Internal/External Hard Drive

[bpsowner]

Hi everyone,

A few weeks ago I bought a new laptop and since then I am having problems with the Pro Tools M-Powered Essentials Software that came with my M-Audio Fast Track. The problem is that I can't open any session because I can't set my drive to a Playback or Record drive in the Workspace.

Now I have read that I should better not use my internal system drive to record to but an external drive. I also read that this would make my pro Tools get faster because the internal drive would run the software and the external one would do the saving. But isn't it also slower because the laptop has to transfer the files to the external drive?

My main question is: Is an external drive the solution to my problem? If it is right that I need to buy an external drive, which one should I get, and why?

Thanks for your help,
bpsowner

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by bpsowner

Hi everyone,

A few weeks ago I bought a new laptop and since then I am having problems with the Pro Tools M-Powered Essentials Software that came with my M-Audio Fast Track. The problem is that I can't open any session because I can't set my drive to a Playback or Record drive in the Workspace.

Now I have read that I should better not use my internal system drive to record to but an external drive. I also read that this would make my pro Tools get faster because the internal drive would run the software and the external one would do the saving. But isn't it also slower because the laptop has to transfer the files to the external drive?

My main question is: Is an external drive the solution to my problem? If it is right that I need to buy an external drive, which one should I get, and why?

Thanks for your help,
bpsowner

The problem with using the system drive is there's only one path in and out for data. There's only one read/write head assembly for a spinning drive. No matter how fast a drive may be, even if it's an ssd, you still only have that one data entry/exit point. With a proper interface (FW800, USB3, Thunderbolt) and a non-green drive (one that doesn't vary speed according to load, doesn't sleep, and for a spinner is a minimum of 7200 rpm) things will go much smoother and the time it takes to transfer data isn't an issue.

As to recommending a drive that's hard to say because you don't give any system details. Without that people would just be guessing and possibly recommend something that won't work with your computer.

An external drive is only part of the equation for a successful PT experience. A properly set up/optimized computer system following Avid's recommendations will go a long way to working correctly. All this can be found on various Avid web pages.

[SpinningDisk]

I would suggest Glyph. That's all I use. Dependable. Data recovery for two years. All 500 gigs. My main session drive is 8 years old and still screaming along. They are much quieter now.
Yes the ideal situation is to have internal drives. Some of us don't have the opportunity. I'm running on an iMac. No slow downs with my external drives.
Also there is OWC drives which a lot of people like.

[nst7]

One other thing to mention:

You say you recently bought a new laptop, which means you have a newer operating system. M-Powered Essentials has been discontinued now for a couple of years. It's very possible that it may not be compatible with your new computer. I would check into that before spending money on other things.

Although no matter what you end up using for your recording software, having a separate drive is going to be pretty much a requirement anyway. I like OWC drives myself, but Glyphs are great, as mentioned.

[bpsowner]

Thank you for your contributions.
I already checked that Pro Tools M-Powered Essentials works on Windows 8.

If this helps to make a concrete suggestion, my laptop is a Dell Inspiron 17 7000-Series:
8GB Ram
Intel Core i7-4500U CPU @ 1,8o GHz

[Craig F]

Separate or integrated video card?
Integrated video systems are hell with Pro Tools and not recommended

[bpsowner]

Why is the video card so important for Pro Tools?
How do I find out if it's separate or integrated?

[Craig F]

Important do to the amount of load the integrated video cards put on the CPU and Data Bus

Control Panel > Device Manager > Display adapters

then you may need to Google it to see if it is an Integrated model or not

[Evlsmith]

I got a Lacie with FireWire connection for my mac book pro- not too expensive and hasn't crashed yet.

[bpsowner]

Is it really important which company made the external drive? or what should I search for when I buy a new one? 7200rpm? Anything more?