Best external drive

[Starlight182]

I have a Macbook, but I just have 30gb left, yikes. I have a 160gb external drive but I don't trust it. In fact, I'm so ignorant I don't trust external drives in general.

So, SHOULD I trust an external drive to record music? Can I actually record directly onto the drive? I'm not sure if a USB drive works the same as the one in my Macbook.

Final question, if you DO recommend one which brand would you recommend?

[brandondrury]

I'm so ignorant I don't trust external drives in general.

If you were less ignorant you'd know not to trust internal OR external drives. With that said, assuming there isn't any banging around or throwing the drive down a few flights of stairs, there is no reason to expect any difference in reliability from either format.

So, SHOULD I trust an external drive to record music?

Sure! But you should also back that data up. I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS copy the band's project folder to a second (actually 3rd) hard drive after each session. If one drive crashes, I still have the other one.

Final question, if you DO recommend one which brand would you recommend?

Just buy one from a reputable dealer. The reason I say this is because everyone has a bias on this one. I've had good luck with most, but Seagates have failed more than Maxtors for me...quite a bit more. With that said, I'm sure there 10,000 guys who have had the opposite experience. In the end, I think they are all the same.

I don't expect pizza to last for more than 3 weeks (if I leave it out) and I don't expect a hard drive to last for more than 3 years. They are meant to be temporary in my opinion. I do have hard drives that have lasted me 8 years before, but that's extraordinary.

Brandon

[Starlight182]

Alright, thanks for the reply. I'll definitely be backing it up in at least two drives.

[mac_dova]

how do i post a thread on this site

[Starlight182]

Go to the forum homepage, click on the forum you want to start a category in, then click "new thread".

[adam0568]

hey man check out the new OWC ones. they're pretty quick and they dont need a power adapter
OWC Mercury On-The-Go Bus Powered FireWire, Bus Powered USB 2.0, and eSATA Portable Hard Drive Solutions at OtherWorldComputing.com

[EnSkorSang]

Noothing wrong with external drives...I have a WD book which I record onto. I got it coz it looks like a book. Actually when you buy eastwest orchestra it reccomends that you hace the library on a different drive to the instrument...so if eastwest have nothing against the external drive, neither do i...

[Starlight182]

Originally Posted by adam0568

hey man check out the new OWC ones. they're pretty quick and they dont need a power adapter
OWC Mercury On-The-Go Bus Powered FireWire, Bus Powered USB 2.0, and eSATA Portable Hard Drive Solutions at OtherWorldComputing.com

Is it faster than this one? Western Digital - My Book Essential 1TB External Hard Drive - WDH1U10000N

[Audio~Geek]

Same speed.
Firewire and ESata are much more reliable for recording drives though.

[copied from a post I wrote in the Pro Tools forum]
You should be able to get a good external hard drive for not a lot of money (if it works perfect, it's priceless IMO).

What you're looking for:
TI Oxford Chipset (911, 912 or 942)
Firewire 400, 800, or eSata (depending on what ports you have available)
7200 RPM

• Lacie D2 Quadra 500GB $129 (one of the most popular drives for professional audio recording)
• OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro
• My Book® Home Edition
• My Book® Studio Edition
• Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme
• Seagate FreeAgent Pro

You can get your own enclosure and buy any size drive to put in it.
Macpower - Home / Storage Solutions / 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosures / Product Index

[Starlight182]

Yeah, I know Firewire is faster but I use my Firewire port for recording. I'll just stick to USB for now. Thanks though. :]