It seems every time I try to connect an audio interface to my Windows laptop through a hub, it's nothing but problems. Everything seems to work fine for a while, then the connection seems to get "dropped." I either have to unplug and re-plug the USB cable, or power the hub off and on again. I'm on my third hub (one un-powered and two powered) and I'm getting the same results with each. I've observed this both with my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 and a Behringer USB monitor controller. I note that I'm running an audio interface into an iPad via a hub and there have been no problems.

Is this just because Windows is stupid? Is there any work-around anyone knows of?

This isn't a show-stopper. Because literally everything else is routed into the laptop via a hub, I have an available USB port that I can dedicate to the audio interface, but it sure is annoying and I'd like to figure out if there is any way to fix this "allergy" the interfaces have with USB hubs going into a Windows system.

Thanks!

Good question for a technician which I am not, about 15 years ago I did a lot of recording on riffworld using a line 6 interface to my windows XP , I’d have issues from time to time with shutdowns . Back then those computers needed a lot of RAM . I’m sure there is someone on here who can answer your questions. I lost interest in recording when riiffworld shut down.

I think it mainly depends on what the device(s) are wanting to do, plus are they (& the connections) USB2 or USB3?

For anything like a firmware update, direct connection is pretty much essential. For 'day to day' traffic some devices will be okay with a hub, some not. Something of a lottery. Music devices tend to hit the connection pretty hard, & yet most still seem to be USB2?

Quite a few devices seem to cover themselves by stating 'don't use a hub'.

Sorry, no solution I'm aware of.

That said, I believe that a fat cable beats a skinny one any day, so that might help in marginal cases, and so far as I'm aware it's always better to go for a powered hub where possible?

Hah! No idea, though given its age, the Scarlett has to be 2.0. Nothing in the specs for the interface in the monitor controller indicates what version either.

I try to buy good cables, but in this era it's hard to identify good brands. Everything is made in China and carry various un- and semi-pronounceable nonsense brand names. While there are some brands that seem to be well-known (e.g. Anker) who knows if that brand name indicates any quality? Plus, when you're looking for something very specific (like the 1.5 ft USB-A extension cable I was looking for yesterday) the "known" brand may not have the item in the configuration that I'm looking for.

That said I do try to stick with thick cables with braided cloth outer covers, and stay away from the lowest-cost options. While musicians Back In The Day didn't have the wonderful technology we have at our disposal, they also didn't have to deal with the mysteries that come along with it!!

It sounds like you don't *need* it to work through the hub so i would suggest avoiding it. USB Hubs have a history of being questionable in audio contexts. There are an annoying amount of variables. The controller in the computer, the hub, and then the device.

The Scarlett 2i4 is USB 2.0 but 2.0 vs 3.0 hasn't really affected the reliability of hubs… unfortunately.

What computer do you have, what system software are you running, what version of the scarlett 2i4 driver are you running, and what hub are you using are first questions.

https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... n-Windows-

Looking carefully at the connector can give you a clue, but I agree the Scarlett is highly likely to be 2.0. I don't think any of my music gear is USB3?

We run RTOS in Windows to solve these issues.

There you go Steve and window people. My work station is set up with Logic Pro.

Thanks, all…

The Scarlett right now is dedicated to the iPad and is working fine through a hub. The Behringer controller’s audio interface is the one that I currently have running to the Windows 10 laptop, a Dell i7. Reaper is my DAW. No device-specific driver for the Behringer. But when I had the Scarlett (1st gen) hooked to the laptop with the latest drivers at the time, I observed this same behavior - the interface would cease transmitting data to the laptop requiring the USB connection to be unplugged & re-inserted.

RTOS - Real-Time Operating System? (I had to look it up)

I don’t know where to begin exploring this. Any suggestions as to a good entry point?