is 370 mb/sec enough? SSDs with Blackmagic multidock

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Eric Seaberg

I'm not 'gung ho' on USB2, I'm just saying that if the OP isn't running massive amounts of tracks, you don't need to spend massive money on SSD.

We are still using multiple 7200RPM drives for audio and do very well with our track count. I was just hoping the OP would look at ALL his options and make a decision based on his needs, not based on what everyone else is doing.

We do use SSDs for our multichannel video capture systems in our truck. They need the speed for 8-video streams of 1080i video with embedded audio... audio files just do not need that king of throughput.

I've been doing this over 45-years... I'm not a dummy, but do understand that not everyone who posts here is in the same league or has unlimited funds to make his system match everyone else's. Evidently you feel differently than I.

Options have always been a better alternative, IMHO, than just doing what everyone does.

Try finding 7200 rpm USB2 drives new - ain't happening. USB3 is the new thing and why strangle it with spinners even at 7200 rpm? As a matter of fact - when's the last time you saw USB2 ports on a current computer, especially one fit for audio recording?

[Eric Seaberg]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Try finding 7200 rpm USB2 drives new - ain't happening. USB3 is the new thing and why strangle it with spinners even at 7200 rpm? As a matter of fact - when's the last time you saw USB2 ports on a current computer, especially one fit for audio recording?

You guys are totally not getting what I'm saying. We have a large facility, over 100 employees, $5 million HDTV truck with SSL console, 5-ProTools rooms/studios and 6-video suites/studios. I"m only using USB2 on the JoeCO because that's all they have. Even then, we've got very expensive drive chassis and carriers that allow removal of all drives. Those carriers offer USB3, eSATA and FW800, but we use USB with the JoeCo.

The only reason I brought up USB2 is that for most cases, the bandwidth capabilities of SSD isn't required by someone only recording 24-ish tracks at home.

Geesh!

[guitardom]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Try finding 7200 rpm USB2 drives new - ain't happening. USB3 is the new thing and why strangle it with spinners even at 7200 rpm? As a matter of fact - when's the last time you saw USB2 ports on a current computer, especially one fit for audio recording?

We supply USB 2, USB 3, USB 3.1 (and not the Mac Gen 1 BS), and USB C type on our systems. Many Win system devs do. You are stuck thinking in the Mac paradigm. Considering most PC middle of the road systems are faster than any Mac on the market, I would say they are more than fit.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Eric Seaberg

You guys are totally not getting what I'm saying. We have a large facility, over 100 employees, $5 million HDTV truck with SSL console, 5-ProTools rooms/studios and 6-video suites/studios. I"m only using USB2 on the JoeCO because that's all they have. Even then, we've got very expensive drive chassis and carriers that allow removal of all drives. Those carriers offer USB3, eSATA and FW800, but we use USB with the JoeCo.

The only reason I brought up USB2 is that for most cases, the bandwidth capabilities of SSD isn't required by someone only recording 24-ish tracks at home.

Geesh!

Your argument is making less and less sense as it goes on. You have a legacy system and that means you're stuck with ancient technology. Why should anybody putting together a newish system be hamstrung by old tech? And it's not just bandwidth but speed of transfer.

Better to have a system that's over-spec'ed than to have one that could end up straining. People tend to underestimate what they're going to do with a system and end up wishing they had spent the money more wisely in the beginning. That's why I wish I had ssd's for my sample drives - the 7200 rpm spinners I have are major league slowing down my work. It's only been recently that ssd's big enough to house my libraries are available along with something like the Blackmagic MultiDock to make efficient use of them. And one can hot swap drives as one wants to. Not to mention an ssd is way more rugged than a spinner.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by guitardom

We supply USB 2, USB 3, USB 3.1 (and not the Mac Gen 1 BS), and USB C type on our systems. Many Win system devs do. You are stuck thinking in the Mac paradigm. Considering most PC middle of the road systems are faster than any Mac on the market, I would say they are more than fit.

