New Mac Mini with External Drive: What should I put on External drive?

[user_xyz]

Hi All:

How do I decide what to put on the External drive to save space on my internal SSD?

* I got the mini with i7/16gb/512ssd
* Samsung X5 TB3 512

1) I need to load Trigger finger Pro and included software-Arsenal, Air and Hybrid and loops
Can I put all that on X5 Samsung?
or does some of that need to go on internal ssd?

2) I also Have Addictive Drums with many loops.

3) Photo's/iTunes? What else?

Thanks for any help-I'm new at this!!
Michael

 

[F-Train]

1) I need to load Trigger finger Pro and included software-Arsenal, Air and Hybrid and loops
Can I put all that on X5 Samsung?
or does some of that need to go on internal ssd?

What Digital Audio Workstation are you using?

 

[user_xyz]

What Digital Audio Workstation are you using?

Garageband for now-logic x soon.

I have trigger finger pro with lots of software-Arsenal, Air, hybrid, etc to install as well as:

* guitar Rig Pro
* TH3 overloud
* lots of loops
* other "stuff"

This is my first Mac!!
windows user since 1993 and Windows for Workgroups.

Thanks

 

[F-Train]

Garageband for now-logic x soon.

I have trigger finger pro with lots of software-Arsenal, Air, hybrid, etc to install as well as:

* guitar Rig Pro
* TH3 overloud
* lots of loops
* other "stuff"

This is my first Mac!!
windows user since 1993 and Windows for Workgroups.

Thanks

If your intention is to use Logic, I think that you should set up your computer with that in mind.

Logic as an application has got to be on your internal drive. Until recently, this included Logic's very large library of samples and loops. However, that changed a few months ago and it is now possible to put the entire Logic library on an external drive. Indeed, there is now a new Logic preference that makes it very easy to transfer the Library from your internal drive, where it will be when you first download it, to an external drive.

Garageband and Logic effectively also share a 3.8GB library, and as far as I can tell this "Garageband" library has to stay on the internal drive. At least, when I moved my Logic library to an external drive, the Garageband library stayed behind, and I have not tried to move it.

It's getting late here and I'll add some additional comments tomorrow.

 

[user_xyz]

If your intention is to use Logic, I think that you should set up your computer with that in mind.

Logic as an application has got to be on our internal drive. Until recently, this included Logic's very large library of samples and loops. However, that changed a few months ago and it is now possible to put the entire Logic library on an external drive. Indeed, there is now a new Logic preference that makes it very easy to transfer the Library from your internal drive, where it will be when you first download it, to an external drive.

Garageband and Logic effectively also share a 3.8GB library, and as far as I can tell this "Garageband" library has to stay on the internal drive. At least, when I moved my Logic library to an external drive, the Garageband library stayed behind, and I have not tried to move it.

It's getting late here and I'll add some additional comments tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[inmnbob]

I am an extensive user of Logic and have a lot of my sounds on the main drive because I can't move them but any that I can move or hack and move I put on an external external drive and most of those sounds I don't use a lot so I put those on a slower drive and just put up with a little lag time on the load.

I also move all my pictures/photos and the iTunes content to an external drive which is a supported feature that is easy to do.


Even with moving the movable files to external drive I have 500GB taken up by sound libraries and other plug-ins so you may want to think about the long run on how much space you have. I agree with #F-Train that planning now will save a lot of time in the future

 

[Ploki]

X5 is not a slower drive. It's the same 2,4gb/s as the internal drive is.

so... it doesn't matter performance wise. Keep both at least 15% empty and that's all you need to care about.

as far as logistics go, system and apps are on the internal (although apps can run form the external!), everything else on the external.

I mean. It doesn't matter really. X5 is as fast as the internal drive. just keep both 15% empty.

 

[inmnbob]

I wouldn't waste the cost/space from the X5 for a sound library was the point i was trying to make. I would use it for apps and frequently used content to take advantage of the speed. everything else I put on a less expensive drive

 

[Ploki]

I wouldn't waste the cost/space from the X5 for a sound library was the point i was trying to make. I would use it for apps and frequently used content to take advantage of the speed. everything else I put on a less expensive drive

load speeds and ram usage can be lower when using an external drive tho.

Although i agree, a cheapo 1TB SSD drive should be fine for libs.

 

[F-Train]

Further to my comments in post #4...

Keep all your applications on your internal drive. They take up very little space. Then you have a choice about data files such as sounds, photos, music and writing. You can keep those on the internal drive or on an external drive.

My personal approach is to use my internal drive as a workspace for my current project only and to keep everything else on external drives. I believe that most people are less religious than I am about this, and prefer to keep not just applications, but also a good deal of data, on their internal drive. It's just a matter of preference.

The Logic and Garageband sound libraries are special cases. As you can see in the first photo below, Logic lets you choose whether to keep its sound library on the internal drive or move it to an external drive. This is quite new. If you choose to download the entire Logic sound library, it is something like 50GB, if I recall correctly, so this can be very useful. As you can see in the second photo, Garageband does not (yet) offer the same choice. Unless, and until, this changes, you need to keep the Garageband sound library on your internal drive.

I can't comment on the controller you are using and the associated software and sound files because I don't know anything about them or their operating requirements.

If you put original data on the Samsung X5, I assume that you have decided how you are going to back up your internal drive and the Samsung drive. In this regard, I would suggest that you enable the internal Mac backup application (Time Machine) and that you also look into a third party backup application/synchroniser such as Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[Fishrrman]

On the Mini's SSD:
- The OS (of course)
- All your apps
- Your accounts (less stuff mentioned below)

On the external drive:
- "general libraries" (movies, music, pics)
- audio production libraries (loops, etc.)

I'd keep the internal SSD as "lean and clean" as I could, leaving plenty of room for swap and temp files.

 

[archer75]

I put data on externals. TV, movies, photos, various files I'm saving, etc. Any programs go on the internal.

 

[HenryAZ]

I use an external for data such as the iTunes Library, program caches (for those programs that let you specify a cache location), and my Virtual Machines. Also my complete media archive (including songs and videos I no longer actively use). Having the iTunes library on an external makes setting up iTunes on a new computer a snap. My 512GB boot SSD typically has 40-50 GB in use.