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mikeshep

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 23, 2008
95
7
Midwest US
Hi, I'm looking for recommendation of a new external HD that has to serve sort of a dual purpose...

I have two recording studios and multiple Macs, from Macbook to Desktops,
various OSX versions... Some FW and USB, others USB-only.

I need a reliable HD, at least 200G, that can be used to transfer large audio files between these machines... i.e., back-up material recorded on one computer and then be able to move that material on to another computer.

The other purpose is, for use as a "dedicated" HD that acts as a 'scratch disk'
or "record-to" disk when recording in apps such as Pro Tools or Bias Peak. It
is generally recommended that the media drive to which material is being
recorded, be separate from the drive on which the application (say, Pro Tools) resides.

Probably over-thinking this but - on the one hand 7200 is suggested vs 5400 for media work. However, if transfer rate is limited to whatever the limits of the FW or USB capacity is, does the higher speed matter?

I had kind of decided on an OWC/Mac Sales portable HD enclosures with both FW and USB connectivity. What I need beyond that is advice on a known- reliable dependable, economical HD to put in it -that will fit my specific needs

Any opinions much appreciated!
 
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