Cj Santana Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Hey guys. I"m out of USB ports on my Mac. I"m considering buying an expansion hub to solve the problem. Have you had any experience using these? Are there particular models or brands I need to stay away from? My hard disks are internal, the only things that will be on the hubs are my audio interface, midi interface, a synth or two & a couple of control interfaces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docbop Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I would just say get a powered USB hub especially if plugging in something like a audio interface that is drawing it power from USB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 Yep I second that. I use an Anker powered hub and it's great. Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I also use a powered hub. USB keyboards also draw some power. Found mine new in the package at Goodwill for $3-4. Only USB 2.0 but that is fast enough since my audio stream is Thunderbolt 2. The label on mine says "Product Name: USB 2.0 4 Port Hub" Belkin sells good stuff pretty consistently in my experience if you need to have a brand. I am sure there are others. Hub will also save wear and tear on your Mac Ports. Much cheaper to get a new hub than to fix a worn out port! Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 A few years ago I went with an OWC (www.macsales.com) powered thunderbolt hub - they've upgraded the spec and features since then - and have been delighted with it. With my late-2015 13" MBP, it allows multiple monitors, lots of USB ports, higher-current charging on a couple of the ports, Thunderbolt, and has been bullet-proof and reliable. Personally, have made several purchases from OWC since switching to Mac about a decade ago - have been pleased with every purchase I've made from those guys. Quote .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefDanG Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 + 1 for OWC. Purchased RAM, external drives, hubs, mice, etc. from them - all top-notch and reasonably priced. Quote Professional musician = great source of poverty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyNQ Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 I have never used any other brands so can"t comment, but have used Belkin with success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cj Santana Posted March 8, 2020 Author Share Posted March 8, 2020 Thanks guys. I knew back in the day hubs were a no-no. I guess those days are behind us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 I have a few hubs and converters for my new-ish macbook pro that only has usb-c. No problems to report, I don't think any of them are powered either. I have a monitor (hdmi), hard drive, keyboard, wireless mouse adapter, and audio interface all connected to mine (out of my four usb-c, one is taken by the power cable.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonnor Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 I use this: 7-Port-USB-20-Hub I found the construction to be heavy-duty and the jacks seem tighter that others I've used. YMMV I have it velcro'd inside my rack. ~ vonnor Quote Gear: Hardware: Nord Stage3, Korg Kronos 2, Novation Summit Software: Cantabile 3, Halion Sonic 3 and assorted VST plug-ins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Mike Metlay Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Anything powered will get you going, but I love Anker hubs, they're solid as a rock. The OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock works well, unless you try to use it with a Thunderbolt 1 port, when it gags a bit. Quote Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1 clicky!: more about me ~ my radio station (and my fam) ~ my local tribe ~ my day job ~ my book ~ my music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdisbro Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 One of the handiest non-musical items I ever purchased.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 ^^^ bought two of these last spring. someone's mind was thinking logically when designing this. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Spencer Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Anker powered hub Yes- even in my pretty simple setup, I have 5 USB devices (Keyboard, Mixer, Expression Pedal, MIDI Patch Change sender, iLok) Does that 'charge' port on the POW-R BAR 65 also pass data? (just for the iLok)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Powered or unpowered somewhat depends upon your computer and your devices. For controllers that are already powered, the data stream uses almost no power, and you could probably put about 8 of them on one port. My MacBook allows 500mA per port, and many controllers only draw 50mA. My Seaboard Rise, on the other hand, uses all 500mA, so it needs its own port. If we're talking about a studio setup, then DEFINITELY get a powered hub, almost no down side. If you're talking live and want to conserve on space and complexity, then it would be good to find the power draw for each device, and you can often pile on a bunch of low-power devices onto one port with a simple unpowered hub. I did this for years with my older MacBook that only had 2 ports. For Macs, you can check your power rating in the "System Information" utility app, and going to USB. It will tell you the power max of each port, and when a device is plugged in, it will give its power draw. Note that some USB ports have hardwired internal devices (like the keyboard, camera, etc) already using certain ports, so not all ports are equal. Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdisbro Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Anker powered hub Does that 'charge' port on the POW-R BAR 65 also pass data? (just for the iLok)? Nope. Just power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdisbro Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Does that 'charge' port on the POW-R BAR 65 also pass data? (just for the iLok)? Nope. Just power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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