Topic: USB/Thunderbolt Hub recommendations for RME UFX and ES-8 and ...
Howdy!
I'm a proud owner of several RME products - they are really a cornerstone of our large rig and have been foolproof for many, many years. Great work!
I have several questions. I will call them out with a '[Q]' tag so they are easy to answer.
But first, I have a rig:
MBP 2015 Retina (fastest I could find!) - it has 2 USB3.0 ports only. It also has a thunderbolt port that I'm not using currently.
Push 2
4x OpenDeck USB MIDI controllers (USB2.0 connection only)
RME UFX
Expert Sleepers ES-8 (USB2.0 dc-coupled audio interface)
So that's a total of 7x USB ports required. I only have 2x and a thunderbolt port. The UFX is, I think, utilising the highest bandwidth due to the track count. About 8-10 inputs and 2 outputs being used but then we have some ADAT expander connected for another 8x op channels on the RME. Then I aggregate the RME with the ES-8 (also connected via USB) using Aggregate Device. This part is working fine! The OpenDeck boards - even though there are 4x, are pretty low bandwidth, comparatively.
[Q] So what's the best approach here?
2x 4 port USB hubs (3.0 or 2.0?) and connect everything through one of these 2 hubs
1x 7 or 8 port USB hub (3.0 or 2.0?) and connect maybe the UFX to a dedicate MBP port and everythign else to the hub
1x thunderbolt to USB interface
...or some combination of the above?
I'm also not an expert on USB so much though I do believe it is pointless to use a USB3.0 hub if all of the gear is 2.0... though this is less future proof. I think the USB3.0 stuffs is essentially handled separately from any USB2.0 devices - they are even different wires... so I'm thinking if I ever get a 3.0 device, that's basically free bandwidth. [Q] Is this true?
Another option, if it matters is to get a 3.0 hub and a UFX+ with USB3.0... connect it and the other 2.0 USB peripherals to the same USB3.0 hub... Or maybe use the thunderbolt port for the UFX+ and then the ES-8 through a dedicate USB port on the MBP while the other port can have a hub connected to handle the less critical (well, not really, but I should say rather 'lower speed') devices like the USB MIDI controllers and the Push 2 (though I hear it is a pretty hefty device in terms of bandwidth due to the screen and live updating, etc.) These options (with the UFX+) would have me buy 2x new UFX+ though I really do not want to spend the money again unless there is some measurable improvement or I actually have problems. I believe this should allow for more bandwidth (?) though I don't know if it matters. [Q] Do any of these seem like valid options or that would give me more headroom for my particular configuration?
I'd really like to quantify - so I know a particular selected configuration is going to be reliable and I'm not pushing some edge of bandwidth here... at least to know which things should be 'hubbed' together, if at all.... [Q] are there any tools I can use to monitor USB bandwidth on each port or even the effects of what the hub might do?
Any help to these questions is greatly appreciated!
Thanks kindly,
Phil