Configuring a dedicated drive for music recording - HELP!

[Springo]

Hello, first of all I'd like to introduce myself. My handle is Springo (My Harley is a Springer, and my dog's name is Ringo so I'm Springo).

I am new to computer based music creation and recording. I am totally green! However, I have been a musician for 25 years (mostly guitar) and I am employed as a PC systems analyst - so for the purpose of helping me out, my music and computer skills are not lacking. But I am a total newbie with PC based music software. The reason that I decided to start doing it is because I am tired of bands at the moment - and I would like to be able to stay home and create whatever type of music I want and not have to contend with anyone else.

These are the programs that I currently have, to make it easier for you to know what to advise, and let me say that so far I am proficient on NONE of them! But I have been studying and will eventually become proficient. Current software includes

Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro 3
Acid Pro 4.0
Reason 3.0
ReCycle 2.1
Line6 Guitar Port
Line6 Riff Works
Steinberg Cubasis VST
Audacity
Computer Muzys 15
eJay 360 XTreme
Native Instruments Traktor DJ
Wavelab

I have all of these on my PC, but I have been concentrating on the first 6 of them. I figure that once I learn how to use them, I can play around with the other ones.

Anyway, my question is about setting my PC up optimally for music and recording. I built a very stout rig, it's capable of anything. P4 3.0Ghz, 1GB DDR in dual channel, SB Audigy 2 Platinum, etc. The PC is plenty powerful. It currently has two hard drives, and I just got a third. The main drive is a WD Caviar IDE 84 GB 7,200 rpm; and I have a 20GB 7,200 rpm drive for backup. I just purchased a WD Raptor 74GB 10,000 rpm SATA drive. I purchased it to use as a dedicated drive for recording, and also for graphics rendering. Otherwise it will have nothing installed on it, including the OS. That's the plan, anyway.

I want to use the 10,000 rpm drive to do all of the music recording and manipulation (and graphics rendering etc.). This way the software will have a nice, fast HDD with basically unlimited headroom to work. The thing is that I am not sure how to go about doing this and have received a million different answers on what to do. My initial idea was simply to install all of the music programs onto the dedicated drive. Nobody liked that idea. So now I am thinking of keeping the OS and programs where they are and using the dedicated drive to do the heavy work on. How do I go about doing this? My first thought was to redirect the program's cache to the new drive. Is that possible, and if so, do most programs have a place to configure this? Someone had suggested storing my music and projects on the new Raptor drive. If I do that, save my projects to the new drive, will the programs work with them exclusively on the faster drive, even though the program itself is on the 7,200 rpm drive? Or do I need to start over and install my OS and all programs on the new drive (I don't want to do that, butif I have to, I will).

I appreciate any and all answers and opinions. Thanks!

 

[Phyl]

Here's what I did, you can modify as necessary to meet your needs.

Configure drive #1 as master on the primary IDE channel, this is where windows and your tracking software (SONAR for me) resides. If your tracking software isn't already on this drive, uninstall and reinstall on this this drive.

Configure drive #2 as the master on the secondary IDE channel. Set up your tracking software to write and read audio files (WAV) to/from this drive.

I put my CD-ROM devices as the slaves on the primary and secondary channels. Ignore computer store idiots who try and tell you your hard drive will only operate as fast as the device hooked up as the slave. This hasn't been true for years. You'll need longer than normal IDE cables to hook everything up this way.

Once everything is hooked up and working well, research some of the audio optimization articles floating around the web. A few of them have been mentioned on this board. The optimization involves turning off Windows tasks and programs that drain resources.

I've probably missed something, hopefully someone else will fill in the spaces.

 

[AGCurry]

Phyl is pretty much on point, except that he missed the part about your new drive being SATA.

Just remember this: You want the big, fast drive to handle only your DATA. If most of your data will be digital audio - wav files or the like - configure it as basic storage (not a dynamic volume) with large clusters. Do NOT allow Windows to index the drive. Do NOT compress. All of your software, including OS, goes on your boot partition.

Yes, most software allows you to configure where the data go.

 

[Springo]

You want the big, fast drive to handle only your DATA. If most of your data will be digital audio - wav files or the like - configure it as basic storage (not a dynamic volume) with large clusters. Do NOT allow Windows to index the drive. Do NOT compress. All of your software, including OS, goes on your boot partition.

Yes, most software allows you to configure where the data go.

Right - since the new drive is a SATA, I cannot configure it as Phyl advised.

