#1

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has had any more or less success with usb hubs or are they all pretty similar like they appear?

Anything anyone has had that doesn’t work for monome/audio applications?

Alex

#2

I use this 7-port hub from Amazon Basics, and it’s served me well:

In my live setup, I usually have a grayscale 128 grid, a Novation Launch Control XL, and a Keith McMillen 12 step plugged in. I’ve had this setup with an arc4 and a hard drive plugged into the hub as well, and it works pretty solidly. The power brick included is 100-240V, so you only need to swap IEC cables to use it internationally.

I did have to put a bit of gaff tape with a small slice in it to dim the bright blue power light, but that’s based on taste and where it lives in your setup.

1 Like
#3

Although nothing special, I’ve used a shit 4-port foldable Targus one for years for my low power controller stuff. Super easy to just chuck in a bag and not have to worry about anything.

On a more modern note, have any of you USB-C macbook pro folk found a good USB-C hub?
I’ve ordered one of those all-in-one hub/dongle things for HDMI, SD card, and a couple of USB-A ports, but I’ve bought a bunch of USB-C to USB-A (typeB) cables with a hope to just move everything over at once, and I’ve not really seen any actual USB-C (portable) hubs. I’ll obviously need some USB-A stuff for the near future, but I’d want to avoid needing a USB-A hub AND a USB-C hub…

#4

A good usb hub is actually one of the best small investments I have made for my setup. My computer is so much more stable when all the gear gets enough power.

I have this Usb2-hub for my live rig:

https://www.digitalimpuls.no/pc-komponenter/switchbokser/kvm/usb/firewire-hub/directronik/direktronik-industrial-7-port-usb2-hub-m-overspenningsvern-monterbar-117542-p0000053024

It is metal, has a big usb “printer” port and a nice beefy power supply.

In the studio I have this Usb-3 hub for all my hard drives:

https://www.digitalimpuls.no/pc-komponenter/switchbokser/kvm/usb/firewire-hub/deltaco/deltaco-usb-30-hub-10-porter-strømadapter-medfølger-aluminium-svart-141443-p0000156152

#5

This one works well.

4 Likes
#6

Small technical note on USB hubs: If all of these are true:

  • You have 2 or more USB 1.1 devices (not 2.0 or 3.0)
  • You need to transfer at high data rate with 2 or more, at the same time
  • You need ~8Mbps or more, total. For reference: reading 2 channels of 16bit audio @ 48kHz from a disk, and then sending them out again to an interface is only: 2×16×48,000×2 = ~3Mbps.

Then (and only then) you need an “MTT” enabled hub.

The notable use case is using multiple units of Elecktron gear with Overbridge. Though not Digitakt or Analog Heat, since those are USB 2.0.

2 Likes
#7

xkcd today

8 Likes
#8

I second the recommendation for Anker. They make the most reliable / best performing hubs at a reasonable price point that I’ve used. I’ve gone through a lot of USB hubs, now I only buy Anker…

#9

i used both a grid and arc on my 2015 macbook pro with a cheap anker hub no prob. ran my interface to the other port on my mac just to be safe. can be upgraded to powered if necessary (wasn’t for me).

#10

The wirecutter usually has relatively decent reviews for these kinds of things. Most of the time the products are somewhat USA specific/targeted though.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-usb-hubs/

#11

I use this same one with zero issues so far. No idea if my setup requires it or not - just wanted this to be a one-and-done purchase.

#12

Has anyone had experience using an anker usb hub with an adaptor for the newer thunderbolt only Mac stuff? I use an older MacBook Pro with and 7 port anker hub connecting 64 grid, two midi fighter twisters and an audio interface. Wondering if I will run into issues with this setup if /when I decide to get a newer MacBook

#13

Just a bump on this to see if anyone has come across a USB-C hub. That is, a hub that plugs into a laptop with a USB-C cable, and itself takes USB-C connections.

For my own setup I’ve decided to go a full ‘replace the cables’ route, instead of a ‘dongle for each cable’ route, which is working ok so far. But I’m realizing that if start using a larger setup, that I’m going to run out of USB-C connections to plug in to…

As mentioned in this thread, I bought a Hyperdrive dock thing, which is perfect for what I need (HDMI/SD), but only has 2 USB-C connections on it, leaving me with a net gain of zero.

