OK.. got the external hard drive.. now what?

[geo]

Hi guys... excuse my lack of technical know-how and my desire not to erase the last twelve months work but I need some assistance here...Running Logic on a MacBook (2GB)....Just added a Lacie d2 Quadra to USB port..... (thanks for the suggestion Chuck)Partitioned the drive into 4 sections.....Now what.... to be honest I'm not that familiar with Macs outside Logic..... how do I go about the transfer..... I know should be saving the project files... or complete projects.... just leaving the empty Logic program on the desk top .... yes?How do I do that without losing everything? Thinking I'll get a 5 GB memory stick manana as a backup to disaster.....I can't stress enough how clueless I am at this point....Thanks guys.... Geo

[nickbatzdorf]

Drag the sessions (consisting of the Logic document plus all the folders) onto the new drive and they'll copy. The originals will only erase if you drag them into the trash and empty it.Why did you partition the drive into four sections, if I may ask? You may have a good reason, but I'd suggest keeping it as one partition if you're only doing that because someone told you to. Partitions are for convenience, nothing else, and "convenience" is subjective.Also, I don't know which MacBook you have, but on some Macs there are both USB and USB 2 ports. Be sure you're using USB 2 if there's a choice - and there probably is - or the transfers will be way too slow to use.I recently found that out about my G5; I haven't checked the USB ports on my MacBook Pro (because I don't have any USB drives, just FireWire and eSATA).

[elser]

Aug 10, 2008, 9:48pm, nickbatzdorf wrote:Why did you partition the drive into four sections, if I may ask? You may have a good reason, but I'd suggest keeping it as one partition if you're only doing that because someone told you to. Partitions are for convenience, nothing else, and "convenience" is subjective.My understanding of partitioning is that it makes the drive work more efficiently by limiting the amount of space that the drive head has to search for files. In other words if you have a partition called 'Audio' and you have a file stored on that partition the drive head will only scan that portion of the disk that is the 'Audio' partition rather than scanning the whole surface of the disk. Is this correct?Elser

[devin]

Hey Geo, are you using the external drive for backup, or as a working drive during sessions?If it's for backup, then I wouldn't partition the drive. I would just drag the whole music folder over and drop it on the drive...then go for a coffee (or go to bed!). When the transfer is done, rename the folder on the external drive to "music backup - (today's date)". That way you know when you made the copy.If you're plugging the external drive in for good (as part of the new setup), then other folks would have to coach you on getting the most out of that setup.HTH ?

[geo]

Aug 11, 2008, 12:16am, fretnoise wrote:Aug 10, 2008, 9:48pm, nickbatzdorf wrote:Why did you partition the drive into four sections, if I may ask? You may have a good reason, but I'd suggest keeping it as one partition if you're only doing that because someone told you to. Partitions are for convenience, nothing else, and "convenience" is subjective.My understanding of partitioning is that it makes the drive work more efficiently by limiting the amount of space that the drive head has to search for files. In other words if you have a partition called 'Audio' and you have a file stored on that partition the drive head will only scan that portion of the disk that is the 'Audio' partition rather than scanning the whole surface of the disk. Is this correct?ElserThat was my understanding..... I'm using it as a working drive.... got a message my start up disk was almost full.... it was explained on an earlier thread I should be working with my projects on an external harddrive....When I drag the sessions (projects?) is it best to use "Finder" or through the media section in Logic?The port is USB2 which is listed as appropriate for attaching drives... (use the Firewire for interface)Silly questions.....Does the drive have to stay connected to the laptop all the time?If I want to do remote sessions do I have to lug the drive or can I load the projects I need on the desktop and just take them?Can I power the drive down/unplug it? I assume I can (like a regular computer it will store the info) ....Like I said clueless...Thanks guys...Geo

[elser]

Aug 11, 2008, 4:08am, geo wrote:Aug 11, 2008, 12:16am, fretnoise wrote:My understanding of partitioning is that it makes the drive work more efficiently by limiting the amount of space that the drive head has to search for files. In other words if you have a partition called 'Audio' and you have a file stored on that partition the drive head will only scan that portion of the disk that is the 'Audio' partition rather than scanning the whole surface of the disk. Is this correct?ElserThat was my understanding..... I'm using it as a working drive.... got a message my start up disk was almost full.... it was explained on an earlier thread I should be working with my projects on an external harddrive....When I drag the sessions (projects?) is it best to use "Finder" or through the media section in Logic?The port is USB2 which is listed as appropriate for attaching drives... (use the Firewire for interface)Silly questions.....Does the drive have to stay connected to the laptop all the time?If I want to do remote sessions do I have to lug the drive or can I load the projects I need on the desktop and just take them?Can I power the drive down/unplug it? I assume I can (like a regular computer it will store the info) ....Like I said clueless...Thanks guys...GeoI don't know to much about computer guts but I'll fill you in according to my understanding.1. I just drag files straight from one location to another. A digital copy cannot happen unless it is a perfect copy, otherwise you'll get an error message, so dragging in the finder is quickest for me.2. Firewire is considered a better choice for audio. Has something to do with the way the data is transferred, in bursts and packets rather than a steady stream of data, but I'm vague on this so I'm not going to say to much.3. There are no silly questions.4-5. The drive only has to stay connected to the computer when you're working on things that are stored on that drive. But a cool feature in Logic is the 'Project Save' where you can select which items to save in the project folder. So if you need to go mobile and don't want to take the drive you can save all the audio files, exs samples, ultrabeat samples, etc. in the project folder, drag the folder to the internal drive, disconnect the external drive, go to your friends house so you can record him singing in his shower where he sounds fantastic, take the laptop back home, reconnect the external drive, drag the project folder back over to it, and then keep working.6. I power down my external drive after every session, just make sure you eject it from the desktop first, click on the drive icon and press command 'e'.Ta daa! Elser

