Pro Tools|HD for Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" — Hard Drive Minimum Requirements
Storage
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.
- Dedicated audio drive or drives (internal or external). Recording to or playback from system drives is not supported.
- Support for IDE/ATA and Firewire drives, listed below.
- When using QuickTime movies
with Pro Tools|HD systems, for reliable performance of 16 or more
audio tracks, video should be stored
on a separate drive.
Optional Digidesign & Avid Storage
- Avid MediaDrive rS80
- Avid MediaDrive rS36/320 LVD
- Avid MediaDrive rS73/320 LVD
- Avid MediaDock iS36/320 LVD Shuttle
- Avid MediaDock iS73/320 LVD Shuttle
- Avid MediaDock Dual
- Avid MediaDock Dual+
- DigiDrive MediaDock
- DigiDrive FireWire 80
- DigiDrive SCSI Drives
- SCSI-128 Kit (ATTO Express PCI-UL3D, qualified for 128 tracks @48kHz)
- SCSI-64 Kit (ATTO Express PCI-DC, qualified for 64 tracks @48kHz with G4, but will not be compatible with G5)
SCSI Hard Drives
- SCSI interface: Wide single-ended or low-voltage differential (LVD or Ultra 160)
- Disk drive rotational speed: 10,000 RPM or faster
- Buffer Size: 512K or larger
Additional SCSI Requirements for Pro Tools Systems
Disk Formatting
- Mac OS file system: Mac OS Standard (HFS) or Mac OS Extended (HFS+)
- Mac OS Extended (HFS+) strongly recommended
- Drives should be formatted with Apple Disk Utility, included with Mac OS X
- Apple Disk Utility can be found in the Applications/Utilities folder on your OS X hard drive, or in the Apple Menu when booted from the OS X installation CD.
ATTO Utilities
The Pro Tools installer CD contains the ATTO ExpressPCI Configuration Tool specifically for OSX users. It is located on the Pro Tools installer CD in a folder labeled ATTO Utilities.
Hard Drives
Hard drive families from the following manufacturers are recommended:
| Manufacturer | Drive Family |
| Digidesign | DigiDrive* |
| Avid | rS, iS Plus, iS Pro |
| Seagate | Cheetah, Barracuda |
| IBM | Ultrastar |
* First generation DigiDrives are not supported in LVD mode
SCSI Accelerator Cards
Notes
- Pro Tools has a single audio file size limit of 2048MB. This equates to about 4.5 hours at 24-bit, 44.1 kHz.
- High Speed Drives require manufacturer-approved enclosure to ensure correct heat dissipation, required for sustained drive reliability.
Storage
Approximate Storage Consumption (Megabytes per Minute per Track)
| Sample Rate (kHz) |
44.1
|
48
|
96
|
192
|
| 16-Bit — MB per Min |
5
|
5.5
|
11
|
22
|
| 24-Bit — MB per Min |
7.5
|
8
|
16
|
32
|
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.
Known Issue:
With an HD Accel system in a 32 bit expansion chassis, users may experience -6042 errors if using a track count above the following:
| Sample Rate (kHz) |
48
|
96
|
192
|
| Track/Voice Count |
128
|
64
|
16
|
The qualified Magma 7 Slot 64-bit 33MHz Expansion Chassis will allow for track
counts equivalent to internal configurations (cards in CPU).
SCSI Drives — Approximate Track Counts:
|
SCSI Drives
|
44.1/48 kHz
|
96 kHz
|
192 kHz
No Chassis or 64-bit Chassis |
192 kHz
With 32-bit Chassis |
|
4
|
128
|
64
|
24
|
16
|
|
2
|
64
|
32
|
12
|
12
|
|
1
|
32
|
16
|
6
|
6
|
Note: above results are with approved G4 AGP desktop models only.
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
The DigiDrive FireWire 80 and Avid MediaDrive rS80 have been qualified with Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems for the following:
- Supported track count (per drive): 24 tracks per drive at 48 KHz/24-bit
- Maximum 8 drives for a total of 192 tracks at 48 KHz/24-bit
- Pro Tools|HD Accel systems: maximum 192 tracks
FireWire Drives — Approximate Track Counts:
|
MediaDrive rS80 |
44.1/48 kHz
|
96 kHz
|
192 kHz
|
|
1
|
24
|
12
|
6
|
|
2
|
48
|
24
|
12
|
|
3
|
72
|
36
|
18
|
|
4
|
96
|
48
|
24
|
|
5
|
120
|
60
|
30
|
|
6
|
128
|
72
|
36
|
|
8
|
192
|
96
|
36
|
Known Issue:
With a 32 bit expansion chassis, a –6042 error will occur at 192kHz SR when playing over 20 tracks. The qualified 64 bit chassis will allow for the full 36 track count
FW800 Drives
A single FW800 drive was qualified with Pro Tools 6.2 on Mac OS X 10.2.8 only, and not tested with later Pro Tools releases. Multiple daisy-chained FW800 drives are not currently supported with any Pro Tools release.
FW800 Drive — Approximate Track Counts:
|
FW800 Drives |
44.1/48 kHz
|
96 kHz
|
192 kHz
|
|
1
|
32
|
16
|
8
|
For more information and specific requirements for using FireWire drives, see FireWire Drive Requirements
Important Note About Mixing Drive Types With Pro Tools|HD Systems
You cannot spread audio files from one session across different types of drives. For example, if you have a session with audio files on SCSI drives, you cannot record or play back Pro Tools files from an IDE/ATA or firewire drive. (this applies to audio files only, video can be on a different type of drive, or the same type of drive as the audio files in a session)