VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

richvoice · Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2016 4:49 pm Post subject: USB cable length

I just got my new Mackie Onyx Blackjack. Now I need to figure out how to plug it in.

I just learned that the maximum length of a USB 2.0 run is about 5 meters. If I use the 6' cable that came with the blackjack, it'll end up in the back of my booth; not actually a huge problem, but not ideal, either.

Ideally, it would sit on my desk, which will require a 10' USB-A - USB-A extension on top of the 6' cable that came with the unit. But I just learned that the maximum length of a USB 2.0 run is about 5 meters, or 16 feet, so I'm pretty much at the limit of that, and I'm concerned that I'm going to experience intermittent problems, which would, obviously, be a huge drawback for VO work.

There's another spot that I could use that would require a 6' extension; well within the 5M limit, not really an ideal spot.

I also found "active USB extension" cables, which I guess have electronics that boost the signal for longer stretches.

So what's my best option here? Anybody doing something similar that can speak to the pros and cons of using extensions, active extensions, or anything else?

Thanks,
Rich
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Rich
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vkuehn · Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2016 5:19 pm Post subject:

Here is one of the problems we face with these wonderful little USB analog-to-digital boxes. The BIG market for this stuff is all the people recording music. They are fine with the box and the computer at arm's length with a 6 foot cable. Who is going to hear a computer fan when it is drowned out by modern day music!

Audient give you a 5 or 6 foot cable and they are quite insistent that nothing good is likely to happen if you substitute you own 15 or 16 food cable.

I have a USB cable in my house that runs about 80 feet and that works because I have one of those electronic booster thingy-dingy things. But those will only do USB 1.0. So you go to your favorite big-box retailier and cry on their shoulder and they will maybe come up with a USB 2.0 extender, but it converts everything to CAT 5 and networking protocals and software in your computer in some cases will turn its nose up and say: Sorry. I only work with USB. Quit trying to force feed me that ethernet protocol.

I take it that you are working with a computer that cannot sit right there at arm's length and not be noiseless. I don't know MAC products well enough to quote the right one, but a number of our people are using a totally noiseless MAC product that can sit right there are arm's length. Two or three years ago I bought my first Android product because it is quiet and will work with the output of your USB converter. But most of us find the Android format pretty rigid. You are not going to be doing punch-and-roll if you do audiobook narration.

Get creative. I built this little container that looked like a maze for lab rats in an advance psychology course. It was a muffler to hide the computer noise Two layers of dry wall top and bottom of this little box which now sits under the drawer pedestal of my desk, wrapped in two layers of carpet. Andf I had to drill an access hole right through the top of the desk to get the 6 foot USB cable to reach the computer. Turn your imagination loose. Get out of the routine rut!!

Lee Gordon · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:18 am Post subject:

For eight bucks, I bought a pair of these USB-to-RJ45 adapters on eBay.

www.ebay.com/itm/271575197972

Combined with a 40 foot length of CAT6 cable, I was able to hook up a USB 2.0 webcam in the next room with no problem.
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Voice President of the United States
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paulstefano · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 5:25 am Post subject:

Generally extension cables with interfaces are bad. Also, long lengths are bad. If you use a repeater it may introduce noise into the line as well, which is also...bad.

I run a 10 foot cable without issue to my AG03. It also worked for a 2i2, but it's not an extension. I did try a 15 foot and just those 5 extra feet made a huge difference, no signal at all from the interface.
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richvoice · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:10 am Post subject:

Thanks Paul. That's what I was afraid of on the length. Last thing I want is to be concerned that the 45-minute chapter that I just recorded has dropouts, or whatever might happen intermittently if the cable is just THAT much too long.

I think my best bet is placing the unit at the back of my booth, where the six-foot cable included will reach.

Jason Huggins · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 12:19 pm Post subject:

I don't think it's that cut and dry. Paul, have you tried the 15' cable with something else and know that it is good? If USB 2.0 spec is 5m, then a 15' cable is within spec so it should work just fine.

Another thought...the Yamaha AND the 2i2 are bus powered so this could play a part in them not working with long cords. This is a digital signal...not an analog signal so it will either work or not, and if the cable is capable of carrying a digital signal for 5m (probably longer because the spec probably has a little bit conservative) then it is possible that the device is underpowered. "Noise" shouldn't be an issue with USB because, again, we aren't talking an analog signal, we are talking 1s and 0s.

I did a quick test. I used the supplied USB cable with my iD22 (NOT bus powered) and added a 10' extension cable. Plugged it in and it worked identically to just plugging in with the original cable. I then tested it with an M-Audio M-Track II (bus powered) and it worked perfectly as well.

I picked up a 10' Amazon Basics extension for a whopping $5.55 (I do have prime...so that helps with the shipping).

I think you'd be good...or you could just pick up a 10m cable. Would that get you close enough to where you need to be? I don't have an active USB extension to test, but I'd expect that to work just fine. Again, we're talking digital so amplification shouldn't introduce noise into the audio.

The USB to CAT5 works great too. I used that for a digital mixer control 50' away once.

paulstefano · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 12:45 pm Post subject:

richvoice · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:07 pm Post subject:

Yes it is.

Thanks Jason. I'll experiment.
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Cheers,
Rich
http://www.richvoiceproductions.com
@RichMillerVO

vkuehn · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:07 pm Post subject:

Just because you plug in the long cable today, and it works today, don't bet the farm on the layout.

My Audient later started getting flaky. I had a shower of e-mails back and forth with the lads across the pond. (They were a delight to work with, by the way.) I moved stuff around so their original short cable would connect. Things returned to being rosy. The box again behaves nicely.

As usual, Your Mileage May Vary.