Firewire Hard Drives with Pro Tools

Avid MediaDrive rS80 & DigiDrive FireWire 80 Requirements

Pro Tools System Compatibility

MediaDrive rS80 & DigiDrive FireWire 80 drives have been qualified with the following Mac & Windows systems:

  • Pro Tools|HD Systems (with Pro Tools 5.3.1 or higher)
  • Pro Tools|24 MIX Systems (with Pro Tools 5.1.1 or higher)
  • Pro Tools LE Systems (with Pro Tools 5.1.1 or higher)

Macintosh System Requirements

CPU

  • All G5 models
  • All G4 desktop models with AGP graphics cards (pre-AGP Graphics desktop models are not supported)
  • PowerBook G4 models: 450, 500, 550, 667 and 800 MHz models are qualified for up to 48 tracks of 24-bit/96 kHz audio with 4 DigiDrive FireWire or MediaDrive rS80 drives with Pro Tools|HD version 5.3.1 on Mac OS 9.2.2. and Pro Tools 6.1/6.2 on Mac OS X 10.2.6 or 10.2.8

Mac OS 9 System Software

  • Mac OS 9.1 or higher, 9.2.2 recommended
  • Firewire Enabler (version 2.7 or higher)
  • Firewire Support (version 2.7 or higher)
  • FireWire Enabler v2.7 and FireWire Support v2.7 are Mac OS Extensions included with OS 9.1. run the Software Update Control Panel to update to the latest version of these extensions in OS 9.1 or higher. Both of these extensions must be enabled in your System Folder/Extensions folder in order to mount and use firewire drives.
  • If you are running a non-English version of the Mac OS, you may need to download the version 2.5 FireWire extensions
  • Supported formatting utility: Mac OS "Erase Disk" command
    1. Select firewire drive (highlight drive icon on desktop)
    2. Go to the "Special" menu in the Apple OS menu bar
    3. Choose "Erase Disk" command
    4. Choose Mac OS Extended (HFS+)
    5. Note: partitioning is not an option using the Erase Disk command in Mac OS 9. To increase performance and improve seek time, Digidesign recommends that you allocate a portion of your hard drive for recording. In Pro Tools, Choose Setups/Preferences and click Operation. Under the Open Ended Record Allocation option, select Limit To and enter a number of minutes to be allocated.

Mac OS X System Software

  • Pro Tools 6.2.3 and 6.4 for Panther requires Mac OS 10.3.2
  • Pro Tools 6.1/6.2 for Jaguar requires Mac OS 10.2.6 or 10.2.8
  • Pro Tools 6.0.x requires Mac OS 10.2.3, 10.2.4, 10.2.5, or 10.2.6
  • Supported formatting utility: Disk Utility, included with Mac OS X
    1. Open from the following location: Applications->Utilities->Disk Utility, or in the Apple Menu when booted from the OS X installation CD.
    2. Select FireWire drive from the list on the left
    3. Choose either the Erase or Partition tab
    4. Choose Mac OS Extended*
    5. If you plan on using your drive on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, check the box next to "Install Mac OS 9 Drivers".
    6. Note: partitioning is not an option using the Erase command. To increase performance and improve seek time Digidesign recommends that you allocate a portion of your hard drive for recording. In Pro Tools, Choose Setups/Preferences and click Operation. Under the Open Ended Record Allocation option, select Limit To and enter a number of minutes to be allocated.

*Also known as HFS+. Do not choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for record and playback drives:

Disk Performance and the Mac OS X 10.3 Journaled File System

Mac OS X 10.3 incorporates a journaled file system, which will automatically log any file modifications. If your computer crashes badly enough to require a restart (or a restart from a power failure), the OS will then use the journal to aid in fixing any disk problems caused by the crash. Because any write to the disk will also incur a journal update, this will slightly slow down disk performance.

Mac OS X 10.3 ships with journaling on by default. Digidesign recommends that customers format their media drives (record and playback drives) with journaling turned off. If you are using Apple's Disk Utility program to format drives, choose "Mac OS Extended" format, instead of "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)".

If you wish to turn off journaling on your boot drive as well, perform the following steps:

  1. Run the Apple Disk Utility
  2. In the main window, select the boot volume
  3. From the File menu, choose "Disable Journaling"

Note that this will slow recovery if your system has to be rebooted to recover from a kernel panic or power failure.

Third-party Drive Utilitites Not Supported

While third-party drive format utilities may work on the owner's CPU where that application's software and extensions are installed, the best way to ensure compatibility on all Macs with firewire drives is to use the Apple Erase Disk function in Mac OS 9 for formatting, or the Mac OS X Disk Utility. If you plan to also use your Firewire drive on other machines that may not have the same third-party drivers, your drive may not mount on that machine, or you may experience DAE or system errors.

