Dear DJ Industry — the time is now for USB C
USB C for DJs
mark Settle·
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Dear DJ Industry — the time is now for USB C

Since the dawn of my tampering with audio, those connections have, for better or worse, remained exactly the same. Jacks, minijacks, RCAs, and XLRs have persisted. And bar the introduction of TRRS for mobile devices, these have endured for several decades to become universal standards. And with the help of a bag of adaptors, it’s relatively easy to get them all talking to each other too. 

Computer connections have however, by being part of a rapidly evolving technology led industry, each crawled from the digital primordial ooze and been hunted into extinction by bigger and indeed smaller predators in ever decreasing time.

Dear DJ Industry — the time is now for USB C

Let me give you a list of different standards that you will have heard of, if not actually used over the years:

  • Serial
  • Parallel 
  • VGA
  • SCSI
  • PS2
  • Firewire
  • USB
  • RJ45
  • eSATA
  • SCART
  • DIN
  • DisplayPort
  • DVI-D
  • S-Video
  • iOS 30 Pin
  • Lightning
  • Thunderbolt
  • HDMI

…and doubtlessly a few more that have slipped my mind. Let’s also not forget the assorted size variations within each of those too, plus the co-opting of connectors for other uses such as RCA for component video and SPDIF. Frankly It’s a bloody nightmare. 

As technology has rampaged onwards, the computer has been severed from mice, keyboards, and networks courtesy of wireless communications. This kind of data is relatively easy to send wirelessly, but wireless audio and video is proving tricky to provide without latency. In this respect, your DJ setup is unlikely to lose that annoying collection of connections anytime soon. 

But we’re considerably closer to having a lasting standard for computer connections with the advent of USB C. But first, let’s look at the hot mess that generically is USB and explain what it all means. 

PROTOCOL

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus (no, unlike ISDN and ADSL I didn’t have to look that up), and is an all-encompassing specification for protocols and connectors. Broadly speaking, USB 1/2/3 is the protocol, and USB A/B/C is the hardware connector.

It has three main flavours:

USB 1.x — released in 1996, this had two bandwidths of 1.5Mbit/s and 12Mbit/s, but didn’t work with extension cables. USB 1.1 saw the wide adoption of this as a standard. Generally speaking, there was only the USB A and B connectors at this time. USB 1.1 has a nominal maximum cable length of 5 meters in 12Mbit mode, and 3m at the lower 1.5Mbit speed.  

USB 2 — this came in 2000, and saw a quoted bandwidth of 480Mbit/s. It also expanded the range of connectors, hub-free device to device communications, and charging abilities. And it was backwards compatible with USB 1.

USB 3.x — 2008 saw supersede mode added with a quoted 5Gbit/s, which in turn allowed for better charging and powering abilities. USB3.1 upped the rate to 10Gbit/s, and USB 3.2 (designed specifically for the USB C connection) upped this to 20Gbit/s, and made use of USB C’s extra pins for enhanced communications. USB 3.x doesn’t specify a maximum cable length, but the thinner the gauge of cable, the shorter the distance it will reliably work. 

That’s the stripped down version seen over at wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB)

Thus USB is a developed and evolved standard that has seen off the likes of Firewire to become a ubiquitous connection that appears on just about every device on the planet. Except iPhones of course, but the rumour is that will be changing before too long. 

Dear DJ Industry — the time is now for USB C

CONNECTIONS

USB connectors come in many shapes and sizes, all of which we’ve seen in assorted DJ devices. The game however has changed with the USB C connector. Instead of the puny four pins (power, data x 2, ground) offered by previous iterations, USB C has a glorious 32 pins of power. And unlike… well just about every other computer connection, it can be plugged in any way up, so no more wrong-flip-wrong-flip-right plugging nightmares.

The waters are muddied a little when you throw Apple’s own proprietary Thunderbolt protocol into the mix. Previously it had its own cables and connectors that are the same as Mini DisplayPort.  But Thunderbolt 3 uses the USC C connector. Apple doesn’t help itself when some computers with USB C are just for USB 3.x, whereas MacBook Pro USB C ports work with Thunderbolt and USB 3.x.

