Wondering if anyone has experience getting a “better” USB hub than the Overhub to interface with their DAW… I bought an Overhub back in 2015-16, kinda without really knowing WHY i was getting it… really just thought it would be the “smoothest” for running my RYTM with my daw…
What i’m dealing with now is a physical distance issue (i think). I have the Overhub plugged into my PC, but my RYTM is about 8 feet away from the Overhub. I have a 10ft USB A to B cable going from the RYTM to the Overhub and the OverBridge software gets “stuck on stupid” – just says “measuring” all the time, does not actually recognize the RYTM for what it is.
However… If i bypass the Overhub and plug the RYTM directly into one of the USB ports on my computer, Overbridge will recognize it. I imagine this is a POWER issue, as i do NOT have an AC adapter powering the OverHub… (should have come with one!!! whats the damn point of even making it if you’re not selling it to people in a state that it can function at its full potential? come on, Elektron)
since the OverHub didn’t come with an AC adapter, i have two routes i can take to try to fix the issue. i can buy an AC adapter for the overhub, or i can get a different hub entirely. i saw this one on Amazon and it looks “beefy” as hell… if that can’t handle it, i don’t know what can.
just curious what other people have done when / if they have run into this same issue. i need to have a functional hub, because i have three OTHER devices that will go into it too, all three of which currently DO function fine on the Overhub… it’s just the Elektron gear that’s not working with the other Elektron gear (go figure)
Sounds like a simple thing to try is powering your current hub. Although I’m under the impression you’re not over the maximum distance for unpowered USB-A/B, but maybe the hop through the unpowered hub is downgrading from USB 3.0 down to 2.0? I don’t know. I’ve had some trouble with long USB runs, but it was twice the distance.
Do you have any other USB connectivity going through the same path? For example, can you send MIDI back and forth, using the same cable and hub?
Personally I use a powered Anker USB hub, with 7 ports. I use it to bus power a bunch of stuff, like MIDI controllers and USB-powered synths on my desk. USB connectivity has been perfectly normal over it. I don’t know how it compares to your hub, but one important detail: it’s powered.
I use this one. It is powered (helps with devices that are powered via USB), it works great with my Mac, my iPad, my Akai Force and my DIY Sequencer as USB Hub to connect Instruments (Elektrons, MC-101, Micromonsta2) or Controllers (Launchpad, Keystep) to them. Already did several Digitakt+Digitone+Syntakt via Overbridge recording with that and had zero issues (with on my Mac).
The other setups use it for USB MIDI.
The same devices is sold by some music-resellers like Thomann in a rebranded version.
ok just wanted to write an update in case anyone stumbles upon this topic in the future while they’re attempting to resolve a similar issue.
i bought a universal AC adapter from Wal-Mart, set the correct polarity and power output and plugged it into the overhub. and it still did NOT change the status from “measuring” to “idle” or anything else…
flustered, i went around to the back of the PC and saw that the overhub’s cable was plugged into a USB port on a PCI usb expansion card that i put into my machine several years ago in an attempt to resolve slow file transfer speeds i was having at the time with an external SSD.
for shits and giggles, i simply moved the Overhub’s USB cable from the USB expansion card to a USB slot that is directly on the motherboard. doing this fixed Overbridge’s communication issue immediately, even without the power assistance of the AC adapter… so the issue i was having must have been with that expansion card i have in the machine. luckily nothing else is currently using that USB card so I might just yank it out entirely.
now i get to go to back to wal-mart and return the AC adapter (a very sarcastic yay!). it was $30, which is far too expensive for what it is. gimme my munny back! lol
thanks to those who offered suggestions. i still might get a powered USB hub like the one Uija linked to, because i’d much rather buy and entire new hub for $30’ish than the same amount just for an AC adapter for the one i already have
when / where did you get your Overhub? i got mine IN PERSON from Perfect Circuit (stopped by the showroom after driving from Vegas on my weekend because i was also visiting a friend in the LA area - two birds with one stone type deal)… the box my Overhub came in was so small, there was definitely no room for an AC adapter…
here’s a picture of the “box contents” list on the side of the Overhub i got, for reference…
maybe they started including them in the batches that came out after i got mine? the place you got yours from included a separate one in addition to the hub? interesting.
it’s been years but i’m nearly certain it was a perfect circuit order. but whoever it was had to send me an adapter piece for the adapter itself, which i taped on, and it still didn’t fit right and they said “just cram it in there,” so i did and it’s been fine since.
overhub is a rattly object. i’ve also had great luck with all of my Anker powered hubs.