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Old 08-22-2011, 12:36 PM
amurray35 amurray35 is offline
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Question Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

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
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Old 08-22-2011, 03:09 PM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

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. 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.
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Old 08-22-2011, 10:20 PM
amurray35 amurray35 is offline
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Smile Re: Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

> 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... ). 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!
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Old 08-24-2011, 10:32 AM
gighive gighive is offline
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Default Re: Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

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!
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Old 08-24-2011, 08:57 PM
Craig F Craig F is offline
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Default Re: Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

worst case that I have seen happen:

Pro Tools locked up during recoding and overwrote the System folder killing the OS.
Nothing was salvageable
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Old 09-05-2011, 02:11 PM
Julia B Julia B is offline
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Default Re: Do you really need a dedicated audio HD to record 24/96 tracks in Protools LE 8?

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.
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