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Radial Key Largo with Garageband and Mac Thunderbolt 3


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I'm struggling to use my Radial Key Largo as an interface on my fairly new MacBook Pro. The MacBook has thunderbolt 3 inputs, so I'm using a USB to thunderbolt adapter, which I know can cause issues. I'm trying to figure out if I'm having an issue with the thunderbolt compatibility, an issue with garageband recognizing the Key Largo as an input, or just operator error from my own inexperience. Kind of hard to narrow it down, so I'm looking for any tips/suggestions you might have to make this setup work. Or I might just plunk down the cash for a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 or similar so I have a thunderbolt interface. Thoughts?
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How new are we talking about? Is it an M1 MacBook Pro?

An Intel model? Are you running Big Sur or a previous Mac OS on it? It"s definitely a Pro right, not a MacBook? 2015?

 

 

The Radial is a class compliant USB audio/midi device on OSX - no drivers needed. Mine works well on a 2013 MacBook Pro running Catalina. It has two traditional USB-B ports i guess they call them, Two thunderbolt ports.

 

Culprit in these situations is almost always the adapter or hub.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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How new are we talking about? Is it an M1 MacBook Pro?

An Intel model? Are you running Big Sur or a previous Mac OS on it? It"s definitely a Pro right, not a MacBook? 2015?

 

 

The Radial is a class compliant USB audio/midi device on OSX - no drivers needed. Mine works well on a 2013 MacBook Pro running Catalina. It has two traditional USB-B ports i guess they call them, Two thunderbolt ports.

 

Culprit in these situations is almost always the adapter or hub.

 

It's a 2018 MacBook Pro with 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, and I am running Big Sur. It has 4 thunderbolt 3 connectors, and that's it. I've definitely run into issues with USB to thunderbolt adapters--some work with some devices, others don't, and it's all a bit fiddly. The lack of backwards compatibility with this stuff is the biggest frustration I've had with this machine.

 

I've tried to connect the Key Largo off of an adapter and off of a hub and it's not recognizing the Key Largo, so I'm trying to figure out if I should try a different hub or adapter, or just bite the bullet and get an interface that's designed with a thunderbolt connection.

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Right. That"s when they started to put USB 3.1 on the same USB-C connector as thunderbolt, right?

 

Ok, I"m thinking we could use some recommendations on hubs that are working for audio/midi on 2018 and newer Macs.

 

They Key Largo has its own power adapter, too. You"re. It trying to run it off USB bus power, right?

 

But I"m also thinking there"s a reason why few are in a rush to upgrade their Intel Macs to Big Sur. Did you have this working before upgrading the OS?

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Right. That"s when they started to put USB 3.1 on the same USB-C connector as thunderbolt, right?

 

...

 

Ok, I"m thinking we could use some recommendations on hubs that are working for audio/midi on 2018 and newer Macs.

 

I think the connectors were merged in 2016, because that's when Apple shrunk everything down to a few USB-C ports.

 

 

I'm using a 2019 Macbook Pro running Catalina with an Xcellon powered USB hub without issue, but admittedly I haven't connected up anything more than a usb headset, a usb-midi keyboard, and a class-compliant mixer to it. Good build quality though. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1496360-REG/xcellon_sh10_7h3hc_2_10_port_powered_usb_3_0.html

 

I've also gotten simultaneous audio/midi to work fine with that $99 Belkin USB-C hub. That's a good all-rounder if you need other ports as well. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/belkin-4-port-usb-type-c-hub-with-gigabit-ethernet-adapter-space-gray/6343827.p?skuId=6343827

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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Thanks for all of the help, I was able to get it working. Tried connecting my little USB midi controller and discovered that didn't work either, so I traced it down to a bad adapter. Quick trip to bestbuy for a lightning to USB hub, similar to the Belink that Might Motif Max posted above did the trick.
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Stupid question: If my MacBook Pro is USB 2.0, will a 3.0 hub work?

 

Right. That"s when they started to put USB 3.1 on the same USB-C connector as thunderbolt, right?

 

...

 

Ok, I"m thinking we could use some recommendations on hubs that are working for audio/midi on 2018 and newer Macs.

 

I think the connectors were merged in 2016, because that's when Apple shrunk everything down to a few USB-C ports.

 

 

I'm using a 2019 Macbook Pro running Catalina with an Xcellon powered USB hub without issue, but admittedly I haven't connected up anything more than a usb headset, a usb-midi keyboard, and a class-compliant mixer to it. Good build quality though. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1496360-REG/xcellon_sh10_7h3hc_2_10_port_powered_usb_3_0.html

 

I've also gotten simultaneous audio/midi to work fine with that $99 Belkin USB-C hub. That's a good all-rounder if you need other ports as well. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/belkin-4-port-usb-type-c-hub-with-gigabit-ethernet-adapter-space-gray/6343827.p?skuId=6343827

�Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!�

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

 

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I actually don't know for sure. Theoretically there is backwards compatibility from USB 3.0 to 2.0, but of course any speed will be limited to 2.0 speeds and not the faster 3.0 speed.

Yamaha: Motif XF8, MODX7, YS200, CVP-305, CLP-130, YPG-235, PSR-295, PSS-470 | Roland: Fantom 7, JV-1000

Kurzweil: PC3-76, PC4 (88) | Hammond: SK Pro 73 | Korg: Triton LE 76, N1R, X5DR | Emu: Proteus/1 | Casio: CT-370 | Novation: Launchkey 37 MK3 | Technics: WSA1R

Former: Emu Proformance Plus & Mo'Phatt, Korg Krome 61, Roland Fantom XR & JV-1010, Yamaha MX61, Behringer CAT

Assorted electric & acoustic guitars and electric basses | Roland TD-17 KVX | Alesis SamplePad Pro | Assorted organs, accordions, other instruments

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Should work. One thing I learned recently is that newer-standard cables are more reliable than older-standard ones, but there are surely break-off points of compatibility just based on form factor of the cable connectors.

 

For instance, OWC recommends using the newer TB4 cables even on TB3 hubs, as I recall. The dual-personality terminology between TB and USB gets confusing fast, which is why I am not making this a universal statement for all USB based protocols. I think it has to do with the impedance and shielding, making the newer cables more power efficient, and as USB can be finnicky in power delivery, that's important.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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