MacBook + FW Audio + FW HDD, pls suggest

[Pasha]

Hi,

I will soon buying an external FW drive after holiday season when prices should be lower. I own a MacBook and FW Audio interface than has a spare FW port that can be used to connect peripherals like HDD.
My concern is about the ability to make all those equipment to work together.

1) What sequence is best : Audio FW and then FW HDD or the opposite?
2) A FW 400 port has a max bandwidth of 400 Mbits/sec or 50 MB/sec. I own a 2in 2 out audio interface. How can I be sure that they will not compete for the same bandwidth creating pops and clicks ?
3) Is the bandwidth enough for both?

Any experience with a similar setup would be appreciated, along with some suggestions. Although as today my Audio Tracks (I mean recorded tracks) does not exceed 11 on the internal 5400 RPM disk (plus 5/6 VSTi tracks and Impulse) it might come a time when I'd like to have more (CPU well under 50%) so an external FW drive could come handy, so any tip/trick would be welcomed.


-Merry Xmas!
-Best
- Pasha

[drumroll57]

Hi,

I will soon buying an external FW drive after holiday season when prices should be lower. I own a MacBook and FW Audio interface than has a spare FW port that can be used to connect peripherals like HDD.
My concern is about the ability to make all those equipment to work together.

1) What sequence is best : Audio FW and then FW HDD or the opposite?
2) A FW 400 port has a max bandwidth of 400 Mbits/sec or 50 MB/sec. I own a 2in 2 out audio interface. How can I be sure that they will not compete for the same bandwidth creating pops and clicks ?
3) Is the bandwidth enough for both?

Any experience with a similar setup would be appreciated, along with some suggestions. Although as today my Audio Tracks (I mean recorded tracks) does not exceed 11 on the internal 5400 RPM disk (plus 5/6 VSTi tracks and Impulse) it might come a time when I'd like to have more (CPU well under 50%) so an external FW drive could come handy, so any tip/trick would be welcomed.

Keep the drive on a completely different bus, otherwise you may be asking for the kind of trouble one cannot afford in front of an audience. And buying a 7200 RPM drive is always a smart choice. There are some excellent ones up to 100 Gigs that are very small, 2.5" and fit in one of those buss-powered wallet-sized external cases. If you don't mind going down to 5400 rpm you can find 160 gigs. Even USB 2.0 is fine for such a drive.

Please also consider that for the real kick-ass performance, you might be best getting a two-port Express Card 34 to SATAII adaptor,and run SATAII drives, which have much greater throughput than either Firewire 400, 800 or USB 2.0 drives, as they run native rather than through an emulation layer like the others.

D.

[reax]

Sorry drumroll, but it seems you missed the fact he has a MacBook, and therefor has only one FW400 port, and no expresscard slot.

I also have a MacBook, and just got an external FW interface to add to my external FW drive. So I was wondering the exact same thing as the original poster. In searching the forum I see a few others are running daisy-chained drives and interfaces without problems. But I was wondering if the order mattered at all, or if there are any potential issues to be aware of.

[Pasha]

Thanks for reply so far.
I have done some experiments with a Maxtor 7200 RPM USB 2.0 drive.
It was formatted FAT32 so maybe it is not ideal for Macs, but it has a read speed
under 30 MB/sec, so it won't work. I think could be the same even with HFS+.
If I'd have to be forced to use USB 2.0 drives, which one you'd consider?
What I see is that every manufacturer states 480 Mbit/sec but only a few declare the real speed of the USB+drive, and when they declare it it's always under 30 MB/sec.

Drumroll57 rang a bell. I'm sure that new MacBook Pros have two indipendent FW bus one for 400, the other for 800. The new iMacs have two FW ports, but are they on different buses?

- Best
- Pasha

[Pasha]

Anyone?

[Pasha]

Anyone?

[octex]

You might consider adding a gigabit ethernet drive.
But at the moment gigabit ethernet drives that I could find seam to be rare and expensive.

[JamieG]

You don't have to worry about sticking a HDD and an audio card on the same bus! FireWire is a superb technology and will not give you any grief when daisy chaining! Don't listen to people telling you to put it on a seperate bus, you don't need to (ever wondered why there is only 1 FireWire socket on your laptop?)

1) It don't mater what order you put them in, I have my HDD at the end so I can take it off without dissconnecting the sound card.

2+3) FireWire has enough band width to cope many many soundcards and HDD's, a 2 in / 2 out sound card will quite happily sit on a USB1 bus!!

FireWire is a self managing technology, things will not simply compete for bandwidth, they will simply be assigned a channel to communicate on.


I could spend all day telling you how good firewire is and how your hardly pushing boundaries with your proposed set-up, but I can assure you, you will have nothing to worry about. Many people have a mis informed view on FireWire technologies, but for applications like audio or video USB 2 doesn't even come close.


There are many websites (and topics already covered in this forum) that will give you enough information to bore the geekiest of people!!!


Jamie

[JamieG]

You might consider adding a gigabit ethernet drive.
But at the moment gigabit ethernet drives that I could find seam to be rare and expensive.

WHY.....Have a look at the actual speed of Gig Ethernet, once you take into consideration all the headers and protocols its not even close to Gig/sec!!!

Anyways, have a look at the maximum transfer speed of an external HDD. Even the best HDD's will not even come close to the limits of FireWire!!

Jamie

[JamieG]

Thanks for reply so far.
I have done some experiments with a Maxtor 7200 RPM USB 2.0 drive.
It was formatted FAT32 so maybe it is not ideal for Macs, but it has a read speed
under 30 MB/sec, so it won't work. I think could be the same even with HFS+.
If I'd have to be forced to use USB 2.0 drives, which one you'd consider?
What I see is that every manufacturer states 480 Mbit/sec but only a few declare the real speed of the USB+drive, and when they declare it it's always under 30 MB/sec.

Drumroll57 rang a bell. I'm sure that new MacBook Pros have two indipendent FW bus one for 400, the other for 800. The new iMacs have two FW ports, but are they on different buses?

- Best
- Pasha

FireWire is faster than USB2 (on paper they look similar, but in practice FireWire kicks ass!!)

On MacBook Pro's they have a FireWire 800 + 400 sockets, but they are not seperate busses. Get this whole desire for two FireWire busses out your head!!

Jamie

[Pasha]

Thanks for reply so far.
I have done some experiments with a Maxtor 7200 RPM USB 2.0 drive.
It was formatted FAT32 so maybe it is not ideal for Macs, but it has a read speed
under 30 MB/sec, so it won't work. I think could be the same even with HFS+.
If I'd have to be forced to use USB 2.0 drives, which one you'd consider?
What I see is that every manufacturer states 480 Mbit/sec but only a few declare the real speed of the USB+drive, and when they declare it it's always under 30 MB/sec.

Drumroll57 rang a bell. I'm sure that new MacBook Pros have two indipendent FW bus one for 400, the other for 800. The new iMacs have two FW ports, but are they on different buses?

- Best
- Pasha

FireWire is faster than USB2 (on paper they look similar, but in practice FireWire kicks ass!!)

On MacBook Pro's they have a FireWire 800 + 400 sockets, but they are not seperate busses. Get this whole desire for two FireWire busses out your head!!

Jamie

Thanks JamieG!!!

Now is all clear to me.
I'll jump over a FW drive very soon
I have spotted this :

http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10384

It's 139 Euros while the 160 GB model is 120 Euros. 50% more space with not more than 20 Euros. Have you got some other brands in mind?

- Best
- Pasha

PS : Have a nice 2007!