USB2 or Firewire 400 ext hard disc ?

[analog1]

Hi folks
I,m just wondering which is best.
I would like to buy ext hard disc for my projects.
I know that firewire acts much better for playback and recording.
What is better to use , any opinions here ?
I saw Iomega models with firewire looks very ok.
Has someone experience with Iomega ?
cheers

[BradLyons]

I'd never consider USB for anything audio or video related. It's fine for storage, but NOT for actual use. As to drives, well I won't tell you that I only recommend and use Glyph myself because they are built to be rugged and just work, I won't tell you I've not had as much as a lockup in 13-years of using Glyph drives, and I won't tell you that I strongly recommend them. Aside from that, there are many options for hard-drives...but only a few that are guaranteed to just work.

http://www.theaudioprofessional.com/GEA ... rives.html

[Tritonemusic]

I won't tell you that buying a Glyph drive, nowadays, is a waste of money (in my opinion). I won't tell you that I've seen two or three Glyph drives FAIL during heavy studio sessions. I won't tell you that getting a different brand will work just as well. Just avoid USB for any audio work. I won't tell you that just about any drive will cut the mustard in this modern world.

By the way; I won't tell you that Glyph is the only drive I've ever had fail on me in the studio (they weren't my drives; they belonged to the respective studios I was working in).

[HCMarkus]

I will tell you to always back up, because no matter what brand the drive, they can, and do, fail. And I concur with Brad, Firewire is a superior protocol for real-time streaming.

[Dan Walsh]

I don't wanna hijack this thread, but this topic now poses a question for me. I've been using USB2.0 for streaming Audio to my ext harddrive. I use a Motu 896HD as an interface to my MacBook Pro. I use the firewire 400 option to sync the interface. I'm starting to wonder if this is the wrong way to do this. I've had no probs to date on a ton of projects but:

Is there a way to also use my ext harddrive with firewire 400 along with using the 896HD?

Ihave a Mac Book Pro w/Firewire 400 & 800. I use a 500 gig Lacie Quadra D2 (it has FW/USB/Esata capabilities)

Sorry to but in here-but I'd love to now if what I'm doing currently is a bad idea.

[HCMarkus]

I think Firewire is a better interface for HDs used for audio recording, BUT, if your MacBook only has one real Firewire bus (as was the case with most older Macs), your current approach may be superior. If the FW800 and 400 ports sit on different buses in your Mac, you should be good using FW for both your HD and interface.

Bottom Line: If it works, don't fix it, so I wouldn't worry too much either way!

[analog1]

Thanks for the reply
I use to play my projects from from my second int hard disc.
I saw on the net Iomega

http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products/ext ... rtner=4760
They looks like very solid .
Also i,m thinking anyway have a cheap USB only as back up
Has someone used Iomega Ultra Max before or those G-Tech ?
Whats best for the money out there ?
Cheers

[midiw]

Aside from personal opinion where is the technical proof that data transfer via Firewire is better than USB ?

( My question is not meant to offend only to truly understand the reason why I should pay more for a FW. )

[supersonic]

I've also had a Glyph drive fail but they have a very good support here in Europe and they send an exchange drive in advance for the first year. Until now, doing projects in 44,1kHz/24 or 48kHz/24 did fine the 400FW port. Never tried USB but I'll give it a shot just to see. My last project is an acoustic album with around 50 to 60 tracks in 96kHz/24 and that's too much for 400. Using a 061 Glyph with 800 on a separate FW port through Express Card does the trick. The way I work is using a Glyph 061 with one of the internal drives for audio and the other for samples, while a second 050Drive does the backup. They are racked together so it's simple for me to move them around as I travel a lot with the project. I back up every evening or twice a day if there is a lot of recording going on. Backing up in background is not very useful with this session as it takes up all HD resources and if I try to back up during playback or recording DP will stall the drive. Bottom line - 400 was always good to me with a certain amount of tracks.