See also

Thunderbolt however can support daisy chaining up to six devices. So in a Mac setup, the supposed lack of USB C ports is moot if you use Thunderbolt devices. And while technically possible, there seems to be no clear answer about daisy chaining in a USB 3.x environment across Windows and Mac platforms. My advice — stick to hubs. 

On a related note, I cannot express my joy at seeing that new MacBook Pro power bricks use USB C cables. So instead of having to replace a whole brick for £65 a pop, it’s likely to be a cable replacement, if indeed the USB C cable breaks at all (they’re beefier). And if you must have a MagSafe connection, Griffin does a “Breaksafe” cable for £22 amongst others.

Dear DJ Industry — the time is now for USB C

POINTLESS MOANING AHOY

I can hear it now — the wave of what about my old devices? What about my computer that doesn’t have USB C? Here’s the thing — USB 3.x and USB C are backwards compatible. So all you need is a USB C to A cable or adaptor and you’re sorted. They cost a few quid — I just don’t see the problems that all too many people are protesting about. It’s a cable swap or plugging in an adaptor — nothing more. And manufacturers can easily add a cable for USB A and USB C for pennies. 

And while were on this subject — please stop calling them dongles. A dongle is a dead-end serial or USB copy protection device that is needed to allow expensive software to run. Adaptors however convert one thing to another, like a USB or headphone adaptor. It is not a dongle, and neither is a hub. So please stop doing that. 

Finally, before anyone dishes out the whataboutism with “yeah but what about USB 4?”. I saw USB 4 (which doesn’t actual exist yet) perfectly described as a solution looking for a problem. Of course things get faster and smaller, but the combination of USB 3.x and USB C delivers everything that consumer devices need, with significant bandwidth to spare. Apparently even the fastest SSDs can’t max out USB 3.2 bandwidth.

Dear DJ Industry — the time is now for USB C

SUMMING UP

USB 3.x is a mature platform that delivers all the speed and features that a DJ needs (except Ray of course), and frankly could ever possibly need for the foreseeable future. And when you add USB C’s compact connection and the ability to deliver data, audio, video, and power, I cannot think of a reason why manufacturers shouldn’t start to use it right away. Dan rightly talked about the issue of obsolescence a while ago, but I genuinely feel that USB C and USB 3.x is the combination that will see us through a couple of decades at least… not that computer connected gear is current for that long anyway. Of course, when we’re DJing using augmented realty with VR in 8K, we might need ridiculous bandwidth and a 64 pin connector. Or hopefully it’ll all be wireless. 

So come on DJ industry — get ahead of the curve for a change rather than always having to play catch up. Even my next camera has a USB C Portland I susses so will your next smartphone.

YOUR SAY

I have an open mind, and have read articles pointing out issues. But USB C is here, and is appearing in all manner of devices. So do you see any reasons why new DJ hardware shouldn’t come with USB C as standard?

32 Comments

  1. This article is on point.

    They could also add a charger to use all the channels on a USB-C connect to chsrge the laptop and send midi info.

    Eg: the display/monitor using USBC.

  3. I wouldn’t be upset, esp if they somehow added a clip mechanism to prevent the connection from wiggling around or protect it in case of a hit. It’d feel good to plug in that USB-C with a nice healthy CLICK

    1. Yes, this. Unfortunately none of the connectors mentioned in the article are designed for stage use. They are designed for easy plugging and unplugging. This is opposite of what I want on stage. I want a connector that won’t come unplugged by someone (myself included) moving their arm the wrong way over a dimly lit table. It would be neat if music gear had a modified USB connector that somehow locked like XLR connectors but was compatible with normal USB cables (RME tried to do this with the Babyface Pro, but I have cables wiggle out of place seemingly randomly). However, this could only fix the connection at the peripheral end; I highly doubt laptop manufacturers would adopt this secure connector for our niche use case.

