Is it possible to use a USB hub to give you more than 2 ports? Obviously, for devices which want to sink a lot of current, the hub needs to be powered, but I’m thinking more along the lines of plugging in a bunch of usb-midi interfaces…
Yes! Using a hub works. We do this all the time, for example to edit patches you need 2 USB, one for flash drive, one for mouse/keyboard, so we’ll use a hub if we need more ports for a MIDI controller.
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Are there guidelines for excluding some usb hubs based on chipset? I believe this might be of importance when implementing ORAC and the more advanced MIDI functions.
I’ve had no issues with any of the usb hubs I’ve tried.
Any issues that might be encountered would be related to arch OS used, and not midi per se, and definitely not Orac/ pure data etc.
What hub have you had issues with?
We’ve tried out many hubs. As with most electronics, units from reputable sources will probably have fewer problems.
I think most of the incompatibility users have experienced are not really ‘problems’ but a result of a hub’s inability to source enough amperage for the connected devices. This is to be expected if you’re trying to provide more than 500mA from the USB port the hub is connected to. Some controllers/synths can be powered via USB and if they require more amperage than the Organelle can deliver, a low power situation can arise. The solution is to know how much amperage your gear needs and plan accordingly (e.g. get a powered usb hub or power your devices from the wall and just use the USB connection for data (MIDI))