I "sort of" understand your advice. If I have the first part correct, I leave my software (ie. Cakewalk, Acid, etc) on the drive that it is currently on with the Windows boot partition (the current "C" drive, and 84GB IDE drive). Any new software will be installed there as well.

I still do not understand how I will utilize the new 10,000 rpm SATA drive to provide a fast and clean drive for the programs to do their heavy work. I am lost here. Do I need to configure, within each program, a space to work on the new drive? I would need to handle each program seperately, as far as determinign how to do this. OR, if I simply store all projects and music files (loops, samples, etc.) on the new, fast drive - will the "heavy work" automatically take place on the new drive?

I am getting close to understanding this. As of now, I plan to put all curren project's data, and all loop, samples, and other bits and pieces of music on the SATA drive. Everything else, including programs, will remain on the current "C" drive, where they have always been. Is this what you are telling me to do?

Thank you for the help! Remember that I am very green with music production on PC's. As an analog man, for years I said that I would never do it. And I am still an analog man. But the amount of possibilities that I have with this stuff, in the privacy of my own home, is astounding. And the programs are getting much better too. Again, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it, and your patience.

 

[crankz1]

Typically .... you will configure each program to use the new SATA drive as the working directory for the projects you are working on.
There may be a preferences setting or project properties within the various programs (Steinberg comes to mind) that allows for setting this path. Or you may simply be asked where to save the data prior to commencement of recording (as with Acid 4.0).
I haven't used Cakewalk in a while (and it was 9.0), so I don't quite remember how you selected it's path.
Audacity would be ... File > Preferences > Directories.
Wavelab would be ... Options > Preferences > File.

Any other samplers and what not would likely just need to be pointed to play files that you have stored on that drive.

HTH

-Ken

 

[Springo]

Typically .... you will configure each program to use the new SATA drive as the working directory for the projects you are working on.
There may be a preferences setting or project properties within the various programs (Steinberg comes to mind) that allows for setting this path. Or you may simply be asked where to save the data prior to commencement of recording (as with Acid 4.0).
I haven't used Cakewalk in a while (and it was 9.0), so I don't quite remember how you selected it's path.
Audacity would be ... File > Preferences > Directories.
Wavelab would be ... Options > Preferences > File.

Any other samplers and what not would likely just need to be pointed to play files that you have stored on that drive.

HTH

-Ken

OK - I THINK that I have it! In order for this to work as planned, I will keep my programs on the current "C" drive in the Windows partition; and then either direct the particular program to use a designated space on the "fast" drive, or else save my current projects to the "fast" drive. Correct?

Which is also great news as I did not feel like reinstalling XP and getting all the updates, then all of my programs etc. on the new drive. Eventually, I would like to be running another one of the Raptor 10,000 rpm drives as my "C" drive with Windows etc. but that won't be for a while so I am not sweating this now.

So please confirm that I have this down, and thanks for your help!

BTW - I am doing this because I have read in several places that, besides a powerful machine with plenty of RAM (which I have), a fast HDD is essential to error-free recording; and most of them recommended 10,000 rpm at the least (and said that many pro studios use up to 15,000 rpm drives). However, whenever I asked about this in a forum, nobody could ever confirm that and most said that 7,200rpm is fine. No matter - I've been wanting to switch my machine over to all Raptor 10,000 rpm drives so I don't mind doing this; and nobody can deny that the 10,000 rm SATA drive is faster than the 7,200 rpm IDE. So what are your opinions about HDD speed? IMHO, as far as music production and graphics rendering, there is no such things as "too much speed."

 

[crankz1]

You've got it.
Fast drives are beneficial in that they offer a greater transfer rate and quicker seek times, allowing for more data to transfer in a given amount of time. Kinda a no brainer there.
I can't really see the need for the fastest of fast drives in a project studio though. Unless, of course, your projects are consisting of a butt-load of tracks and/or you plan to do some serious video editing as well.
Chances are, your 3GHz P4 processor will end up being a bottle-neck before you reach the cap of your drives ability to transfer its maximum rate of data.
It's quite possible the same scenario will remain true with a decent ATA 133 IDE drive.
However, if you have the means to supply your rig with the greatest of great ... go for it. You may not see the real benefits until you are doing that massive project but you'll be ready for that time. Drive wise, that is.
Windows would even zip along a little faster with one of those warp speed drives as the primary boot drive.
Is that necessary for your needs? That's debatable but it sure couldn't hurt. Well, the pocket book might feel a little pain from it.
Myself, I'd work with what I have until the need dictates a change. By that time, with the rate technology evolves, you may find yourself upgrading your whole rig.

