Hello everyone. I will be receiving my new Mac in a couple of days, and I want to know where to put what files to optimize performance of my audio software. Here are the details:

System:
15.4" MacBook Pro 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 120 GB 5400rpm HD
External HD: 250 GB 7200rpm via Firewire 800 (WD MyBookPro - also brand new)

Running:
Logic Express 7.2
Reason 3.0.5 (usually via ReWire as a slave to Logic)
Reason Drum Kits 2.0 (big, and and with various other refills as well)
GarageBand Jam Packs 1 and 4 (a big one)
Line6 GearBox (and I think I might buy the plug-in upgrade)
Amplitube 2.0 (and I might also buy NI Guitar Rig 2.0)

So I assume that all of my programs themselves should be installed on the internal hard drive, and that I should record all of my audio files to the external hard drive. But what about the plug-ins, samples, etc. (Reason Drum Kits, refills, Jam Packs, Amplitube, et. al.)? Do these go on the external? Or will that be bad for performance? Simply put, what goes where?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry that this isn't answering your question, but I'm getting a similar machine and I have some questions in a similar vein. Maybe they can all be answered here. So, in addition to what gets installed where, I'm wondering how many user accounts to set up. Is it better to have one user that is strictly administrative and then set up another for recording? Yet another for any other uses (email, web stuff, etc?) Then, install apps from administrator account, or from account in which the apps will be used? I hope these questions don't ruin your thread, but I thought they seemed related.

Thanks.

The plug-ins themselves are to be installed in their proper folder in the libraries/sound/ now the samples/libraries they use can most of the time be elsewhere than the system hard drive.

Thanks for this. But to take it one step further: SHOULD the samples/libraries be installed on my external or on the internal? I'd like to have them at my disposal when I'm not using the external. But if it will drastically increase recording power/performance, I will put them on the external. What do you think?

Much goodness in having samples stored on something other than your boot/apps drive, plus an additional drive to record audio to. This is particularly important if you use soft samplers that stream from disk. That's where you could see "drastic" performance increases.

You will never have troubles using banks of a few MB, but given the actual trend of having whole DVDs of banks, pianos of 3 GB, it'll be a problem on the system drive, which is always better living its quiet life caring about apps, system and virtual memory.

Maybe one day we'll have 2 drives in laptops, and it'll be easier…

OK, so let me get this straight:

Internal hard drive: applications themselves, with their plug-ins, software instruments, etc.

External hard drive: all sample files, GarageBand Jam Packs, Reason Refills, and recording files.

Is that right?

This is kinda off the subject but I really enjoy amplitube 2- I dont know if you have gotten to play with it- but it looks and sounds great- it works really well to use some of the cabinet models on drums as well- i ran my snare through the bass cab and then altered my EQ to fit and it sounds awesome- good luck with everything

Yeah, I've played with virtually every program out there. I've just recently switched to a new Mac, and I've been asking around to see if anyone is getting any particular performance improvements by setting things up in different ways.

I agree, Amplitube 2.0 is pretty sweet. I also like Line 6's GearBox sounds. For more of my opinions on this, see my post yesterday on a different thread, here:
http://en.440forums.com/forums/?showtopic=...mp;#entry219418

Peace.

Hello again.

I still don't know where the best place is to put these two things:

GarageBand Jam Pack #4 Symphony Orchestra (10 GB of samples and instruments)
Reason Drum Kits 2.0 (similar big pile of 24-bit samples that will stream when I play back)

Should they go on my MacBookPro's internal/system drive (120 GB, 5400 rpm)?
Or should they go on my external FireWire 800 drive (250 GB, 7200 rpm)?

I will be RECORDING everything onto the external FW 800 drive, and I'll be RUNNING Logic Express, Reason 3, and various other things off of the system drive.

