I joined the ranks of laptop freezing when run thru USB. Froze up tight. Couldn't even turn off laptop. Had to pull the battery. Went back to using computer mic jack to 1/4 inch adapters into ch4/5 on T1.

I read somewhere it could be too many USBs running into computer. I do run wireless mouse, external hard drive, and 2 USB ports for an external CD. That's the four that laptop has, so a fifth means a multi port USB to run everything. Glad it happened at rehearsal and not on stage. But it sure would be nice to have the T1 USB connection so I could leave CH4/5 open for instrument.

Your USB sound card and your USB hard drive should/must occupy their own separate individual USB bus ports.

If you are using a USB port replicator, it should be a powered (wall wart) with all the other stuff you have but the sound card and the drive need an unshared direct connection.

As another suggestion, always plug the hard drive and the sound card into the same USB port each and every time. Mark them if needs be.

Explaining why would be a long, tedious, detailed, computer geek language process. Do as suggested and you should not experience this issue again unless there's something else going on that has not been explained.

Thanks for the input Cap.

To be clear. My external hard drive with my VDJ and library is in one USB port, and always use the same one. There is no USB "sound card" just the T1 thru USB. Put that in another USB port and use the same one. Directly into laptop.

Then the mouse ( 1 USB) and external CD drive, which has 2 USB, can go into (at the moment) a non wall powered multi USB adapter?

Will try again at home. Thanks.

DC

In addition to what Cap says regarding USB power consider turning off any resources running in the background that you don't need. If you have a consumer grade laptop, there may be all kinds of programs running in the back ground that are sapping your system of much needed computing power.

I'm sure you can search the internet to find out how to create a lean machine but here is a program that you should check out. I use it to easily turn off all but the most important background programs on my system. I can turn any service back on with just a click of a button. It also has a great systems cleaner to rid your system of all the junk files.

http://www.piriform.com/ (The program is free but since I like the program so much and have been using it for at least 6 years, I donated some dinero $$)

I have a Toshiba Laptop and if I plug my 1.5 Terr Byte HD in before turning on my laptop, the computer locks up until I unplug it.

Also, be sure to set your anit-virus program to scan at a time when you are likely to not be giging.

What kind of antivirus software do you use? I find it hard to believe that this is just a hardware problem, you should check for some software incompatibilities.

I use AVG. But since then that computer did have some issues and had to go to geeksquad. It's a few years old anyway, and I was trying to run too much USB stuff. Dual USB DVD drive, mouse, T1, and external HD.

Bought new laptop with USB 3.0 jack and I-5 processor. (and a working DVD drive). I run my external HD single usb 3.0 with library to 3.0, and T1 thru USB 2.0 Freezes occasionally, but I throw on the iTunes library for a song or two while I re open VDJ. Is what it is. Not catastrophic.

Went back to using computer mic jack to 1/4 inch adapters into ch4/5 on T1.

Do you go into a Y-arrangement to 4/5?

Will 4 or 5 receive a quarter inch plug?

How much better sound quality-wise is USB out over Headphone Jack out?

I am double-cheking but I believe my last live stoppage (last Friday) was due to a guy with a strong hearing aid system shutting down my laptop. My L1 gave high pitch sounds before the failure and his hearing aid mic/system was also squealing.

Headphone out od laptop to T1 4/5 with 1/4" adapters is right. Sound, to me, is better thru USB, because it's direct digital. There is no gain staging in the T1. Trim knob does nothing. Only the volume knob affects things.

So when going back to jacks, I have to gain stage 4/5 in T1, which is music tracks. An extra variable. Works either way. I always bring both cords just in case.

DC

Is that a stereo out from laptop to two separate 1/4" plugs into 4 and 5?

Hi Dance Host,

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Thanks ST- Your post answers a lot of questions I was having as to why I was getting a lot of noise in my system when plugging in Ipods, etc. I tried your suggestions I am again a happy camper

Great information ST.

On next dropout, I will be prepared with this.

Thanks