Pro Tools|HD for Mac OS X Hard Drive Minimum Requirements Storage Overview Storage requirements have not changed from previous versions of Pro Tools. As with all Pro Tools systems, drive performance depends on a number of factors, including track count, edit density, CPU speed, single or dual processors, and the use of crossfades or processing like Beat Detective. For sessions with high edit density, we recommend the following configurations. Testing has been conducted using Digidesign's DigiDrives and Avid MediaDrives. Performance with other drives may vary.
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 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:
Note that this will slow recovery if your system has to be rebooted to recover from a kernel panic or power failure. Optional Digidesign & Avid Storage
SCSI Hard Drives
Additional SCSI Requirements for Pro Tools Systems Disk Formatting
*Also known as HFS+. Do not choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for record and playback drives. (see above) ATTO Utilities ATTO ExpressPCI Configuration Tool You must install this if you are using a Digidesign SCSI64, Digidesign SCSI|128, ATTO EPCI-DC or ATTO EPCI-UL3D SCSI Host Bus Adapter card with a Mac OS X system. The cards listed above control the flow of SCSI data to and from your computer, and they must have the proper firmware and be set correctly for maximum performance. If you are using one of these cards, you will need the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool. The ATTO ExpressPCI Configuration Tool can be downloaded from the ATTO website: The Configuration Tool will allow you to update your firmware and set up your SCSI host bus adapter correctly. For important information on how to update your firmware for Pro Tools 6.2.3/6.4 for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" compatibility, please see the ATTO Utilities Read Me: Supported SCSI Cards and Settings Hard Drives Hard drive families from the following manufacturers are recommended:
* First generation DigiDrives are not supported in LVD mode Notes
Storage Stats Approximate Storage Consumption (Megabytes per Minute per Track)
As with all Pro Tools systems, drive performance depends on a number of factors, including track count, edit density, and the use of crossfades or processing like Beat Detective. For sessions with high edit density, we recommend the following configurations. Testing has been conducted using Digidesign DigiDrives and Avid MediaDrives. Performance with other drives may vary. SCSI Drives Approximate Track Counts
for Power Mac G4, Dual 1.25 GHz model
SCSI Drives Approximate Track Counts for Power Mac G5
SATA Hard Drives SATA drives are qualified for up to 32 tracks at 44.1/48 kHz with Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems on Power Mac G5 models. IDE/ATA Hard Drives IDE/ATA drives meeting the following requirements are qualified for up to 32 tracks at 44.1/48 kHz with Pro Tools TDM systems: FireWire Hard Drives FireWire drives are fully qualified with Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems on qualified Power Mac G4 models and the first generation G5 dual and single processor models with Mac OS X 10.3.2 and 10.3.4. Mac OS X 10.3.5 has been qualified ONLY with the newest dual 2.0 and 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5 (models M9455 and M9457) The DigiDrive FireWire 80 and Avid MediaDrive rS80 have been qualified with Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems for the following:
FireWire Drives Approximate Track Counts:
* Track/voice count at 44.1/48 kHz may vary depending on CPU speed and processor count. For more information and specific requirements for using FireWire drives, see FireWire Drive Requirements Known Issues - Hard Drives & Pro Tools 6 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit Chassis
Important Note About Mixing Drive Types With Pro Tools|HD Systems
FW800 Drives - Currently Not Supported with Pro Tools on Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)
FW800 Drive Approximate Track Count with Pro Tools 6.2:
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