Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

[amurray35]

I am planning on purchasing a used Mbox 2 Pro w/Pro Tools 8 LE package because my older Dell laptop fullfills the system requirements (barely) to run the software plus has a FireWire interface, but only two working USB ports.

The problem is that it only has one i394 port (unpowered), which will be taken up by the Mbox 2 Pro interface, so I can't add another FireWire HD. However, according to the Pro Tools knowledge base it states:

•Full 32 track, 24 bit, 48 KHz performance from just one dedicated IDE/ATA or SATA audio drive is supported.

•Full 32 track, 24 bit, 96 KHz performance from two dedicated IDE/ATA or SATA audio drives is supported.

However, it also says that "drive performance depends on a number of factors, including track count, edit density, and the use of crossfades or processing such as plug-ins". So my first question is, can I still record and play back a reduced number of tracks on my system HD, or when it says "just one dedicated IDE/ATA or SATA audio drive" does it mean one IN ADDITION to the system drive?

If I need a dedicated audio drive, can I get away with using a USB 2.0 external HD, and if so, how many tracks can I realistically expect my system to handle with just the minimum hardware requirements (2.4 Ghz core duo uP, 1G RAM, 120G 7200 rpm HD) ?

I would like to be able to record in 24 bit/96Hz mode, but typically only use 10 - 12 tracks for demos and amateur recordings and such...

TIA

[albee1952]

You really DO want to record to a separate hard drive(and NOT a partition of the system drive). Something to consider; do you REALLY need to record at 96K? Tons of studios are working at 44.1 and/or 48K. Consider the end market. No point in super-high rez if your final product is going to be a down-loadable MP3:rolleyes:. In any case, recording to the system drive, while it does work to a degree, its a guarantee of poor performance, so why hamstring yourself right out of the gate. Having a compatible computer is step #1, Next step is to perform ALL the required system tweaks. Step 3 is to use a configuration that is recommended and supported. Besides, just buy a firewire drive with dual FW400 ports and daisy-chain the interface after the drive. Or, if your laptop has a card slot, look for an eSATA card and use an eSATA hard drive for best performance. USB 2 drives are only supported under Windows 7(eSATA is good regardless). Remember, whatever drive you get, make it 7200 rpm, large cache(32MB is good), and no "green" drives allowed.

[amurray35]

> if your laptop has a card slot, look for an eSATA card and use an eSATA
> hard drive for best performance.

Yes! It does have an Express Card slot, but wasn't sure exactly what it was for (until now... :o). So, I guess my best bet is to get a dual eSATA card and one good external HD for now to see how it goes (can always add a second later, yes?).

You're also right about not really needing 24/96 capability for my current level of recording experience; but wanted to make sure I had something to grow into that would balance/maximize the performance capabilities at each level of my system: input hardware - interface - software - CPU/operating system.

Thanks for the info - I feel so much better now!

[gighive]

I can't speak for everyone, but have worked with Pro Tools on a number of computers and do record on external HDs. But sometimes you may not have the resources to buy more hardware. On many instances I have recorded to the C drive(not partitioning) with multiple track counts and plugins. Only time I ever really had problems is when the folder was not located in the root of the drive. Others may have issues, but i can't complain.

So if you don't have the cash...you might still be oK. But if you need to do some serious recording, then get some cash!

[Craig F]

worst case that I have seen happen:

Pro Tools locked up during recoding and overwrote the System folder killing the OS.
Nothing was salvageable

[Julia B]

Get the second HD. WD Caviar Black SATA 7200 RPM 500GB or more. They're cheap and they're good. When your creation is on the line don't skimp here.

OR

Get a Glyph Drive. They'll go USB/Firewire/eSATA. Great drives. Not to much money for what they are.