hard drive tutorials???

  • Thread starter Thread starter trique
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trique

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I want to get into computer based recording but I am soooo clueless when it comes to hard-drives and such specs...

Can anyone point me to a tutorial that covers the very basics of computer/drive/memory terminology?


thank you
 
Hello new friend,

I think that rather than waisting your time on that kind of stuff (while it is useful information) will not help you much when it comes to recording on the computer.

I think where you need to start is looking at the various options for computer recording. Once you find something you might be interested in, visit their web site and find out the specs for that particular option.

From that point, you can talk to anyone that is versed in the proper techno babble to help you get started.

I would also spend some time doing some searches on this BBS. Thier is so much info to be had. Once you have spent some time searching and you have questions, plop them down in here and someone will be glad to assist you.

Peace
Joe
 
I beg to differ. The more you know about your tools, the more effective you can be. There's a couple in my film scoring class right now, they can make music, eventually, but they have so much trouble with getting around on the computer that they are constantly shooting themselves in the foot, causing themselves all kinds of silly problems, doing easy things in strange and cumbersome ways, because they have not learned how computers work...

oops, almost forgot the original question here...

Try this..

http://www.storagereview.com/

but it might be a bit too technical... here's another...

http://www.pcmech.com/internal.htm
 
That storagereview link was great for HDD lovers like myself. Maybe a bit too technical for most people, as you said. Not that it was hard to understand but it was a lot more than more people care about:)

Thanks

/Ola
 
OK, here's my question for you guys...

If I want to buy a g4 powermac for ONLY recording, what type/what size hard drive should I get? Should I still look into multiple drives? Will this increase the amount of tracks available etc? Forgive my ignorance, but i'm so so new to this.

thank you much!
 
Hard drives for G4

trique, as a fellow G4 user, may I offer the following opinions?

First, the new G4s come with big fast hard drives, which helps a lot. More disk space buys you more recording time; faster drives, more RAM, and faster CPUs buy you more tracks.

Second, you want to keep your audio files separate from all other files. Hard disk recording requires that you keep large amounts of contiguous (unfragmented) disk space available at all times. It's much easier to do this if you only have to deal with audio files.

While you can use just the built-in drive on a current G4 for audio, if you do, you should set up the disk with a separate partition for audio. Do this immediately when you open the box, before you install any software or data! Allocate two partitions: a small one, say 5-10 GB, for software and all your other files, and the second partition should use the rest of the drive for audio files only.

If your budget permits, I'd suggest you buy a second hard drive, and put nothing but audio files on it. Installing a 2nd drive into a G4 tower is a very straightforward task, requiring only a #1 Philips screwdriver and a grounding strap. It's even documented in the manual!

My 533 MHz G4 came with a 40 GB IBM Deskstar 75GXB drive, model # 307045. It's big, fast, and quiet. This drive would be a good choice for a 2nd audio drive, and is readily available for under $200 at many computer stores.

The IBM drive is just one of many choices, and the disk drive industry comes up with more every day. You want a drive that meets the following specs: 7200 RPM, ATA/66 or ATA/100 interface, seek times under 9 ms (lower is better), sound ratings as low as possible (many current drives are down in the 30-33 dB range), and as much space as you can afford. I would suggest you stick with either IBM, Seagate, or Quantum drives.

You could go the SCSI RAID route for maximum performance, but that gets very expensive very quickly. And modern ATA drives offer more than enough speed for most situations. Stick with ATA drives for the most bang for your buck.

Last, use a disk defragmenter utility regularly to keep your audio drive neat and clean. Norton System Tools from Symantec would be my first choice, but you could also use Alsoft's PlusOptimizer, or as a last resort, Micromat's TechTool Pro. PlusOptimizer is a one-trick pony, but the others will also perform routine file system maintenance. If you can only afford one, I'd suggest TechTool Pro, because it is good at so many other maintenance and testing tasks, even if its defragger is lousy.

That's all I know, I hope it helps.
 
thoughts on this setup?

hi evry1...on my never ending search to purchase a decent recording setup, (used to be a tape guy) i ask you how this kit would be?? am I missing anything...maybe a mixer/monitors

*(New Macintosh 667mHz G4-256MB-60GB-CDRW-Enet-56k)

*Extra RAM: 512MB SDRAM

*SCSI Card: Adaptec Power Domain 2930U Ultra-Wide

*2nd Drive: 60 GB UltraDMA ATA100 7200 RPM *CD-Writers: 8/4/24 Yamaha External SCSI CD-RW

*Display: Apple 17in Studio Display-ADC

*Audio Hardware: MIDIMan Delta 44

*MIDI Interface: MIDIMan MIDISport 4x4 USB

*Sequencing Software: Emagic Logic Audio Platinum

*Mastering Software: Emagic WaveBurner

thanks
 
Yup, you got it:

* a mixer or preamps. Gotta get your sources to line level before they can go in the Delta.
* monitors (and an amp, unless you get powered monitors, which are a good idea).

Rest of the system should be killer.
 
Thank you all SO much for replying to my posts...you've been great help to me!!!!!


peace/sound
 
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