External drive for Pro Tools Sessions

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phatracer3

New member
I need help in deciding which option would work for me since i am using pro tools, and they recommend that i use a seperate hard drive to record on?
The thing is i have a Mac Mini and it's the newer model with a 2.53ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of DDR3 ram and my main internal drive in the mac had a 320GB hard drive, and the thing is that i would use a firewire hard drive but i am using the port on my mac and i have my M-Audio Profire 610 connected to that and they don't recommend using a USB external hard drive, so what other options do i have?
 
phatracer3 said:
I need help in deciding which option would work for me since i am using pro tools, and they recommend that i use a seperate hard drive to record on?
The thing is i have a Mac Mini and it's the newer model with a 2.53ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of DDR3 ram and my main internal drive in the mac had a 320GB hard drive, and the thing is that i would use a firewire hard drive but i am using the port on my mac and i have my M-Audio Profire 610 connected to that and they don't recommend using a USB external hard drive, so what other options do i have?
Click to expand...

In other words, you're already using your Firewire port?
 
phatracer3 said:
yes my firewire port is already being used.
Click to expand...

Hmm... Maybe look up if there's another way to add more firewire ports? Or, another thing you could look into is selling your Mac Mini + screen and getting an (even second hand, but recent) iMac with two FW 400 ports.
 
I'm just getting set up with an iMac and ProTools and an external hard drive also. I have an engineer friend that I asked the same question as you did. He said to link them together. I haven't tried it but on the system he has you can go from the MAudio interface to the Western Digital HD, and from there to the firewire port on the Mac.

Try that and tells us how it works.

DS
 
JustGotPaid said:
I'm just getting set up with an iMac and ProTools and an external hard drive also. I have an engineer friend that I asked the same question as you did. He said to link them together. I haven't tried it but on the system he has you can go from the MAudio interface to the Western Digital HD, and from there to the firewire port on the Mac.

Try that and tells us how it works.

DS
Click to expand...

Are you sure he's not using some kind of Firewire HUB?

How does this work?? :confused:
 
I have read online with people with the same situation and they daisy chained a external hard drive and interface. The thing is would my hard drive really mess up by recording onto the same drive as pro tools is running on? I only record one track at a time and it's only vocals. What about other audio recording programs? How come they don't suggest using a external hard drive to record on? I run propellerhead record and studio one artist.
 
Now I'm confused. I just checked mine. He may have been referring to LE8 that uses USB. I looked on my Western Digital and there is one firewire port. Then there is the square port, whatever it's called, that usually has a USB connector on the other end. I'm going from my M Audio 610 into iMac fireport and from iMac USB out to Western Digital to the square port.

I'll ask again and see what he says.

DS
 
phatracer3 said:
I have read online with people with the same situation and they daisy chained a external hard drive and interface. The thing is would my hard drive really mess up by recording onto the same drive as pro tools is running on? I only record one track at a time and it's only vocals. What about other audio recording programs? How come they don't suggest using a external hard drive to record on? I run propellerhead record and studio one artist.
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It's not essential, just recommended. Recording one track is absolutely fine. It could slow down depending on how many other tracks you're running, even when mixing.
 
Do you have Garageband on your Mac? It's a great program for home studio work. It's as stabel adn crash proof as they get, and GB 09 is spiced up a little and has audio quality comparable to PT. If you have it, give it a try.

DS
 
JustGotPaid said:
Do you have Garageband on your Mac? It's a great program for home studio work. It's as stabel adn crash proof as they get, and GB 09 is spiced up a little and has audio quality comparable to PT. If you have it, give it a try.

DS
Click to expand...

Not trying to be a smartass, but how does that fix the OP's problem?
 
I told him all I knew on the external drive issue, then he asked about other audio programs and I mentioned Garage Band.

I'm sorry if I missed the answer, but other than suggestioning that he sell his machine and start over, what solution did you offer?
 
JustGotPaid said:
I told him all I knew on the external drive issue, then he asked about other audio programs and I mentioned Garage Band.

I'm sorry if I missed the answer, but other than suggestioning that he sell his machine and start over, what solution did you offer?
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I was just curious when I asked how your answer solved the problem, relax.

Well he didn't seem to be asking for suggestions on another DAW (why would you buy pro tools and then ask for suggestions such as Garageband?), but moreso asking why other audio programs don't "require" a separate drive. However, I'm sure some of them mention it somewhere. And if not, users probably say it on their forums - because there's a good technical reason for it that's not only applicable to Pro Tools. The same problem will come from Garageband, Logic, Cubase, you name it.

I offered two solutions:
1) Get a different machine with two FW ports - as you ruled out (IDK why)
2) Plough ahead using one drive and see how he gets on.

He could get on just fine with one drive. It seems to me like he's looking for another drive because he heard he should, not because he's come across any problems with his current setup.
 
Garageband is ok, but i don't like it that much, i also have Propellerhead Record, and studio one artist, but i prefer pro tools for advance editing. Im looking to probably get a external firewire drive, i seen one online at bestbuy.com it's a western digital firewire drive and has 1TB of hard drive space, now i was reading that the hard drive has to be able to be journaled, what's so important about that? It doesn't say anywhere on the specifications of the hard drive that it can be journaled. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Western...lack/9540687.p?id=1218121459458&skuId=9540687

check it out and let me know what you think about that external hard drive.
 
phatracer3 said:
Garageband is ok, but i don't like it that much, i also have Propellerhead Record, and studio one artist, but i prefer pro tools for advance editing. Im looking to probably get a external firewire drive, i seen one online at bestbuy.com it's a western digital firewire drive and has 1TB of hard drive space, now i was reading that the hard drive has to be able to be journaled, what's so important about that? It doesn't say anywhere on the specifications of the hard drive that it can be journaled. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Western...lack/9540687.p?id=1218121459458&skuId=9540687

check it out and let me know what you think about that external hard drive.
Click to expand...

I'm about to head off so I won't check the link now. But I just want to say to stop worrying about other DAW's, they won't help your problem. It's the same principle no matter the software. You're fine with Pro Tools.
 
I still say if he wants to record only one track at a time and if his machine already has Garage Band built in to try that before buying a whole new computer. And ask the Apple store if they have an external hard drive that will accomplish what he's trying to do.
 
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