RAM and recording 8 tracks

  • Thread starter Thread starter Volrath
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DM60 said:
I wish I had a HP Compaq ....!
Click to expand...
Why? I still have it actually and it still works plugged into my telly! I got it about 6 years ago from my best mate (now sadly dead) who worked as an installer for a very big computer firm. They supplied lots of large companies and many HMGov departments.
As machines became outdated I think they were supposed to be wiped, smashed and skipped but this one was "diverted"! Well, they can't touch Richy now!

Dave.
 
Ok...here's an expansion on the question. How much of a factor is the USB port speed?
I use the Firestudio so I am bringing the data into the computer with firewire.

How about if I pickup an external drive, with a higher speed than my existing HDD. Then I try to record to the external drive over a USB 2.0 port. How much is that going to limit my abilities?

Or even 1 step further for the sake of discussion and higher enlightenment, how about processing and mixing the files directly from the external? It's not unlikely to be pushing up to 20 or more tracks at once. Will the USB 2.0 connection choke with so much data being fed to the DAW at once?
 
I haven't tried what you're asking, but gut feel is USB would choke pretty quickly. USB 2.0 speed is actually faster than FW400, but the difference is how the data stream is controlled. USB ports need cpu intervention to regulate data flow. Firewire has built-in protocols to self regulate data flow. A Firewire port can run uninterrupted and therefore can pass more data than a USB port.

I think with one Firewire port, you can do everything you're asking. I have a UAD Apollo with a Duo DSP processor. It can stream 18 input channels and 24 output channels plus whatever data that goes to the DSP processor to run plugs. All through one firewire port.

For USB, it's common wisdom to plug only one data-heavy device into a hub at once. IF you had two separate hubs (Most desktop PC's do), you might be able to stream audio in from your interface through one and out to the external drive on another. No idea how many channels would work before bogging down the port.

Unfortunately, firewire is too picky for device compatibility and it seems to be on the way out in favor of USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt.
 
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