[suzdoyle]

Aug 11, 2008, 4:08am, geo wrote:Aug 11, 2008, 12:16am, fretnoise wrote:My understanding of partitioning is that it makes the drive work more efficiently by limiting the amount of space that the drive head has to search for files. In other words if you have a partition called 'Audio' and you have a file stored on that partition the drive head will only scan that portion of the disk that is the 'Audio' partition rather than scanning the whole surface of the disk. Is this correct?ElserThat was my understanding..... I'm using it as a working drive.... got a message my start up disk was almost full.... it was explained on an earlier thread I should be working with my projects on an external harddrive....When I drag the sessions (projects?) is it best to use "Finder" or through the media section in Logic?The port is USB2 which is listed as appropriate for attaching drives... (use the Firewire for interface)Silly questions.....Does the drive have to stay connected to the laptop all the time?If I want to do remote sessions do I have to lug the drive or can I load the projects I need on the desktop and just take them?Can I power the drive down/unplug it? I assume I can (like a regular computer it will store the info) ....Like I said clueless...Thanks guys...GeoHi Geo;Just a few tidbits to add to what the others have suggested:If you have a choice between using Firewire 800 or 400, the 800 is much faster and better for large audio files. If you were previously a PC user (rather than a Mac), you'll find that many things work in opposite ways (e.g. close window command is on the left, rather than the right), and everything is very WYSIWYG . . . . . . one of the biggest differences is that to eject an external hard drive (or a jump drive, for that matter), make sure all your documents (on the external device) are saved and closed, then DRAG THE ICON of the external device to the Trash. The trash then magically morphs into an "EJECT" button, and -- voila -- your device safely unmounts itself from the computer. THEN you can power it down.Also, as an official Mac-o-holic, I'd recommend you look for a Mac User's group in your area -- it's a great way to get free advice and support for setting up your system and using your software. Most have a help list of Mac fiends specializing in different aspects of using Macs.Also, any books by Robin Williams (e.g. The Little Mac OSX Book) are wonderful.Keep up the excellent woik! In cluelessness we trust (and we all experience),Suz

[devin]

Nice post Suz...you're helped more than Geo with that one

[geo]

Alright... thank you Nick, Devin, Elser and Suz..... your post should get me over my "new-piece-of-technology-phobia" ....Here's my plan/what I understand so far.......1. Get a couple of memory sticks and copy all my projects ... just in case... plus I gotta start backing up on a regular basis anyway...2. Drag my projects to the external drive.... if I do this on the desktop (Finder) this should move whole project (I already save them all with audio files etc.).... (or should I open them in Logic and then SAVE AS to save the to the ex. drive making sure all files are saved with them?)3. If #2 copies, not moves files then delete them from Logic thus freeing up start-up disk space on laptop.....4. Projects can then be loaded from and saved to the external drive.5. A couple of projects can be loaded onto the laptop for remote sessions.... saved to the external drive at a later date.6. As I add plugins etc (i have UNO to install) I should load the program onto the laptop but save any files to the external drive... (separate partition)About Firewire400/USB2.0 .... I use a M-Audio Firewire 410 for interface which uses up my one Firewire 400 port... I have 2 X USB2 ports.... my audio files shouldn't be too large to start... I don't utilise libraries at this time so they will be performance files... will the USB 2.0 be OK.... or... Can I connect the external drive to the interface as well (it has 2 X Firewire400 ports).... will it daisey chain to the laptop?.... orDo I just now need to get a Firewire 800 ports installed?Not quite as clueless now...ThanksGeo

[suzdoyle]

<<<I use a M-Audio Firewire 410 for interface which uses up my one Firewire 400 port... I have 2 X USB2 ports.... my audio files shouldn't be too large to start... I don't utilise libraries at this time so they will be performance files... will the USB 2.0 be OK.... or...Can I connect the external drive to the interface as well (it has 2 X Firewire400 ports).... will it daisey chain to the laptop?.... orDo I just now need to get a Firewire 800 ports installed?>>Hey Geo -- I have the M-Audio Fast Track pro, but haven't used it yet. I use MIDI keyboards/ controllers (MIDI in & out to the USB 2.0 of the Mac) when recording with software based sound patches, and for Audio recording (e.g. vocals, guitars, bass, electric guitar), I run those through a basic mixer (XLR or 1/4" line to mixers, then Left and Right 1/4" cables out to the single 1/8" audio/ mic input on the Mac.I tend to record one track at a time, so find this is the simplest set-up for most of what I do.Someday I'll get around to using the M-Audio interface! SuzP.S. Here is a really nifty (and helpful) site that shows you all the frequencies of different instruments -- when you highlight a specific instrument, it tells you the frequency levels, suggestions for Equalizing when recording, and common things to be aware of EQ-wise when recording. Very helpful info!!http://www.independentrecording.net/irn ... isplay.htm