      1. Neutrik has been making USB patch connectors in a D-type housing for years, as well as the cables to go with them.
        -Connector: http://www.neutrik.com/en/multimedia/usb/nausb-w-b
        -Cables: http://www.neutrik.com/en/multimedia/usb/nkusb

        They’re big, clunky, and expensive, so they pretty much only show up in patch panels for traveling gear racks.

        Kycon has been making high retention force USB jacks that work with standard USB cables for years; they show up in some Rane hardware.
        -Kycon high-retention USB 1.1/2.0 jacks: http://domino2.kycon.com/2013Catalogpage/USB%5CKUSBXHT-HRF.pdf

        They make both A and B connectors, so these could be placed in laptops. Unfortunately, Apple zealously control every part of their hardware packages (as far as I am aware, they use custom USB jacks that are built specifically for their products), and most PC makers buy components from the same OEMs and compete on price (so you won’t see them spend extra on more expensive USB connectors.)

        1. Interesting, I did not notice the orange USB jacks on Rane gear was anything special. I just tested with an old SL2 sitting in a drawer and you are right, it does take substantially more force to unplug. I think it would be wise of Rane to mention this in their marketing. I did not know these jacks were available. I am somewhat surprised they aren’t used more widely by high quality DJ gear.

          Kycon does not have a high retention USB C jack yet, but I suspect they are working on that.

    1. Having used it now for 2 years, it’s actually been MORE reliable and robust than USB A connectors for me. The connector is a rugged little enclosed piece instead of older USB A which has a plastic pin piece that gets bent and broken. As well, you also are way less likely to get the outer sheath bent as again it is far more compact. I’ve found myself more annoyed that the switch isn’t happening soon enough than anything else.

  5. My laptop has 2 thunderbolt 3 ports and 3 usb 3 ports.
    I’ve bought 2 usb-c to usb printer cables for my Reloop Jockey 3 ME.
    Guess what! It works like a charm. And it’s not fragile at all.

  7. I agree USB-C needs to be adopted period – With some thought put into the implementation however.

    While USB-C definitely appears more robust than standard USB ports in the short term, I do question how solid they are going to be when being plugged in and out by (sometimes tipsy) DJ’s around the back of a mixer in dark environments a couple of times a night over the course of a year or so.

    I’ve replaced pretty much every USB port on pretty much every piece of equipment I own during the course of its life – and my gear is only used at home 90% of the time. Now 4 relatively big pins is an easy fix. 32 teeny tiny ones directly soldered to a cheap board though could be a nightmare. Seeing as most manufacturers seem to favor the cheap “soldered to the main board” rather than a modular approach for ports this could pose a really big issue in the future if its not thought through properly.

      1. Oops, my bad mean “adaptors” (damn you Apple for ingraining dongle in my head).

        Yep I thought of that kind of solution as well. But how many DJ booths are that well spec’d out – heck even RCA patch panels / cables don’t make an appearance in most DJ boxes.

  8. IMO standalone media players is the solution if latency is the issue. USB-C is overkill and uneccessary. If the interface has to change…USB-B 3.1 (Gen 1) to USB-A 3.1 has a wider adoption rate chance since its interface is backwards compatible with USB 2.O…seriously how many DJ’s are rocking these new pros with only c-slots..probably less then 1%…besides even with that higher bandwidth latency is still there. Honestly I would rather the industry go laptop free and just put it all in the mixer itself. Take that sc5000 computer and dump it in a Rane mixer or a ddj-rx2 computer in a djm. Of course there will be growing pain’s but it’s better long term IMO.

  9. Hopefully, USB-C (and the fastest protocol) becomes ubiquitous and just becomes “USB” like we all want it to be. What would also be neat would be if USB took over the RCA receptacle and cables – so all anyone has to do is plug TTs, CDJs, a controller, a mixer, and a computer into a hub and all items would discover what was there and auto-configure accordingly. No more multiple power, analog, or digital cables.

    1. Be careful KLH.
      with your idealization of “What would also be neat would be if USB took over the RCA receptacle and cables”.

