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Recommended hard drive setup for video editor?

I

ironicles

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2015
14
1
Hi all! I've posted in 2 other threads about RAM and size of HD (SSD) to get, and this last question has to do with how many to have. I know this is probably not the best place to ask this but because I have gotten some very smart, sound, and intelligent answers from this community, was hoping to get something similar in regards to this question.

I'll be getting a top specced iMac and be working in Premiere with 4k footage, After Effects, Element 3D, and maybe a little Maya, and was wondering what the ideal set up in regards to hard drives would be. I've read in other places that some people use a complete separate external for cache files in AE/Premiere, internal for programs and current projects, and large external for older projects and raw media storage.

What are your setups that you find best to use for these programs?

Thanks so much and again I apologize in regards to this not being the best place to post this.
 
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In the other thread, I stated what I find beneficial. But if you want further information, we need more particulars. Here's what we need:

1. Format of footage to be edited (H264, RAW, etc etc). What camera (s) will you use.
2. Length of final project (feature length, short, somewhere in between)
3. Likely shooting ratio (total amount of footage)
4. Visual complexity of edit (effects, multi-cam, layers)

Also, forums, like www.creativecow.net might be more beneficial as that is a forum where more professional editors are active
 
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Sirmausalot said:
In the other thread, I stated what I find beneficial. But if you want further information, we need more particulars. Here's what we need:

1. Format of footage to be edited (H264, RAW, etc etc). What camera (s) will you use.
2. Length of final project (feature length, short, somewhere in between)
3. Likely shooting ratio (total amount of footage)
4. Visual complexity of edit (effects, multi-cam, layers)

Also, forums, like www.creativecow.net might be more beneficial as that is a forum where more professional editors are active
Click to expand...

1. A mix of several, sometimes H264 sometimes RAW, depending on whatever I get from clients. I myself will be using a GH4 camera as well as 4k footage from my Phantom 3.

2. Final projects will most likely be 2-4 minutes (at least 90% of the projects I work on) but there could be times where I edit videos that are up to 30 minutes.

3. Total amount of footage in most projects will be around 10 GB to 50 GB I'd imagine, potentially a bit more.

4. I'll be using several effects, using 3D models in After Effects, using Maya, no multi-cam, stabilizers, etc.

Thanks!
 
I have a GH4 as well. I am running off a RAID 0 and all works well. However, since your projects are so short, you could certainly get an external SSD for improved performance. Though ultimately, the limiting factor on working with GH4 footage (if any) ultimately comes down to CPU and GPU for compression and effects.

What I do when I have a big project is buy a hard drive right then and not before. That way you can purchase the latest tech that is appropriate for the project. For example, if you're working with RAW footage, and you have the budget, you'll want to work of RAID SSDs if possible.

For most large projects, I've been good with disk based RAID 0 arrays and get one specific to each project. I used to shop at OWC, but a run in with their customer service led me over to BH Photo.

So, in sum, start with an external USB 3 SSD (perhaps 1TB) and when you get a larger project, get a new drive just for that.

ironicles said:
1. A mix of several, sometimes H264 sometimes RAW, depending on whatever I get from clients. I myself will be using a GH4 camera as well as 4k footage from my Phantom 3.

2. Final projects will most likely be 2-4 minutes (at least 90% of the projects I work on) but there could be times where I edit videos that are up to 30 minutes.

3. Total amount of footage in most projects will be around 10 GB to 50 GB I'd imagine, potentially a bit more.

4. I'll be using several effects, using 3D models in After Effects, using Maya, no multi-cam, stabilizers, etc.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the response you all!

Initially I was thinking getting a 512GB or 1TB SSD and using this drive for current projects, then once done moving them to a 8 TB HD. The only issue with this is that the media cache would be on same drive as current project/current renders. Is this way really not recommended, and how slow would it be? Would it be good to get a small external SSD to be used specifically for media cache?
 
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