You missed the point I am trying to make - USB2 7200 rpm spinners are almost impossible to find new, if at all. Has nothing to do with thinking in any kind of Mac paradigm nor what is available in a system. Speed of system itself isn't part of this specific argument although it can have an effect on overall use.

[Eric Seaberg]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Your argument is making less and less sense as it goes on. You have a legacy system and that means you're stuck with ancient technology. Why should anybody putting together a newish system be hamstrung by old tech? And it's not just bandwidth but speed of transfer.

We don't have legacy systems... everything is HDX or HD Native and uses 7200RPM in MacPro Towers. The ONLY place there is a USB interface is on the JoeCo 64-track MADI recorders, and those are only as backups for our HDX2 system in the truck. JoeCo only has a USB2 option and it works.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Eric Seaberg

We don't have legacy systems... everything is HDX or HD Native and uses 7200RPM in MacPro Towers. The ONLY place there is a USB interface is on the JoeCo 64-track MADI recorders, and those are only as backups for our HDX2 system in the truck. JoeCo only has a USB2 option and it works.

Whatever. I've already made my point and stand by it.

[guitardom]

Originally Posted by musicman691

You missed the point I am trying to make - USB2 7200 rpm spinners are almost impossible to find new, if at all. Has nothing to do with thinking in any kind of Mac paradigm nor what is available in a system. Speed of system itself isn't part of this specific argument although it can have an effect on overall use.

Let me quote you:

As a matter of fact - when's the last time you saw USB2 ports on a current computer, especially one fit for audio recording?

You said it, I responded. My point still stands and it is correct.

To address the point you are trying to make, It took me aprox. 5 seconds on both Amazon and Newegg to find USB 2 exernal drives and even more available drive enclosures.

Now, to Eric's point, it is 100% possible to record to a USB 2 drive as he states. USB 2 has 480Mbp/s transfer rates. 48K/24bit audio is 288Kbp/s per track. Lots of us did it all the time. The issue with USB 2 recording was typically a problem due to heavy Southbridge activity and hub conflicts. A laptop with only 1-2 USB hubs with a lot of peripherals hanging off of them will get worse USB drive performance than a well maintained desktop with 4-5 USB hubs and no devices sharing the hub with the drive. Wireless for instance is horrific to system performance and DPC latency. It would create a mess on the Southbridge. It is just less of a problem now because we have the power and speed to push through it most of the time. This is the same problem with Thunderbolt chaining. The end devices have far less bandwidth to work with and why hard drives will get far less write/read performance at the end of a chain when monitors are hogging the bandwidth.

Would I recommend USB 2.0 today?? no, there is far better options. But the point still stands, it was and is completely viable as a record drive option.

[propower]

What about either the OWC or the Akitio 4 bay Thunderbolt 2 boxes. The Akitio shows that it gets full drive speed out of the SSDs - not sure about the OWC.

I have owned the MultiDock since it came out and it is rock solid. But mine is TB1, V1 with only one TB port. As I transition to the new iMac I am very limited in TB ports and could dearly use the daisychain port. I could always buy the MD V2 but how about these other two alternatives? 1/2 the price and considerably faster at least. As a last alternative there is a new TB3 4 drive box from Akitio as well.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by propower

What about either the OWC or the Akitio 4 bay Thunderbolt 2 boxes. The Akitio shows that it gets full drive speed out of the SSDs - not sure about the OWC.

I have owned the MultiDock since it came out and it is rock solid. But mine is TB1, V1 with only one TB port. As I transition to the new iMac I am very limited in TB ports and could dearly use the daisychain port. I could always but the MD V2 but how about these other two alternatives? 1/2 the price and considerably faster at least. As a last alternative there is a new TB3 4 drive box from Akitio as well.

I thought iMacs have two Thunderbolt ports? I know the one I have (the last 'fat' iMac has two).