USB 3 - S4 Doesnt Work
Hi
I had a nightmare when I first got my setup… I tried to plug in my S4 to the usb3 connections on my Dell xsp i5 and it wouldnt work at all, not with any of the changes to the latency options. Luckily I had a usb2 slot, so plugged it in there and have trouble free 6.3ms of latency… very nice!
Be warned sometimes having the latest connectivity can be a problem 
It wasn’t designed to work with USB 3, and they never claimed it would.
Seems to be Dell issue (not Dell bashing). Got confirmation from NI that S4 IS USB3.0 compatible. Hassle-free on my ASUS since.
yeah they must be doing something funky with that usb port driver. because usb 3 is downward compatible to usb 1.1.
try updating your drivers via the dell site. if that doesnt work, contact dell, see if they have an updated driver they can email to you.
also check your bios settings. it might be in usb 3 only mode (some motherboards support this)
In my experience with Dell laptops (I had and DJed on an Inspiron 6400/e1505 for a couple years), their drivers can be very questionable. I had serious issues using the firewire port on my machine once I switched to Win 7. Granted the laptop wasn’t intended to run Win 7 since it was 5 years old at the time, but it ran the actual OS completely fine. I also found a lot of issues with Dell drivers when I was researching the problem. This could quite possibly be sorted by a driver update down the line.
TL;DR
I’m with JonathanBlake on this one; I would bet it’s a Dell issue. You might be able to sort it out by using XP if you really need to use that port (though I wouldn’t recommend it).
It seems you were wrong there mate, USB 3 is supposed to be backward compatable, so shouldnt pose a problem!
Yup - confirmed with NI.
Guys, stop speculating.
The reason is the following, Dell USB3 comes on the form of the NEC chip, connected to the motherboard usually by HM57 or above.
It seems that in the rush to be first, Dell got something wrong. Using the latest firmware from NEC and the latest drivers (I got them before they were released to the public), it still doesn’t work with audio streams.
The NEC chip is not at fault, it works with other machines (including in my gigabyte DAW).
The fault is not with the drivers, they are generic and work on ASUS, GIGABYTE etc.
The fault is in the way the USB3 signal is handled by the Dell motherboard, it DOES NOT pass audio (it sits in panic mode).
The standard for USB3 is that it is backwards compatible, but it seems this only applies to non realtime equipment, the Dells USB3 now works with most kit, (even my Denon SC-2000’s are working in the ports), but as soon as any audio device is connected it stops working.
So what’s the answer, short answer there’s no fix, it’s a hardware design flaw. Drivers, OS etc WILL NOT FIX IT !.
I have been working with Dell and NEC for over six months trying to resolve this.
I have direct contact with the Dell developers and the third line support at NEC/Renasas, USB3 & NI Audio will work on ASUS, MSI, Gigabye (and I think MacPro).
Latest drivers are the following
2.1.15.0 (notice it’s 2.1 and not 2.0 from Dell)
Latest public FW is 3028 (which fixes some HD disconnects)
the repository for these drivers is here
http://www.station-drivers.com/page/nec.htm
BTW the person suggesting XP and USB3, you need to brush up on comms. USB3 and XP don’t play well together, i won’t go into the full details, it’s far too long winded. We have tested on all platforms, including the forthcoming Windows 8 x64 which has native support for USB3 (no drivers required). Not one OS works with USB3 realtime Audio on the Dell XPS range …
Whats the answer… connect the audio device into the USB2/eSATA
…connect USB3 HD to USB3
…anything else connect to the other USB2 port (withhub if required), although be careful to what order you connect them, the USB2 internal design isn’t efficient it only has one TT, so if you connect a USB1 device, don’t expect good results from your USB2 devices.
Suggestion for multiple devices with different data rates is to buy a multi TT powered hub, and hang everything from there.
Hope this doesn’t sound like a condescending lecture, but i thought its about time things were put straight, speculation doesn’t help anyone (especially me).
The fault is exactly the same in the Gen2 XPS, but there may be hope for the 15z, it has a slightly different architecture.
To be honest, I loved that lecture… didnt expect such a text book answer. Thanks JSM
Although the state of play with the xps didnt force me to sell it, since there was the usb 2 / e-sata connection, its good to know the why’s and wherefore’s. Thankfully my midi fighters work… one other question though… does an X1 work in realtime, or is it just the same as a Midi Fighter?
Great lecture JSM 
. Done the driver update, should I do the firmware as well?
Any MIDI only device should work perfectly, it’s only the inclusion of realtime audio that gives problems.
Its the way the architecture was designed I’m afraid, later designs took this into consideration, unfortunately too late for us XPS users.
Other than the USB3 issue, the XPS is amazing, its got two independent headphone outputs, so you can monitor and DJ without a soundcard, the latency isn’t too bad and can be used for bar parties easily.
For the price, there’s no equal … and USB3 works fine with USB3 devices which was the reason for it’s inclusion.
Interesting to note, the USB2 port shares the same chip as the USB3 … yet the USB3 ports can’t handle audio …
Current revision level of the daughterboard is A0, rumours of an A1/A2 seem to be just rumours ..Dell have no plans to design another one. Which leads me to believe the fault is on the Motherboard, not the daughterboard.
Mark
With all FW, if you are experiencing problems, use the FW.
If you are not experiencing problems then don’t.
If you do chose to use it and royally screw it up (read the threads on MF Pro FW updating), fortunately you can reflash with the earlier FW.
FW 3025 - standard from Dell, BAG OF SHI*E, lots of problems.:eek:
FW 3026 - interim fixes for above
FW 3027 - fixes for bluescreens in certain situations.
FW 3028 - latest public, fixes a couple of minor issues like icons not showing up correctly .. but nothing to do with Audio
I have other builds, but these are not public releases, they are for testing purposes and are NEC property ..
I havent managed to work out how to do this so far but it would be usefull to know.
Thank you - no issues, so will take your advice. Still want that video of my ASUS?
Just to prove to Dell it’s their fault an no others … yes it would be very useful ! Currently i am working directly with NEC as they built the chip, Dell only added it to their MB design.
Connect TWO pairs of headphones, (or one headphone plus one minijack to RCA).
When the Dell/JBL notice pops up asking “what did you connect”, you need FRONT speakers plus REAR speakers ..
turn on Traktor, go to the audio config and hey presto … you can monitor and playout using the same internal card.
I did this for a very impromptu gig a few weeks ago, (i had my laptop with me and the booked DJ didn’t show).
So to make things clear
Headphone socket 1 - FRONT SPEAKER
Headphone socket 2/SPDIF - REAR SPEAKER
hope that helps, if not it’s in the manual.