How To Optimize A G4 Or G5 For Pro-tools Hd, IDEAs for making a 'bitchin' fast DAW! Options

[cjhope]

Hi,
I've been running Pro-Tools HD on OS9 on my G4 867 for quite some time now, and I'm due an upgrade. However, I'm getting conflicting views from techs at the stores on what is best for me.

"The OS and drive set-up scenario. "

It was suggested by a enlightened tech at a post-production facility that I should have 3 internal drives - on the first have an 80Gig partition where I install the OS (I'm planning on going to OSX), on the second have an 80-250Gig partition where I install my applications and have a third internal drive for streaming audio samples for my Spectrasonics plug-ins for example.

The concept is two fold - it is supposed to be faster, and secondly if something goes wrong I can always re-install my OS and be ready to roll again no time.

Please understand, none of the above or what I am continuing to write is anything more than someones advice, and I haven't tried it yet, so I encourage you to give your knowledge and opinions on the matter so we can have an ultimate solution set!

So....The discussion I had on the drive set-up scenario becomes strange if it is for a G5, seeing as the machine is only set up to hold 2 internal drives! Which leads me on too the guys at the computer store... One tech gave me a carbon copy opinion of the one I have just shared from the guy at the post facility. The other tech at the same place was a polar opposite. He said 'Panther' HATES partitions and I should avoid them... he also said there was no speed benefit to having your applications running on one drive and the OS on another.

Any other ideas or advice out there?

yours in Music

C.

[hahaworld]

Hi, C.

I'm running a G4 1Ghz laptop with Panther. Panther and my applications (ProTools, Logic, Ableton Live, Reason, Garage Band) are all on the same, non-partitioned internal hard drive. All of my sounds (samples, Spectrasonics instruments, etc.) are on an external LaCie 200GB firewire hard drive. I have seen no problems with speed issues so far, so I tend to agree with the guy who says there's no benefit to having your apps on a separate drive from your OS. You're right about re-installing the OS. As long as you're always backing up, if there's a crash and you've got something saved elsewhere, you're golden.

I don't know if any of this helps you, but I hope so. Good luck!

hahaworld

[gdoubleyou]

The organization of OSX is different I suggest one large un-partitioned drive.
The OS will always look for specific folders in the root directory to install software components.

Some apps are stand-alone and can be located on any drive.

Soft sampler and romplers place their data files in the Application Support folder. You have to check with the software company to see if the samples can be moved to another drive.

I had to rethink partitioning because of Atmosphere, Trilogy, and Plugsound have gigabytes worth of .dat files that contain the samples. finally figured out how to move them but it would not have been an issue if didn't partition.

[Quindo]

A lot of application installers will only let you choose the boot drive, so my advice is to put the OS and apps on one drive.

[eMpTy]

I think the fastest setup is a RAID configuration where the data is split across multiple disks. I would think your best bet would be to have 2 HDs RAID connected for sharing and maybe another two to be RAID mirrors in case a disk dies, it can then keep recording, essential for a pro studio: real time backup. Then have your samples on an external drive and save your projects internally. It is costly using four to one storage ratio but I think it is the fastest safest solution.

You may want to wait until Tiger OS is released first though, you never know what might be in there.

[BradG]

I do a bit of work on my iBook and have it's 40gig internal drive partitioned with an 8gig "recording" partition as the first partition, thus placing it on the outer ring of the drive. This is the fastest part of the drive. I record and rip everything to that partition and also have it designated as the scratch drive for all my apps that use one.

I have definitely noticed speed increases and, as a result, have adopted the same policy on my studio DT where my second, 80gig internal drive has the first 15 gigs partitioned as recording space. All non-current sessons are dragged to the larger partition and then deleted from the recording partition. I've tested the speed of this "outer ring" partition by copying large files to it and other drives and it's noticably faster.

As for the OS/Apps contoversy, keep 'em all together. With new OS's it doesn't matter and it's too much trouble and confusion spitting them up.

[gdoubleyou]

Brad G, I wouldn't even bother recording to the internal drive of an iBook. They are only 4800rpm, and have a small disk cache.

Drive speed is the primary factor for track count, after surpassing 60 24bit tracks with an external firewire I got bored.

The limiting factor is the speed and size of the cache chip.

Been an electronic tech for over 20 years I don't buy your inner outer ring theory. Especially for multitracking, seems to me it would be slower caching multiple audio files because the drive heads have move a greater distance.

Anyway a 7200rpm drive with 8Mb cache would make it a non issue.

[cruiserman]

G-dub, you make a lot of sense

I use a Pwerbook 1.25Ghz with 2 x 80Gb external FW drives to store all of my data, 1 as a working drive and 2 as the back-up (crucial).

OSX is complex and can't be messed about with like OS 9, but it is rock solid, I literally never get a system crash (just sofwtare).

If I we're in the market for a G5 (I wish) then it would have to be fully loaded and 2Ghz Dual!! big main drive with the OS and ALL apps, with an extra MASSIVE!! internal drive, fastest one you can afford!! for your working drive and another OS backup incase of system corruption or failure, and ... another massive back-up FW800 drive for back up and sample storage (maybe as a raid config)

I'm so back-up pro these days, cause I lost so much work recently through drive failure it's made me very nervous!!

interesting thread

M

[BradG]

Brad G, I wouldn't even bother recording to the internal drive of an iBook. They are only 4800rpm, and have a small disk cache.

Maybe yours is 4800rpm... mine happens to be 5400/8mb cache. As for "buying" the inner/outer "ring theory", well I didn't have to buy it, (even though it's well documented by much more technical minded folks than I) as I stated, I tested it myself and found it to be true.