      We simply are not ready for that. Apart from the connection simplicity, our DJ Setup plus music formats, channels, etc. still is subject of monopolies wars going on. In this landscape, your solution increases their chance to fully restrict – thru digital means – the actual flow of sound or try to implement dominance and uncompetitive behavior, something that the RCA, 3.5 mm, etc. audio channels at least permit in most of the analog gear without further conversions or limitation.

  10. I’ve recently made the move from a Mac to a PC that only has USB-C (Dell XPS13). There’s been some windows related issues that i’ve just about sorted now, but the change to USB-C connectivity has been absolutely problem free. I treated myself to a pair of the USB-C Chroma cables from DJ Techtools, & they work perfectly.

    So fast forward a couple of years. I want a new N.I. Z2 with USB-C. But I also want it to pass power back to my lappy, & support all the USB-3/Thunderbolt goodies as well. ….imagine being able to plug a nice big external screen in to your mixer, but still only have a neat single cable back to your lappy for all data & power.

    1. BEWARE: I bought a USB-C only laptop (HP spectre 13). Had massive problems with all ports. After fighting with the vendor on the warranty, I gave up and bought a new laptop. Now my brand new USB-C only laptop is an expensive paper weight.

      1. Interesting. …..but my experience with the Dell has on the whole been extremely positive.
        All i’m running is a Denon MC7000 (or sometimes a N.I. Kontrol Z2) in one USB, & a Samsung T5 SSD in the other USB, & it works fine.

        1. after this HP spectre USB-C only nightmare, I bought a Dell XPS 15.

          This has 2x separate chipsets: one for USB-C 3.1 thunderbolt 3 / and ANOTHER, older, for USB 3.0 USB-A ports.
          Both chipsets work fine, so I can use USB-C and USB-A without problems.

          things are good now on the DJ side, but in the end I still have a useless expensive laptop on my drawer!

  11. I would add, that the usb3 speed and bandwidth on usb-c would actually be a big benefit to most dj’s right now weather they realise it or not. Because, when you plugin your usb2 device (like your mixer/controller) your computers usb host controller runs a lower speed and protocol for compatibility, which affects the bandwidth available for other devices like those multiple monster usb hdd/ssd’s, etc that you might also wish to be using at the same time.
    It could also make the lower end products potentially cheaper to produce as it could realistically provide enough power for anything that doesn’t require motorised platters, so they wouldn’t need a power brick, PSU circuits or connectors. Admittedly I’m not sure I would want that for pro use in case I had to reboot laptop it would lose power for a second, but for all the pub or bedroom guys whos controller or mixer dont have MP3 playback built in then why not?

  12. I always find it weird, when people refer to USB adaptors as “dongles”. It’s like the thing with the “hover boards”, which do not really hover. Thank you talking about this, however. I don’t think that people care.

  13. The big question about using USB-C is whether or not DJs would be willing to pay the increased cost for simply having a new “latest and greatest” connection interface that doesn’t really change much about the functioning of the equipment.

    First, a few facts (from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB):

    USB 2.0 runs at a maximum effective transfer rate of about 280Mbit/s (480Mbit/s max speed)
    USB 3.0 runs at a maximum effective transfer rate of about 3.2Gbit/s (5Gbit/s max speed)
    USB 3.1 runs at a maximum effective transfer rate of about 9.4Gbit/s (10Gbit/s max speed)
    USB 3.2 (over a USB-C connector) runs at a maximum effective transfer rate of about 18.8Gbit/s (20Gbit/s max speed)
    USB C is a connector/cable standard, not a transfer standard. Many USB C devices implement the USB 3.1 transfer protocols.

    Now, a little math:

    A high-quality stereo 24-bit/96kHz audio file requires the transfer of two channels of audio encoded at 24 bits of resolution 96 times per second, so 2*24*96 = 4.608kbit/s. We’ll be realistic and pad each of those 24-bit samples to fill an entire 32-bit word, giving 2*32*96 = 6.044kbit/s.

