Dongles Dongles Everywhere

[Digibill]

Does anyone know if it's safe to daisy chain USB hubs to accommodate the growing use of dongles? I'm up to seven dongles now, and expect to add a couple more in the next few months. Then there is the need to connect the Midi USB interface, my DNS-2000, printer, keyboard, PODxt, iPod.... As long as the Hubs are AC powered, will it be safe and not hose the dongles? I'm all for copy protection, but this is starting to get a little out of hand.

Thanks.

Bill

[crizdee]

Hi,

Are some of these Ilok auth's? if so why not place them all on to one Ilok! this can be done by syncing all your ilok's to ilok.com amd moving to one ilok.

Just a thought.

Or what 9 dongles will you be having??

Chris

[jeremyroberts]

>> Does anyone know if it's safe to daisy chain USB hubs to accommodate the growing use of dongles

For low-powered devices such as dongles, sure - no problem. You can also hang a mini-hub on your keyboard.

For longer cable runs, a powered hub is best.

BUT - for dongles, it doesn't really matter. USB 1.1 or 2.0 -- either will work.

[TCDet]

"USB 1.1 or 2.0 -- either will work. "
USB2 Note:
I had issues with an adaptec USB 2 hub. with a G5 .
It ran at high speed which rendered all I-Lok & Logic keys unreconizable.
Went to a 7 port Mac-Hub powered USB 1 and all was fine.

[hlj3]

My logic key was damaged by a powered usb hub. i was able to get it replaced but be careful

[jeremyroberts]

USB2 Note:
I had issues with an adaptec USB 2 hub. with a G5 .
It ran at high speed which rendered all I-Lok & Logic keys unreconizable.
Went to a 7 port Mac-Hub powered USB 1 and all was fine.

yes, I have found certain brands of USB 2.0 hubs to not recognize USB 1.1 devices.

What I meant to say, use either USB 1.1 port or 2.0 from your mac. (did you know that the only USB 1.1 port on a late model - last 18 months - G5 is on the KEYBOARD? -- The USB ports on the mac itself are USB 2.0, and there are some incompatibility issues plugging in a USB 2.0 hub to a Mac USB2 port -- if your devices are USB 1.1 -- such as a MIDi I/O) -- I could write a few pages about how poorly Apple has implemented USB, but save it for another thread.

[Digibill]

Right now I've got a Belkin 7-port USB 2.0 powered hub. My dongles are as follows:

ProTools HD
Waves
MOTU MX4
MOTU Mach 5
Logic
Sonic Studio
Korg Legacy Dig. Edition

I'll be adding more dongles when the VSL Vienna Instruments are available (at least one if they can be combined, but I'm not sure about that or if it will be one dongle per package). And MOTU's Ethno Instrument down the line. And who knows who else will throw a dongle into the mix in the future. Maybe I can double up on the MOTU dongles, but some times I want to put Mach 5 on a second machine when I'm hitting the CPU a little too hard. Add to this another five or six USB devices. It's just adding up, and for now I'm plugging and unplugging things as I go along.

The USB ports on the mac itself are USB 2.0, and there are some incompatibility issues plugging in a USB 2.0 hub to a Mac USB2 port -- if your devices are USB 1.1 -- such as a MIDi I/O) -- I could write a few pages about how poorly Apple has implemented USB, but save it for another thread.

I'd really like to know more about this, especially the significance of USB 1.1 versus 2.0 as it relates to individual dongles or devices like Midi interfaces. AND the impact of long USB extension cords when the Mac is in the machine room.

Thanks!

Bill

[Tony Shepperd]

I believe you can consolidate your Waves and both MOTU assets in the same PT iLok. That would eliminate 3 additional iLoks.

[JCBigler]

Yes, but if your iLok with the waves assets on it dies, and you send it to Waves to get fixed, they won't replace the MOTU assets, likewise, if you send it to MOTU then you can't get your Waves assets replace. And of course, as we all know if your iLok gets stolen, well then your are just all around SOL.

I think that decentralization is best in this industry. Someday some one will build a USB patch panel for iLoks and other USB based dongles. Just imagine having a 128 point patch bay were you could have all or your dongles attached to your computer at the same time, and not have to replug for whatever app you're using. And the whole things could be locked up and encased in a fire-proof safe with 30inch think steal walls and a giant combination or keyed lock. Yeah it would be about as much fun as moving a Mac truck around with you when you needed to be mobile for a project, but at least your iLoks would be safe--sort of.

[myke2242]

Hi,

Are some of these Ilok auth's? if so why not place them all on to one Ilok! this can be done by syncing all your ilok's to ilok.com amd moving to one ilok.

Just a thought.

Or what 9 dongles will you be having??

Chris

not very cost effective