Pro Tools doesn't like my hard drives!?! [SOLVED]

[Setvice]

I have a new macbook pro, retina i7 with 16G of Ram and an SSD hard drive. I have a couple of external drives connected.

• 2 TB exFat (This has my sample library)
• 500GB Fat32 (I use this for transfering sessions/backup etc)
• 4GB fat32 Thumb drive. (for quick transfer)

All of them are connected via USB through a hub.

Pro tools wont let me use any audio files from the 2TB or 500GB. If i use Workspace, i cannot preview the files. The green play button lights up but the sample (audio file) won't play. If i drag and drop from finder, I get the following:

No audio and the task manager shows it processing the file forever.

The USB thumb drive works fine, which is the bit that confuses me! I don't want to record to any of these drives, I just want to be able to access my sample library. I was going to buy a thunderbolt hard drive but they are very expensive, so I just thought I would post here first to see if there were any potential solutions. Thanks!

[nst7]

This may not have anything to do with your problem, but the most basic requirement for protools has always been, and still is, recording your audio to a separate drive. It seems you have drives designated for everything but the most important thing, based on your description, which means you must be recording to your laptop's system drive, which is a no-no.

This may not help the current problem, but getting that straightened out may prevent other problems, and will put you in the category of "supported setup" vs. not.

[DetroitT]

Drive Format's HFS+ (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) for Mac.

"new macbook pro, retina i7:...exFat,...Fat32...Fat32..."? Are you using boot camp and windows?

Note: when you buy any new drive, formatting to your systems format would be a good process to follow. (Even if the Drive label states Mac/PC compatible)

[BCnSTL]

Originally Posted by nst7

This may not have anything to do with your problem, but the most basic requirement for protools has always been, and still is, recording your audio to a separate drive.

I'm running everything from the lone SSD HD on a late 2013 MBPr. OS, samples, session data - it all works fine. Disk I/O is very low.

This *requirement* dates back to the early 2000s when a 7200 rpm disk was a big high-performance deal.

My suggestions: try using a USB 3.0 hub and make sure the external disks are formatted correctly.

[Setvice]

Thanks for the reply guys.
The reason my Hard drives are formatted like that is because I just switched from PC and i needed to be able to use the drives on both machines to transfer projects and sample libraries.! Im happy to reformat the drives but my only issue now is if I format them for mac then how will i get my huge sample library from my PC onto the new drive?!

With regards to recording on the system drive being a no-no. I only ever record maximum 8 tracks at once and it runs beautifully. The bit I don't understand about this whole thing is why does the 4G thumb drive work fine?!

P.S. I am using a USB 3.0 Hub.

[Chief Technician]

Originally Posted by Setvice

Im happy to reformat the drives but my only issue now is if I format them for mac then how will i get my huge sample library from my PC onto the new drive?!

Enable the SMB protocol for personal file sharing on the Mac, then connect to it from your PC and transfer the files.

[Setvice]

I formatted my drive for mac and it works perfectly now. Thanks for your help guys!

[Seafoam_Green]

Originally Posted by Chief Technician

Enable the SMB protocol for personal file sharing on the Mac, then connect to it from your PC and transfer the files.

Im a mac newbie ..., could someone please help me by explaining exactly how I enable this SMB protocol , and how I connect to it from a PC .

Sorry for the newbie question ..., after 20 years on a PC , some of this mac terminology sounds like Chinese to me

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by seafoam green

Im a mac newbie ..., could someone please help me by explaining exactly how I enable this SMB protocol , and how I connect to it from a PC .

Sorry for the newbie question ..., after 20 years on a PC , some of this mac terminology sounds like Chinese to me

See this article from Apple when using Mountain Lion:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11156