    280Mbit/s / 6.044kbit/s = 49,326 stereo channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio possible over USB 2.0
    3.2Gbit/s / 6.044kbit/s = 529,450 stereo channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio possible over USB 3.0
    9.4Gbit/s / 6.044kbit/s = 1,555,261 stereo channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio possible over USB 3.1
    18.8Gbit/s / 6.044kbit/s = 3,110,522 stereo channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio possible over USB 3.2

    Clearly, USB throughput is not a major factor limiting the performance of DJ equipment.

    Most processors currently used in sound cards, controllers, and the like have a word size of 32 bits. As with many devices in computer-land, with all else held equal, faster is more expensive.

    480Mbit/s / 32 bits = 15MHz minimum processor speed for USB 2.0
    5Gbit/s / 32 bits = 156.25MHz minimum processor speed for USB 3.0
    10Gbit/s / 32 bits = 312.5MHz minimum processor speed for USB 3.1
    20Gbit/s / 32 bits = 625MHz minimum processor speed for USB 3.2

    Finally, speed comes with a hidden price. Because of a phenomenon known as the transmission line effect, circuit design and layout becomes more challenging (and therefore more expensive) when dealing with traces on the circuit board approaching 1/4 of the propagation wavelength, which is the length a signal travels along a wire in one oscillation. Electrons travel close to the speed of light (300,000,000m/s) in copper, and most serial interfaces do data transfer on both rising and falling clock edges (so the clock speed maxes out at half the maximum transfer rate.)

    0.2 * (3E8 m/s) / (240E6 /s) = ~25cm critical trace length for USB 2.0
    0.2 * (3E8 m/s) / (2.5E9 /s) = ~2.4cm critical trace length for USB 3.0
    0.2 * (3E8 m/s) / (5E9 /s) = ~1.2cm critical trace length for USB 3.1
    0.2 * (3E8 m/s) / (10E9 /s) = ~0.6cm critical trace length for USB 3.2

    In order to convert from USB 2.0 to USB 3.1 over USB C, the increased cost per unit could easily range from $50-500, depending on the type of equipment and number of connections.

    Would you be willing to pay that kind of premium for a different connector?

  14. This is one of those topics blends my idealism with the tough love of market realities. Audio people move slowly, even digital DJs!
    In an ideal world, we’d be able to focus on one type of connector – in fact with Dante being purpose built for low latency, real-time 1:many audio, why can’t it be Ethernet and RJ45 connectors? I can imagine Dante data coming from a CDJ, into a DJM, mixed down and out into the front of house – all of which could be done without anything other than Ethernet – heck there are even PoE speakers that run Dante – imagine only ever need one type of cable!
    My $0.02 is that USB2 is, like the RCA and XLR form factors and the AES3, SPDIF and MP3 protocols represent the lowest common denominator and are generally “good enough” for most uses – as such I expect they’ll live on well beyond the time that common sense dictates sane.

    1. RJ45 connectors are not durable. It is really easy to break the plastic clip off an RJ45 connector carrying it in a DJ bag. I have done this for the cable to connect my two Xone K2s.

      1. That’s why we love the Ethercon! http://www.neutrik.com/en/ethercon/ethercon-cable-connectors/
        Rugged and securely locking. It’s the same connector used on the Pioneer Tour 1s and just about every Dante device and digital mixing desk out there.

        The only downsides to Ethercon that I see are a). that it adds about 50-100 grams to every cable you pack and of course they require a lot more room on devices for mounting points, but other than that, it’s no brainer for me.

  15. Hell no! This change would by far not be as trivial as DJWORX pictures it here to be. USB-C is not just another connector with higher speeds provided by USB3. It is a totally different beast. It comes with lots of alternative functions and it uses special additional controller chips to work. The laptop I bought a few months ago (a business series HP, so no cheap stuff) has a USB-C port. I solely use it for its Displayport functionality to connect a external screen. I tried using the USB-C port for generic devices like a mouse (through a adapter as suggested here as well) and had lots of strange problems. For example the mouse just did not work right with bumpy movements (and lots of movement missed).

    If you check the net you will find many uses which report similar and other problems with their USB C ports.While this technology is promising, it is really not ready to be used in a meaningful setup. I for one will stick to old and trusted solutions for now and wait for a couple more years for the vendors to sort this out.