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hey guys --

this might be an apples 'n' oranges query.

i have a PC/win98 based DAW -- i've got 2 drives (both SCSI): my main 'boot'/'other crap' hard drive and then my dedicated audio drive. some folks recommend using a dedicated drive (the fastest) for audio only, and the other drive for the software.
but for all my audio apps, i've got BOTH the OS and audio files on the dedicated faster audio-only drive.

the 'boot' drive is 7200 rpm SCSI and the audio drive is 10,000 rpm. i've never had any problems to date with speed, track playback etc. so would i really be gaining anything by putting the OS of my software back on the 'boot' drive?
(i've got plenty o' RAM and a decent PIII/motherboard setup, i run cool edit pro, acid pro, t-racks etc. among others)

Comments

Greg Malcangi Tue, 02/06/2001 - 04:19

Hi Ujaku,

In theory you would be better off having your OS on one drive and keeping your 10k drive for audio only. However, moving your OS to another drive and reconfiguring your system could be a bit of an ordeal. If you are getting the number of tracks you want without any problems then I would probably leave things as they are. The old principle of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" may well apply here.

Greg

Ang1970 Tue, 02/06/2001 - 04:43

If you make a living off of DAW'ing, you have to ask yourself "What's the worst thing that could possibly happen?"

One of the main reasons to keep programs on your boot disk is that you have less risk of corrupting your program software when (not "if") there is an audio HD failure. Losing a couple audio files that may or may not be backed up is bad enough; losing protection code keys for all your programs andplug-insis something you really don't want to add to that.

Performance-wise, it may not affect the usual playback and recording functions directly, but you are limiting yourself from a few options. One of which is "poor man's defragment", in other words moving all the files off to a different drive and and then back on again. There have even been cases of certain protection keys being corrupted, even by normal, "safe" defragmenting utilities (eg. Norton). Check with manufacturers before shuffling their software around, or de-authorize everything before attempting such an operation. By keeping them on the boot disk, you never have to worry about de-fragmenting the audio HD. (This may not apply to some DAW's, but you didn't specify which program/s you're using. So pooh on you. hehe)

user_gamesound Wed, 02/07/2001 - 11:06

hey angelo,

i think i did say what software i am running in my first post, that being Cool Edit Pro, ACID Pro, T-Racks, mondo plugins, etc. but no MIDI/seq.

seeing how my system wouldn't really gain too much in spliting the OS from the audio, i'll be forging ahead as usual -- i haven't had any problems anyway....(knock on wood).

shalom. ;)