  • If you plan on using your drive on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, check the box next to "Install Mac OS 9 Drivers" when formatting or partitioning using the Mac OS X Disk Utility.
  • Supported file format: Mac OS Extended (HFS+)
  • HFS standard formatting will result in finder copy problems with files over 2 GB
  • For additional information see the Digidesign Storage Guide in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website. (printed manual included with the DigiDrive FireWire 80)

Windows System Requirements

  • Digidesign Pro Tools TDM or LE system
  • Digidesign-approved Windows-based computer with Firewire capability
  • Qualified FireWire PCI & CardBus Cards for DigiDrive FireWire 80 & MediaDrive rS80 on Windows Systems
  • FireWire drives are not supported on systems that also have a PCI expansion chassis attached
  • Note: When used with Windows 98 SE or Windows Me, a third-party disk utility such as PartitionMagic® is required to format the drive before it can be used
  • For additional information see the Digidesign Storage Guide or previous DigiDrive FireWire Guide in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website. (printed manual included with the DigiDrive FireWire 80)

General Technical Specifications

Performance Expectations

  • Supported track count (per drive) with Pro Tools LE systems: 32 tracks per drive at 48 KHz/24-bit . Two drives required for 32 tracks at 96 KHz/24-bit .
  • Supported track count (per drive) with Pro Tools TDM systems: 24 tracks per drive at 48 KHz/24-bit
  • Maximum 2 drives for a total of 48 tracks (Pro Tools|24 MIX systems)
  • Maximum 4 drives for a total of 96 tracks at 48 KHz/24-bit (Pro Tools|HD systems)
  • Digidesign has qualified configurations containing a maximum of four DigiDrive FireWire drives daisy-chained to a Pro Tools workstation using Digidesign supplied cables. (more than 4 drives may result in -6042 errors on all systems)
  • Individual user experience regarding track count and performance may vary depending on edit density and available CPU cycles. (things like automation, RTAS plug-ins, or other CPU-dependent processes)
  • For more information, see the Hard Drive Requirements specific to your Pro Tools system in these Digidesign Compatibility Documents

Additional Configuration Requirements & Guidelines

Keep in mind the following when configuring DigiDrive FireWire & MediaDrive rS80 drives:

  • The FireWire cable between the Pro Tools workstation and the first drive (or between any two ports) cannot exceed 14.76 feet (4.5 meters).
  • The total FireWire cable from the system to the last drive cannot exceed 236 feet (72 meters).
  • A 12-inch (30.5 cm) FireWire cable ships with each DigiDrive FireWire drive to daisy-chain the drives.
  • Either FireWire connector on the drive can be used to connect to the system and other drives.
  • Maximum compatibility is achieved when your system has dual FireWire ports. Daisychain DigiDrive FireWire drives to one port and use the other port for cameras and video decks.
  • DigiDrive FireWire & MediaDrive rS80 drives do not require a terminator.
  • Although firewire drives can be hot-swapped without rebooting the host computer, it is necessary to quit Pro Tools before swapping drives and then re-launching Pro Tools.
  • If your Windows CPU does not have an IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port built in, you will need to install a PCI-to-FireWire card. Digidesign has tested the "SIIGnifficantly Better 3-port PCI" FireWire card from SIIG with good results. While other Windows Firewire cards may work, Digidesign cannot guarantee results or performance on all cards. With any multi-port card, connect to the first port if at all possible.
  • In order to use Mac formatted drives on Windows systems, MacOpener is required.
  • Windows formatted drives will not be recognized as audio drives by Pro Tools on the Mac.
  • It is highly recommended that you not spread audio files from one session across different types of storage (i.e. SCSI, FireWire, IDE/ATA). This is not possible on Pro Tools HD systems, and may cause bus problems on other Pro Tools systems. On the other hand, you may see improved performance if you store QuickTime video files on one type of drive and play the audio off another. This is because QuickTime video results in high bus traffic, while audio requires a lot of drive seeking. So storing QuickTime video files on your FireWire drives and audio on your SCSI drives may provide better performance than having audio and video playing together over the same bus.
  • The DigiDrive FireWire 80 & MediaDrive rS80 (as well as other firewire drives) are not qualified for use with AVoption or AVoption|XL. AVoption and AVoption|XL require SCSI storage for recording and playback. However, you can use the DigiDrive FireWire 80 to back-up your video storage SCSI drives.
  • For additional information see the Digidesign Storage Guide in the Technical Document Library of the Support/Tech Support section of the website (printed manual included with the DigiDrive FireWire 80 & MediaDrive rS80) and the DigiDrive FireWire 80 SPECS in the Products/All Products database.

Other Firewire Drives

Although not fully tested and supported with Pro Tools systems by Digidesign, you may be able to use firewire drives from other manufacturers with similar results, given the same guidelines noted above. To date only Firewire drives with the following specifications have performed well with Pro Tools systems:

  • Oxford 911 Firewire bridge chipset
  • 7200 RPM drive

Check with the drive manufacturer to verify that their drive has the "Oxford 911" or comparable chipset & drive speed of 7200 rpm.

Additional Notes for Macintosh System Compatibility and Portability

While third-party drive format utilities may work on the owner's CPU where that application's software and extensions are installed, the best way to ensure compatibility on all Macs with firewire drives is to use the Apple Erase Disk function in Mac OS 9 for formatting, or the Mac OS X Disk Utility as outlined above. If you plan to also use your Firewire drive on other machines that may not have the same third-party drivers, your drive may not mount on that machine, or you may experience DAE or system errors. The guidelines listed previously on this page for the DigiDrive FireWire 80 will generally yield the best results when using Firewire drives with Pro Tools.


Digidesign Compatibility Documents Index