-Ken

 

[AGCurry]

BTW - I am doing this because I have read in several places that, besides a powerful machine with plenty of RAM (which I have), a fast HDD is essential to error-free recording; and most of them recommended 10,000 rpm at the least (and said that many pro studios use up to 15,000 rpm drives). However, whenever I asked about this in a forum, nobody could ever confirm that and most said that 7,200rpm is fine. No matter - I've been wanting to switch my machine over to all Raptor 10,000 rpm drives so I don't mind doing this; and nobody can deny that the 10,000 rm SATA drive is faster than the 7,200 rpm IDE. So what are your opinions about HDD speed? IMHO, as far as music production and graphics rendering, there is no such things as "too much speed."

Speed never hurts. But, as crankz1 writes, you may not need it. You have to remember that most of the people who write for magazines have some kind of connection with selling something - that's what most magazines, even web-based ones, are in business to do. Besides, if they didn't have the latest-greatest-fastest stuff coming out to write about, what would they say?

There is a drawback to 10k and 15k drives, and that is heat. The faster it spins, the more friction is generated. You may find that you need another cooling fan in your box just for the drive(s). More noise.

7200 RPM ATA-100 yields a whole bunch of tracks, more than I've ever needed. If you need more, go for it (I guess you already have...).

 

[Springo]

Thanks all. I've got it now.

I've had my eye on a 74GB Raptor for a long time, and decided to buy one last week, now that my software collection is buttoned down for the time being, so I did. My PC is extremely robust -designed and built by me to be the ultimate multimedia machine. And to me, that means a lot more than just being able to watch a movie on it. When I go back to work tonight (I work 12 hour graveyards...) I will post the specs of my machine and its capabilities, and you'll see what I mean. I buy the best parts that I can afford - but only after the technology has been out for a few months, at least. I do not pay crazy "early adopter" money for the "latest greatest thing." And it was time for the 10,000 rpm Raptor SATA drive, so I got it. Eventually I will get another one for my OS drive and use the 84GB IDE drive that the OS is on now for backup and completed project storage.

As far as the heat issue - my case is well cooled, and all of my hard drives have dual fans on them. It's not too noisy, and most of the fans have controllers, so if I have a problem with fan noise and recording, I can turn them down.

Thanks again for the help. Exactly what I needed to know. Check back later, or tomorrow; and you can see how I designed this rig and what it's capable of.

 

[MadAudio]

Gee, that's an awful lot of software for a newbie. I hope it's all legit.

 

[Springo]

Gee, that's an awful lot of software for a newbie. I hope it's all legit.

Where do you get off making a statement like that? I am a network admin at a very large American computer company. I make good money and I can afford to buy about $1,000 worth of software or however much it cost over the period of about a year. Apparently you are so poverty stricken that you can't imagine somebody having the money to buy this software. And I just spent $180 on a hard drive, or do you think that I stole that too? So maybe I have spent $1,500 in total? I make more than that in a week. It's nothing. I've been buyng it over the last year and playing around with the different types of software, ie. looping sw, recording sw, "band in a box" type software - they are all different and I am tring to play with all of them to work out a system. But I really do not owe you an explanation.

To expand on that, I wanted to have a whole suite of different types of software loaded on my machine and ready to go. So if I am learning one and creating, and then I get a tip about using something else to enhance it, I will most likely have the proram here, ready and waiting. I don't suppose that you can comprehend a luxury such as this; but that's your problem. Don't go taking it out on me.

"I hope it's all legit."

I don't need your approval, you judgemental piece of sh!t. Don't worry about me and my finances. It's really none of your d@mn business, and calling people out on forums is a real ch!ckensh!t thing to do. Get a life, or can you not afford one? There has to be one of you pr!cks on every board, doesn't there? It sure seems that way. Why don't you and your kind leave the rest of us alone? What made you decide to look at a thread about a hard drive and then come off accusatory about ownership of software? I should post photos of all of my software to shut you up publicly - but you are not worth the time and effort, and I have no reason to prove anything to you anyway. So here's what I have to say to you, you judgemental, apparently lower class tw@t: F*CK YOU!

