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What is the USB interface? Is it just a MIDI interface so you can control the soft synths with midi keyboards/controllers? Does it have analog audio inputs? If it does, then you can connect the outputs of your outboard to the analog inputs of the interface and essentially be good to go.

placeholder wrote:The interface is just an Alesis USB keyb deal. No analog in. I was wondering whether I need some kind of additional interface.eliya wrote:What is the USB interface? Is it just a MIDI interface so you can control the soft synths with midi keyboards/controllers? Does it have analog audio inputs? If it does, then you can connect the outputs of your outboard to the analog inputs of the interface and essentially be good to go.Yeah, you would need something that has MIDI inputs and analog inputs. Or if you have other interconnects on your laptop (FW, Thunderbolt), then maybe an interface with just analog in/outs.

bishopdante wrote:Also, should you want to connect more USB things, you can use a USB hub.Was thinking about that and was wondering if the audio interface would get fidgety.

Oh hi. I have a dumb neophyte question because I'm not used to recording with a computer. I'm trying to figure out how to record into a DAW with this setup:- I have soft synths and hardware synths going into a mixer.- The mixer is going out to some outboard effects. - I want to record the post-effects output.- My laptop only has one USB port, which is taken up by the interface for my soft synths.Is it possible for me to get the output from my outboard stuff into my DAW with this configuration? I'm sure this is simple, but I have no idea what I'm doing.Thank you, friends.

eliya wrote:What is the USB interface? Is it just a MIDI interface so you can control the soft synths with midi keyboards/controllers? Does it have analog audio inputs? If it does, then you can connect the outputs of your outboard to the analog inputs of the interface and essentially be good to go.The interface is just an Alesis USB keyb deal. No analog in. I was wondering whether I need some kind of additional interface.

eliya wrote:placeholder wrote:The interface is just an Alesis USB keyb deal. No analog in. I was wondering whether I need some kind of additional interface.eliya wrote:What is the USB interface? Is it just a MIDI interface so you can control the soft synths with midi keyboards/controllers? Does it have analog audio inputs? If it does, then you can connect the outputs of your outboard to the analog inputs of the interface and essentially be good to go.Yeah, you would need something that has MIDI inputs and analog inputs. Or if you have other interconnects on your laptop (FW, Thunderbolt), then maybe an interface with just analog in/outs.Excellent. Thank you so much for this!

placeholder wrote:eliya wrote:bishopdante wrote:Also, should you want to connect more USB things, you can use a USB hub.Was thinking about that and was wondering if the audio interface would get fidgety.I'll keep it in mind. I'm mostly using hardware stuff, so I think I'll be good!If it's right in my memory, Andy Hong made note of a really great hub that seemed like it worked for this in the "Gear Geeking" section of Tape Op.If I can find it, I'll post again.

eliya wrote:bishopdante wrote:Also, should you want to connect more USB things, you can use a USB hub.Was thinking about that and was wondering if the audio interface would get fidgety.I'll keep it in mind. I'm mostly using hardware stuff, so I think I'll be good!

The latest addition to my DAW is the Cables Unlimited USB1870 USB 2.0 7-port hub ($25 from Amazon). If your DAW needs a USB hub, this is the one to get. Unlike the ubiquitous Linksys, D-Link, and Belkin hubs, the USB1870 is a multi-TT design (Google it). I'm now able to use my PreSonus FaderPort (Tape Op #59) and Steinberg CC121 on this hub ” neither of which worked reliably with lesser hubs. And I can mix and match USB 1.0 and 2.0 devices without slowing down the whole hub.

numberthirty wrote:placeholder wrote:eliya wrote:bishopdante wrote:Also, should you want to connect more USB things, you can use a USB hub.Was thinking about that and was wondering if the audio interface would get fidgety.I'll keep it in mind. I'm mostly using hardware stuff, so I think I'll be good!If it's right in my memory, Andy Hong made note of a really great hub that seemed like it worked for this in the "Gear Geeking" section of Tape Op.If I can find it, I'll post again.I would appreciate it! If it's in a recent issue, I probably still have it around. I'll check, too!