welcome peterhz55,
you're on a mac and have attached the key to the keyboard's USB or you are on any computer and have the key attached an unpowered USB 2.0 hub or the USB 2.0 hub sits on a USB 1.1 port?
this three possibilities would probably either provide not enough power to the key or show a USB communication problem.
christian

Hi Peter,

I'm sure that the disturbances you mention will be sorted out easily, but ...

@peterhz55 said:

[...] I'm mixing my multi-channel virtual orchestra score for "Othello" into the beautiful sound system at the Tom Patterson Theatre at the Stratford Festival in Ontario [...]

... would you mind to share some details about this project ... ? [:)]

Kind regards,

Thanks for your fast replies.

At the moment my main computer is a Macbook Pro 2.33 Intel core 2 duo 3GB ram. I also have an older G5 1.8 dual machine, so I do flip back and forth between computers.

I use Opus 1+2, Vienna Instrument version of Solo Strings + Special Edition.

I am running into the situation that I'm sure isn't untypical, where there is simply a USB traffic jam-- I am using all the following devices in my current work--Vienna Key, Logic Dongle , Novation remote SL 61, Kore , KVM switcher, sometimes Arturia Brass (which I know I could put on the Vienna Key dongle, but since both are so fussy...) all on a 3 USB port system. I'm not even including LaCie USB hard drive that I got very cheap and would like to use, + scanner + printer.

So yes I use a powered USB hub, but on any given day any one of the above USB devices isn't happy with the situation. Dongle juggling is the reality. It's an odd situation-- the MBP is a very solid sophisticatd machine, but then the extra hardware bits you need to run the functions you actually want to use on the machine are finicky in the extreme. I've tried a couple of different makes of USB hub, but it hasn't made a difference.

So, as I suggested in my first message, I love working with the Vienna library, but the dongle dance drives me crazy.....

Dietz:

I did the music for the current Stratford Festival of Canada production of "Othello". The score is all VSL , sometimes on its own, and sometimes also with a Toronto singer I work with alot called Christine Duncan.

The Tom Patterson Theatre has a sound system that is really overkill for a theatrical situation- 32 independently accessible speakers run from an LCS system. So you can place sounds anywhere in the room and move between them very easily. You also have the luxury there of lots of hours in the room for mixing, so I was able to put each instrument track into the room separately and do some really great layering and spatialisation. It also helps that there are excellent tech people there who really know the system and the room.

I can send recordings of a couple of the more prominent cues (stereo only, of course.)

@peterhz55 said:

Dietz:

I can send recordings of a couple of the more prominent cues (stereo only, of course.)

No thanks, I'd like to hear them on my 32.1 system. [:D] [[;)]]

As far as I know, the Vienna Key must be plugged into a port directly attached to the motherboard. This may be due to the greater consistency in voltage as opposed to that of a usb "breakout" hub.

PS: I really would like to hear some of your cues, if you wouldn't mind posting them.

Uh! 32 _individual_ speaker systems ...? [[:|]] This sounds very nice! I have to admit that I fell some envy ... I never mixed on more than that 12.2 system some years ago. [H]

... and yes, please keep us posted how things proceed over therein Canada!

All the best,

I'D love hear Othello done with VSL.

peter, the macbookPro connected to a powered hub should be fine (in case the hub meets the specifications and as long as you keep the used power below the specified 500 mA per port), and AFAIR the dual 1.8 has also USB 2.0.

just an idea: both macs should have at least 2 so called USB controller hubs, each of them leading to 2 USB ports. try to seperate your devices to the two *lines* of USB connectors, one for mouse, keyboard, dongles and the other for novation, Kore - these two possibly need relatively much power and you should consider to give them an external power supply.

also audio devices (resp. their drivers) sometimes tend to grab as much bandwidth they can get so leaving not enough to the dongle which loose their connectivity then possibly.

in any case i would recommend to connect an additional harddrive using firewire or sATA (eSATA) instead of USB, this protocol is great for low bandwidth plug&play devices but brings much overhead and risks with it.
christian

@B.C.Johnson said:

As far as I know, the Vienna Key must be plugged into a port directly attached to the motherboard. This may be due to the greater consistency in voltage as opposed to that of a usb "breakout" hub.

My key (which is actually a Steinberg key, not a Vienna key) is quite happy plugged into my Dell keyboard, which has an integrated two-port hub.

I've also used it in the past plugged into various Dell monitors with integrated hubs, but learned that wasn't so smart when the screen saver put the monitor into power-saving mode, effectively unplugging the key.

On one of my PCs I have the Steinberg key, with both Steinberg and Vienna licences installed, plugged into an unpowered hub which is plugged into the monitor. There is no problem, but you must make sure that as mentioned above your monitor does not shut down and also that USB ports never power down.

DG

my comment regarding keyboards referred at first to apple keyboards - we have some here which work and some which don't ... do not ask me for the exact reason, it must have something to do with the built in hub.
also unpowered hubs might work if they 1) are within the spcs b) receive sufficent power from the USB port and c) don't have power or bandwidth hungry devices attached.
USB 2.0 hubs on USB 1.1 ports give us troubles in most cases.
that's all, christian

I have Logic dongle and VSL dongle on on Mac Screen Hub, a usb drive and a usb powered 4 port hub on on the second screen hub (this feeds an iLOK dongle and 2 S6000's) and I have 2 Unitor 8's on the G5 usb connector.

All totally rock solid so from a Mac point of view the USB system works a treat. Hot unplugging and replugging any of the cooneccted USB devices equally causes no problem.

Julian

@Another User said:

just an idea: both macs should have at least 2 so called USB controller hubs, each of them leading to 2 USB ports. try to seperate your devices to the two *lines* of USB connectors, one for mouse, keyboard, dongles and the other for novation, Kore - these two possibly need relatively much power and you should consider to give them an external power supply.

I did some further USB juggling, where the Vienna Key now occupies a USB port on the computer-- my system is co-operating for now...

Thanks for your suggestions.

thanks for letting us know - having it attached directly on the computer should work in any case.
christian