BTW - just because you p!ssed me off, see the following -

Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro 3 - bought used on Ebay for $79, and registered it
Acid Pro 4.0 - registered
Reason 3.0 - just ordered, have not received yet
ReCycle 2.1 - just ordered, have not received yet
Line6 Guitar Port - Bought from Musicians Friend and registered
Line6 Riff Works - Bought from Musicians Friend and registered
Steinberg Cubasis VST - Came with Audigy 2 Platinum from Best Buy
Audacity - Came with Audigy 2 Platinum from Best Buy
Native Instruments Traktor DJ - Came with Audigy 2 Platinum from Best Buy
Wavelab - Came with Audigy 2 Platinum from Best Buy
Computer Muzys 15 - Came with magazine
eJay 360 XTreme - Came with magazine

 

[MadAudio]

No need to send this as both a PM and thread on the board, Mr. Whiney Pants. Where did I ever actually accuse you of piracy? Learn to read. Do you always overreact?

I have a fair amount invested in legit software, so all your assumptions are crap. I've also got thousands invested in mics, pre-amps, mixers, outboard gear, instruments, etc. I work for a record label and am a voting member of NARAS (the Grammy people).

So fuck you too!

 

[fraserhutch]

Where do you get off making a statement like that?
<snip...>

To expand on that, I wanted to have a whole suite of different types of software loaded on my machine and ready to go. So if I am learning one and creating, and then I get a tip about using something else to enhance it, I will most likely have the proram here, ready and waiting. I don't suppose that you can comprehend a luxury such as this; but that's your problem. Don't go taking it out on me.

"I hope it's all legit."

Where do YOU get off? If you would even bother to peruse this board, then you would realize that at least half the people who come to this board asking for help are actively pirating the software. Just take a look at one of the polls here on the same subject.

I see nothing wrong with MadAudio's statement, in fact, I was thinking the same thing, he just beat me to it.

There was absolutelty NO need for your childish knee-jerk reaction. He accused you of nothing.

Now all you've done is demonstrate that you are an asshole. When you've been around the boards as long as he has an have contributed, then I'll cut you some slack. Till then.......

 

[MadAudio]

Thanks, fraserhutch. You're one cool cookie!

Oh BTW, Gringo - I mean Springo - flaunting your "wealth" is in rather poor taste. You must be a pubbie.

 

[Springo]

If anybody had any issues about pirated software that they wanted to discuss with me, all they had to do was write me a private message and ask me how I acquired my software.

How about - "Hello Springo. Welcome to the forums. I noticed that you have an extensive library of software, especially for a person who is just starting out. We have had a lot of problems here with people pirating software, and we want to keep that stuff out of the forums as well as keeping the pirates away from the board in general. Do you mind if I ask you if you purchased your software legitimately? Thank you, xxxxxxxx"

What is wrong with that? Nothing that I can see. I would have gladly answered your question politely, and even sent you a picture of all of my software boxes etc. I would not mind doing that, I am not a fan of piracy either and would not mind proving ownership - especially if there has been a problem here. I would certainly rather put that behind me and move on. As a new poster, I would have no idea what sort of problems that you might have here with pirates. Not being a pirate myself, it does not automatically enter my mind to think that others would question my software ownership.

But the manner in which you went about this was all wrong. Did I come here asking how to activate a product for which I "lost" my product key, or asking how to "crack" a program, or what a good site is to download free software - or anything even remotely like that? I just asked for help in configuring a hard drive. You don't just publicly make snide inferences, accusatory inferences to new members who have done nothing at all to suggest piracy. Owning more than one piece of software is not a crime!

I am 41 years old. I work for a living. I work hard. And I get paid well. Very well. I can afford to buy software. You people here are nuts. I don't know if you can see, from your side, how your attitudes look to the outside world; but for one thing, it is not normal to jump on a person on their first thread who has done nothing at all to suggest piracy. And all of that software that I listed does not even total $1,000. It's not a lot of money. I never thought that anybody would be questioning my integrity with no basis in fact at all. You guys need to learn a little respect for your fellow musicians and human beings, before judging and accusing them. I was guilty in your minds before I even had a chance to defend myself. It really is sickening. You people need to step back and take a look at yourselves. If pirating is such a problem on this board that a new member immediately gets flamed and called out -publicly- when he did nothing to suggest piracy except list his software, then perhaps you should make yourselves a new board, because this one must be pure agony for you, if "fifty percent" of all posts are from pirates.

