CUTTING EDGE: Moving Data

Date:2020/1/9 16:12:24 Hits:

Unless you’re working in a 100% analog studio, then you probably have a Mac or Windows PC integrated into your system. And if you’re using a computer, then you need to store data and shuffle it around during recording, mixing, and mastering – to say nothing of when you need to back up or archive projects. Some virtual instruments, such as FXpansion BFD, Mixosaurus Kit A, and others also require the ability to move a lot of data around, and to do it quickly.

The key to avoiding frustration with moving data around your studio, and the frustration of not being able to effectively use high-demand virtual instruments or effectively deal with large track counts at high resolution, is to use the best connectivity protocol for your computers and storage devices. Over the years, there have been a number of different systems in use for connecting storage devices and productivity. Let’s take a look at the status of the various current options and which one might be appropriate for your needs.

OLDER PROTOCOLS

ATA/ATAPI – AT Attachment and AT Attachment Packet Interface, a.k.a. IDE, PATA (Parallel ATA), and other names. These protocols are mostly obsolete these days, though ATA drives are still used inside some external hard drive enclosures. ATA has largely been replaced by SATA (Serial ATA, see below).
SCSI – Small Computer System Interface. A set of standards for connecting devices and transferring data. SCSI was very common at one point, and continues to be developed, but it has largely disappeared from personal computers -thankfully. If you’ve ever dealt with termination issues and other foibles of SCSI, then you don’t miss it. A manufacturer sent me an archiving device to try the other day, and it included a high-speed PCI SCSI card for my Mac. I have to admit to having little or no interest in even trying it – too many memories of SCSI problems in the past. Various flavors of SCSI can certainly deliver high-bandwidth transfers, though the hassle of the protocol has led to it falling out of favor for most users.
750-gt050quad250_rearCURRENT PROTOCOLS

Fortunately, with newer protocols, the challenges and hassles of SCSI (termination, cable lengths, IDs, etc.) are largely things of the past. The latest protocols are simple, plug-n-play propositions; hook up your drives and most likely things will work fine.

USB 1.0/USB 1.1/USB 2.0 – Universal Serial Bus. At around 1.5Mbps for USB 1.0 and 12Mbps for USB 1.1, these protocols are too slow for studio storage requirements, though USB is, of course, the standard for connecting peripherals such as a mouse, a keyboard, and so on. USB 2.0 operates at speeds up to 480Mbps. This is as fast as some other protocols, and it’s fast enough for transferring large quantities of data. USB 2.0, though, is typically not used for serious high-bandwidth situations; it is used for backup drives and some other storage applications. The upcoming USB 3.0 protocol is said to be able to reach speeds of 4.8Gbps.
SATA/eSATA – Serial AT Attachment, external Serial AT Attachment. SATA has quickly become the standard for internal hard drive connections in personal computers, and eSATA is becoming increasingly popular for connecting high-speed, high-bandwidth external storage devices. eSATA supports cable lengths up to two meters (6.6 feet) and can operate at fast rates; the first generation of SATA supported up to 1.5Gbps, while the second generation (sometimes referred to as SATA2) supports up to 3Gbps. eSATA can reach speeds up to 2.4Gbps. SATA3, which is beginning to appear at this writing, is said to achieve speeds up to 6Gbps. eSATA has a couple of limitations: it won’t bus power storage devices (which is not a big deal, unless you are putting together a mobile rig), and you can’t daisy-chain eSATA drives. You’ll need to have an eSATA card with multiple ports in order to use multiple drives – note that when you do so, the bandwidth for all the ports may be shared. Check with the manufacturer to see if each port will have its own discrete bandwidth. There are no current Macintosh computers with eSATA ports, so if you want to go with eSATA on your Mac, you’ll need an expansion card (and a free slot to put it in).
FireWire 400/FireWire 800 – FireWire 400, introduced by Apple Computer, quickly became popular for connecting external storage devices and audio interfaces. FireWire 800 is the current standard on new Macs (which no longer have FireWire 400 ports) and is increasingly popular on hard drives for fast data transfers. Speed-wise, FireWire 400 supports rates up to 400Mbps, while FireWire 800 supports up to 800Mbps. FireWire definitely wins the convenience category if you need to daisy-chain multiple drives together. Note that most computers only have one FireWire bus, so even though the machine has both FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 jacks, the bus is shared. When this is true, the slowest device will set the overall speed for the entire bus. So, if you plug in FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 drives, the speed for the bus will be FireWire 400. In this case, you’re better off to add a FireWire expansion card in order to have more discrete FireWire buses to hang drives on.
Fibre Channel – Designed for high-bandwidth applications, Fibre Channel can attain 1, 2, or even 4Gbps speeds. Fibre Channel tends to be used for storage networking in large installations more than for single computer/user situations.

WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

If you have a reasonably modern computer, its internal hard drives are probably operating using the SATA protocol. But, which protocols should you choose for external storage? Fibre Channel is popular among studios with large installations and multiple rooms and users, but FireWire remains the external storage standard for many studios, with eSATA quickly becoming a popular option due to its high performance. However, there have been some concerns raised over the durability of the eSATA connectors for drives/ports that are connected and disconnected often.

In fact, many current external hard drives are coming in enclosures equipped with multiple protocols: USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and/or 800, and/or eSATA, so you can go with whichever format works for you or that your computer supports. (There are expansion cards that can be added to most desktop computers and even to many laptop computers that support either FireWire 400/800 or eSATA, if your computer doesn’t have the appropriate ports.)

There’s another thing to consider when making your decision: how is your audio interface connected to your computer? If it uses internal expansion cards (as with Pro Tools|HD), then FireWire or eSATA will be fine. If your interface uses USB 2.0 or FireWire, then I would avoid using those same protocols for your storage. (Though, if your interface uses FireWire, for example, you could add a FireWire expansion card and plug FireWire drives into it to get around this.)

The good news is, with the latest storage connection protocols, such as SATA3, the performance of the protocol will likely be better than all but the fastest hard drives you might use. Take a moment to evaluate your needs, then determine which protocol will be best for you and your studio. Then get busy filling up those drives with music!

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