System/audio hard drives help please!

[bkidmusic]

Hi, I'm totally new to this forum but really hoping some kind person can help me please!

I have a new Macbook Pro 15" 2.0 ghz quad-core i7 arriving tomorrow. It has a 500gb 5400 rpm internal hard drive and I will be installing Pro Tools 9 on it. My question is where the best place is to put all the session files and record audio? (I can't really afford to get a second internal drive at the moment... infact is that even possible in a macbook pro?)

I'll be using a Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 which is firewire and I'm unsure whether it is okay to record straight to an external firewire 7200 rpm hard drive if they're daisy-chained? I'm sure I read somewhere that this isn't a good idea, that they need separate firewire buses. My alternative would be to partition the internal drive. Would this work okay or is it a) too slow at 5400 and b) still no good as it is essentially the same physical drive?

And another question! I gather there's sound library (I've been using PT5 for years so this is all new...), would that go in the system or audio drive?

I hope what I've written all makes sense! As I said above, I've been using PT LE 5 for YEARS so all recent developments have passed me by. I've got a 001 and old G4 (partitioned internal drive) which have served me well but finally taken the plunge and bought lots of new goodies!

Thanks very much,

Beth

[getz76]

You need an external FireWire drive, daisy-chained. It should be a 7200rpm drive. See the qualified drive list. Session files go on the external.

[SpinningDisk]

Welcome to PT community bkidmusic.

Well it's like this.

You shouldn't record to your system drive (if you can help it). Sessions should be on it's own drive.

PT doesn't have a sound library. That would be something you build yourself or by. That should be on it's own drive.

I'm not sure about partitions (whether it would hamper performance). Someone who owns a MacBook Pro would be able to tell you more on the subject.

Above all, nothing lower than 7200 rpm.

Hey, you still got your 001. Me too. I'm running on a Blue and White PPC G3.

When you get a chance, write up your sig so it's easier for us, well them, to help you out.

Good luck. We are all here to help.

Disk

[HD2]

Originally Posted by getz76

You need an external FireWire drive, daisy-chained. It should be a 7200rpm drive. See the qualified drive list. Session files go on the external.

Where's Bill when you need him?

[bkidmusic]

Thanks for replying so quickly and being so welcoming!

I had a feeling the recommendation would be external firewire over partitioning the internal drive... Unfortunately all the research I've been coming across this evening says that the LS56 likes to be on a separate firewire bus but Macbook Pro only has one. Oh dear, think I may be going to have to get a second internal drive! But I'll try out my firewire drive first, fingers crossed...

Glad I'm not the only person still using the 001! I love it, just a shame it doesn't work with newer Pro Tools and Macs!

[HD2]

Originally Posted by bkidmusic

Thanks for replying so quickly and being so welcoming!

I had a feeling the recommendation would be external firewire over partitioning the internal drive... Unfortunately all the research I've been coming across this evening says that the LS56 likes to be on a separate firewire bus but Macbook Pro only has one. Oh dear, think I may be going to have to get a second internal drive! But I'll try out my firewire drive first, fingers crossed...

Glad I'm not the only person still using the 001! I love it, just a shame it doesn't work with newer Pro Tools and Macs!

You can always get a card to put in the express 34 slot that converts to eSata and hook up a second drive to that.

[Bill Denton]

Where's Bill when you need him?

I don't know if I'm the Bill, but I'm a Bill who has posted several times regard Avid's recommendation for a separate drive as opposed to an external drive.

However, given that a "Macbook Pro 15" 2.0 ghz quad-core i7" cannot accomodate more than one internal drive, a separate audio drive must necessarily be an external drive.

Too bad an external Thunderbolt drive doesn't yet seem to be available...

[getz76]

Originally Posted by HD2

Where's Bill when you need him?

The "you" was specific, not a general pronoun.

[Eric Seaberg]

Originally Posted by HD2

You can always get a card to put in the express 34 slot that converts to eSata and hook up a second drive to that.

The 17" MBPro is the only one with an ExpressCard slot anymore. I've got a two-year old 15" with a couple of ExpressCards, 1-FW400 and 1-FW800, and they work GREAT.

There's LOTS of info on DUC re: daisy chaining FW, and the order is critical. Do a search for it.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by bkidmusic

I had a feeling the recommendation would be external firewire over partitioning the internal drive... Unfortunately all the research I've been coming across this evening says that the LS56 likes to be on a separate firewire bus but Macbook Pro only has one. Oh dear, think I may be going to have to get a second internal drive! But I'll try out my firewire drive first, fingers crossed...

I use a LS56 daisy chanied through a firewire drive with my Macbook Pro and all is working fine. Issues with the LS56 are mostly related to not setting the mixer settings correctly as far as I see.