And at this point, I really don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of having mixed cables, so having a USB-A to USB-A cable when I’m using a ‘normal’ hub, and a USB-C to USB-A cable when I’m rocking just the laptop.

#14

I’ve kind of given up looking (for now), but came across this USB-C hub today and figured I’d post it here:

Only has 2 USB-C inputs, but it’s at least something…

Would still love to find an actual USB-C to USB-C hub (as in, 4+ USB-C inputs and a single USB-C output). It just so happens it’s impossible to search for “USB-C hub” as that means USB-A to USB-C pretty much.

Definitely a bad time to be a musician (with a newer Apple laptop) as it appears the choices are dongle hell or cable hell. (I foolishly thought I could just replace all my USB-A cables with the appropriate USB-C cables, which does work, but not if I have to plug everything in at once… Not enough USB-C inputs for that.)

1 Like
#15

The usb-c spec forbids a many to one usb-c hub, which is why you don’t see them. The problem is hat usb-c is not just a serial connection type but is more like a pci slot… i’m not sure how the 2-1 hub type things work but the one i have only allows power on one port, not a full connection.

What i finally did was buy an overbridge hub and an apple usb-c to hdmi, power and usb-a connector. This provides seven solid usb-a ports and has been very solid. my issue with it is that the cable from the single to the computer is very short, meaning that it is always in the way. i wish that i could use my own usb-c cable between the dongle and computer but i’ve not seen anything that allows this.

2 Likes
#16

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1042742-REG/xcellon_usb_8pch_xcellon.html?ap=y&c3api=1876%2C92051678762%2C%2C&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2pXXBRD5ARIsAIYoEbdfOrsCjxi2qUOUKGRZLLgAGd8hYNOddLdlEwDKIBcO1KONc3CcmPIaAlUuEALw_wcB

1 Like
#17

Well that’s a bit of a kick in the balls…

I know that not all of the ports (or any) would support charge through, but that’s not of interest at all for my use case. I just want to be able to plug in a bunch of controllers at once, but using USB-A to USB-C cables.

So this leaves it in a weird middle ground if I’m using just a couple of bits, use regular USB-C cables, no dongles. But more than that, it means using a USB-A hub and regular cables.

How I wish my 2013 machine hadn’t died prematurely…

#18

Why do you want to use USB-A to USB-C cables? The only advantage might be the symmetric connector: The speed and power will be identical (not that speed matters for controllers).

Why not just get a hub with USB-C on one side to go to the Mac, and several USB-A on the other? Wouldn’t this work for you with the minimal number of cables and doo-dads?

As for hubs, the USB-C spec doesn’t forbid them… just some functions of the connector can’t be “hubbed” - that is they are point to point high speed links (like video), and those can’t be split or shared. You can “hub” the normal USB 2&3 data channels.

#19

I was thinking rather than go a dongle-y route, that I’d just replace my cables, and be done with it. So for the most part I don’t use a hub/dongle at all, it’s only when I need more controllers (as would be normally the case in performance contexts) that I need a hub.

That’s good that normal USB1/2/3 stuff can be hubbed. I was worried everything was bleak!

#20

This is one of the reasons I’m actually trying to head further out of the box, and to embrace MIDI more. USB soup has always been a bit of a bane for me, and if the new tools make it that much harder then I’m feeling like maybe getting off USB with the exception of my interface itself isn’t such a bad idea. A very complex setup can be had with a simple USB hub, one audio and one MIDI interface, and controllers/external instruments via MIDI. That leaves all the other USB-C ports for power, storage, and display. My only question then would be: how much latency is added by the USB->USB-C conversion and does that still neatly DMA thé transferred data or do we go back to slow, glitchy polling?

Regarding USB-2/3 hubs, I too am in the generally happy crowd of Anker users. Although one or two of their models have been absolutely horrid for real-time audio, the one I am using at present seems to be quite stable, although I plug my interface directly whenever I can, just to avoid the possibility of issues.