But where best to put these samples/instruments? The documentation for Reason and the Jam Packs says to put each in the folder where the program itself is installed on the hard drive (the internal one for me). But can I instead install the samples and use them on the external, while the programs remain on the internal? And should I? Will the combination of writing new recordings, playing back previously recorded tracks, and streaming these samples/instruments in be too much for the external? Or are the operating system and program running on the internal too much to be adding those samples/instruments to? Previous posts on this thread, while helpful, still left me a bit confused about the best solution - it sounded like one person was suggesting that I actually get a SECOND external drive just for the samples/instruments, and save the first one for the recording files only. That's a bit much for me at this point

Any suggestions or confirmations about any of this would be greatly appreciated.

My system: 2.33 GHz MBP C2D, 2GB RAM, 120 GB int HD (5400rpm), 250 GB FW800 ext HD (7200rpm), Logic Express 7.2, Reason 3.0.5, RDK 2.0, GB Jam Packs 1 & 4, Line 6 Tone Port w/GearBox software, M-Audio USB MobilePre

Oops difficult one!

If your session you record are heavy (a lot of tracks playing/writing simultaneously) I guess the internal would be better (and a 7200 rpm one then…) if not, everyone should get along just fine from the external. Now, the solution is to try…

Reason has a pretty good Browser & I've put all kinds of Refills in a Documents folder with nary a problem as most of that stuff is loaded into RAM for playback. I really can't say much about GB but the difference is usually whether you are just streaming 4 second loops or 24+ tracks of 1 to 5 minute audio. Ableton live also likes for you to run all of your loops on a separate hard drive because that is the way it will run audio (though you CAN specify loops to be run from RAM as well...your chance of errors during playback is increased). The same goes for other apps like Pro Tools where you really want a separate hard drive for your songs to stream from. I'm sorry I just got way ahead of myself. Basically put your Refills wherever you are comfortable with putting them. I like to keep mine separate just because I can differentiate easier between Reason's factory loops & someone else's. The advantage to putting your separate refills into the Reason Folder would probably be for less time that you or the program has to look for certain refills. Be careful of moving those refills around though because you will have to conduct another manual search if Reason can't find a certain refill when opening a song you have worked on.

www.myspace.com/mortal_engines

Hello --

I understand the confusion as well as the enigma. Here was my solution ( in fact, I still use this method ). I load all my samples onto my peripheral. Before I start a project, I will use a simple and relatively inexpensive program I have called audio finder. Here is the website URL: http://www.icedaudio.com/

I will go through and select out all the loops i think are relative and groovy to my composition. Audio finder is also an editor, so I can change and/ or pitch-time shift and save as i want. I will then drop all of my selected files into my sequencer -- I use Pro Tools and Ableton Live 6. Drop 'em all in to my new track and save them as a project. That way all the samples I'm going to use are on my desktop and saved to my hard drive -- so my processor isn't constantly trying to access files from my other hard drive. I will then open a new project, and use this file as my source audio. It saves a TON on my CPU as well as keeps everything where I want it to be. I will save all files to this file - such as my analog and vocal recordings and synth recordings. When everything is finished, I will drop that folder and my sequencing master track folder onto my peripheral for backup, and save the space on my harddrive.

I hope that helps -- Its just a solution I've used with relative success when I had really limited RAM and CPU power -- My system is much better now, but this procedure still is how I will do things.

Thanks, lepetitmartien, for the info about what to do if I have a pretty heavy playback load.

And thanks, Mortalengines, for the info about the Reason Refills all being loaded into RAM. I think it is likely the same for the GB software instruments, as they always took a minute to "load up" on my old iBook G4. This means that where I put all of these things (except perhaps for loops, which will stream - but which I almost never use anyway) just depends on where I feel I have hard-drive room. I'm mostly a heavily-sampled software instrument guy when it comes to the midi stuff, and I like to be able to use lots of effects on my live instrument playing ("real" instruments and midi ones that sound like they're real comprise most of what I do).

That said, thanks too to fishboisfo for the tips re:using loops. I'm sure it will all come in handy sooner than I think.

I have to say, you guys really have a good thing going here with these forums. Renews my faith in human nature.