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Table Of Contents
Connecting FireWire and USB Control Surfaces
If your control surface has a FireWire or USB port, you can connect it directly to your
computer, using a cable with the appropriate connectors. FireWire and USB devices
transmit and receive data through a single cable, if the device supports bidirectional
communication. The following diagram illustrates a typical setup using a FireWire or USB
cable:
Computer
FireWire/USB cable
Control surface
It is recommended that you connect FireWire and USB devices directly to your computer,
rather than through a hub. Daisy-chaining devices can result in errors and other problems,
due to the amount of data transmitted in real time.
Connecting Control Surfaces via Networking Ports
A handful of devices are connected via the network (LAN) ports of your Mac computer,
using a single, standard (CAT5) networking cable. Most devices connected in this way
also incorporate audio I/O and digital audio converters, plus built-in MIDI ports, making
the addition of these peripherals a simple, single cable (and driver) installation.
As with FireWire and USB, it is recommended that such devices are directly connected
to the computer, rather than through a network hub or switch.
13Chapter 1 Basic Control Surface Setup