16Gb Ram, (2) 500Gb HDs, (1) 360 Gb HD MotU Ultralite AVB, Axiom 49 Midi Controller, Akai MPD18 Midi Controller Win10 x64 Home Sonar 2017.06 Platinum (and X3e, X2c, X1d) Mobile Studio - Sager NP8677 (i7-6700HQ @2.67MHz, 16G Ram, 250G SSD, 1T HD) M-Box Mini v. 2 Win 10 x64 Home Sonar 2016.10 Platinum Check out my original music: https://soundcloud.com/d-wardzala/sets/d-wardzala-original-music
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abacab
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 09:08:05
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Rob[atSound-Rehab]
We all know we should not use them, but we all do i.e. having USB hubs between our studio devices and the DAW.
What's the best way to handle that necessary evil? Using only those with external power supply is probably a good idea, but any other thoughts, suggestions? What's definitely to avoid or which types/brands did not work or which are particularly good for studio use?
(I'm about to swap one because I have my A-PRO disconnecting/reconnecting occasionally in Sonar and I see the device often "flicker" in win10 "connected devices")
Your Asus MB supports up to 8 additional USB 2.0 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports via internal connectors. Best $4.99 solution: 4-Port USB2.0 Motherboard Rear Panel Expansion Bracket Host Adapter http://www.ebay.com/itm/4...8af:g:ygUAAOSwMstYQ3IQ
DAW: CbB; Sonar Platinum, and others ...
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soens
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 11:39:08
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I use a 10 slot hub w/external power but mostly for peripherals shared between 2 computers (printers, dvd drive, midi interface, etc.). I've gotten in the habit of plugging the audio interface directly into the computer to alleviate any issues.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 13:25:52
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slartabartfast
You have six USB 2.0 sockets on the back and eight more available on the board plus 5 PCI or PCIe slots and you still need a hub?
poor me got the machine in a different room to have no computer fan distraction in the control room. so every extra cable needs to go thru 2 walls and insulation. hence, the hubs and also USB extenders (Lindy which work fine BTW). on the mobile DAW there is only one USB port, so there needs to be a hub ... so back to the original question - are there any differences in the hubs they sell ya? or is it the same chinese inside just with different plastic and price on outside?
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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abacab
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 15:35:20
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Rob[atSound-Rehab]
slartabartfast
You have six USB 2.0 sockets on the back and eight more available on the board plus 5 PCI or PCIe slots and you still need a hub?
poor me got the machine in a different room to have no computer fan distraction in the control room. so every extra cable needs to go thru 2 walls and insulation. hence, the hubs and also USB extenders (Lindy which work fine BTW). on the mobile DAW there is only one USB port, so there needs to be a hub ...
so back to the original question - are there any differences in the hubs they sell ya? or is it the same chinese inside just with different plastic and price on outside?
Be careful! According to USB specs, cables longer than 5 meters would cause a too large signal propagation delay to work. The primary reason for this limit is the maximum allowed round-trip delay of about 1.5 μs. If USB host commands are unanswered by the USB device within the allowed time, the host considers the command lost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Cabling
DAW: CbB; Sonar Platinum, and others ...
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soens
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/06 18:17:08
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Rob(at)Sound-Rehab
... so back to the original question - are there any differences in the hubs they sell ya? or is it the same chinese inside just with different plastic and price on outside?
That would be my guess tho some brands may have better quality control than others. Almost nothing sold in the US is made in the US or any other European land mass anymore. Most things seem to work OK but the weakest link in Asian made electronics seems to be internal/external hard drive enclosure circuit boards (docking enclosures). I've had several of them fail for no reason.  But then my WD Passport USB3 2TB drive has worked perfectly without a hitch.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/07 05:12:20
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abacab
Be careful! According to USB specs, cables longer than 5 meters would cause a too large signal propagation delay to work. The primary reason for this limit is the maximum allowed round-trip delay of about 1.5 μs. If USB host commands are unanswered by the USB device within the allowed time, the host considers the command lost.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Cabling
is there any way to measure/benchmark this?
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/07 08:22:13
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USB hubs are fine for lower bandwidth peripherals.
If possible, I'd avoid using them for an audio interface or external HD.
In particular, USB hubs are great for dongles.
Modern motherboards have so many USB ports (and headers to add more via inexpensive USB brackets)... that you'll likely not need a USB hub.
In general, I'd recommend self-powered USB hubs.
If you just want to connect several dongles, a passive hub will work fine.
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abacab
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/07 19:51:27
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☄ Helpfulby Rob[at]Sound-Rehab 2016/12/08 08:06:57
Rob[atSound-Rehab]
is there any way to measure/benchmark this?
Only one I'm aware of: http://www.passmark.com/products/usb2loopback.htm You need to buy the loopback dongle for $49.90, and use the free software. CablingA USB cable is included with each plug. The cable is a standard 40cm A-B USB cable. While just about any USB cable will work, it is best to use a quality high speed, shielded, USB cable when testing. Note that some of the cheaper USB cables are not shielded and thus are not recommended. The cable must be shorter than the 5m allowed in the USB standard. If a USB connection is required beyond 5m one or more hubs are required to extend a USB connection. We have noted during our testing that longer cables are more likely to have higher error rates. Never tried this, but I do use their Memtest86 software, and the developers seem to be responsive to questions on their forum.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: USB 2.0 hubs
2016/12/08 08:08:42
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abacab
Rob[atSound-Rehab]
is there any way to measure/benchmark this?
Only one I'm aware of: http://www.passmark.com/products/usb2loopback.htm
You need to buy the loopback dongle for $49.90, and use the free software.
thanks. definitely good to know. not cheap, especially if you watn to test several ports at the same time ...
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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