Don't worry about me, I'm gone. And you may say "good riddance" or "don't let the door hit you..." but all you are doing is lowering the quality of your board. I have been playing music for 25 years, I am intelligent, and I try to be as helpful as I can to people if I can answer their questions. I did not just fall off the truck. I am a member of several other Internet boards that deal with other of my interests such as Harleys, muscle cars, Boxer dogs, PhotoShop, beer rating, and more; and am an active participant on them and seem to be appreciated by the folks there. I've been a member of some for several years, and never had a black mark on my name on any of them, for any reason - but I have accumulated many "help" points, or integrity points, or whatever they are called on the particular board. All that you accomplished by pre-judging me was to chase away a member who you probably would have enjoyed talking to, and who would have been an active participant who made relevant and thoughful posts as well as helping anyone that he could. But it is obvious that the air here is poisoned. I don't need the negativity. To those who helped me with my hard drive config question, thank you. To the rest of you, fuck you. I feel sorry for you, if your first thoughts about new posters is negative. Music should be enjoyable. Step back and reevaluate where you stand as a musician, because this preoccupation with piracy is pretty fucked up. When you get to the point that you jump on people right away, before you even know them, you have gotten to a sad point indeed - and I wonder if you even know this. So I am going to find a new "home" where I can learn , and grow, and eventually help others. I'll try not to make the "mistake" of actually telling people what software I have, lest I be judged again. Far be it for me to think that by listing my software, people will better be able to assist me.

Try a little respect next time - you just might find that it works.

 

[Springo]

BTW, Gringo - I mean Springo - flaunting your "wealth" is in rather poor taste.[/QUOTE=MadAudio]

BTW - Mad, I can't win with you. Either I am a software thief, or I am flaunting wealth. Do you honestly think that I came here to tell you how much money I make? But since you seem to think that $1,000 is such a huge amount of money that nobody could -possibly- afford to pay that astronomical sum, I wanted to let you know that yes, I could afford it. So that you might leave me alone about pirating. But now I am a braggart. The subject of money would never have come up, had I not been accused and convicted in the empty court of your mind. Why do you feel such a need to judge and label people? I just got here, I've never spoken to you in my life prior to this - but I am either a thief, or a braggart, or a "pubbie," whatever the hell that is. At least you got gringo right, I am not Hispanic. But you, i don't have a name for you, or a word to describe you. I don't feel the need to label everybody upon meeting them. All I can say is there are a lot of small, narrow-minded, judgemental, and hypocritical people in this world. They are all over the place. They have no imagination, no original thoughts of their own, and feel the need to label and define everything and everybody - to put them in a neat little file folder so that they can go on and think that they are in control of everything. They feel that as long as they put a particular person into the right file, then they can file them away and if they encounter them again, they will know exactly how to deal with them. It's all in their little rule book. Right, Mad? You've got your little rule book there, no doubt. You have little laws and rules for everybody. At first you filed me under "Category - thief, subsection - pirate, type - music software." But I think that you now know that I am not a pirate, so you removed me from that folder and placed me in the "braggart" folder, and that is all that I will ever be to you.

I am very glad that all I have to do is leave this board to be rid of you. But you have to BE you- and you have to live with yourself. What could you have possibly done in a past life, to deserve to be you in this one? You must have been pretty bad! Because as judgemental, anal, and generally SMALL a person as you've publicly shown yourself to be, having to live with yourself sounds like a fate worse than death. No matter what happens in my life, whatever low points and valleys that I will encounter over my lifetime, as we all encounter; I can always wake up in the morning and no matter how bleak things might seem at the moment, on that day, I can thank God or whoever made me THAT I AM NOT LIKE YOU!

PS - I know what you said, and I know what it meant. And you know what you said and you know exactly what you meant by it. So don't play all innocent and put it all back on me. I didn't do anything wrong. So please do not insult my intelligence, and the intelligence of anyone here who is following this shameful debacle by feigning innocence and hiding behind the fact that if you read your post at face value, it is not insulting or accusatory. It is quite clear what you meant. To make a statement that is clearly designed for an end purpose, and then to deny the intent and try to make people believe that you meant it innocently, all the while trying to make the person who you accused or insulted look to be at fault; and then to go as far as to act like a victim whose words were taken the wrong way and try to put the blame on the other party - that is disgusting, it's cowardly, it's lame, and it tells so much about you and the way you think that I would be embarrassed to be you after publicly posting such a load of crap.

Have you ever had a fight with a girl/boyfriend or spouse, and they infuriate you by doing what I just described? It's maddening. And it's generally done by the female, sometimes referred to as the bitch. And that is exactly what you have done, you hace assumed the position of bitch and what's more, you are proud of it. I don't know how old you are, but you've got a lot to learn about interacting with others.

Oh yeah, you say that you're a Grammy judge? I wouldn't brag about that...