Pro Tools LE Audio File Storage Requirements for Windows XP

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 such as plug-ins.

IDE/ATA & SATA Drives

Mbox & Mbox 2 Systems:

  • Full 32 track, 24 bit, 48 KHz performance from just one dedicated IDE/ATA or SATA audio drive is supported.

Digi 002 & Digi 002 Rack Systems:

  • Full 32 track, 24 bit, 48 KHz performance from just one dedicated IDE/ATA or SATA audio drive is supported.
  • Full 32 track, 24 bit, 96 KHz performance from two dedicated IDE/ATA or SATA audio drives is supported.

Digi 001 & Audiomedia III/ToolBox Systems:

  • Full 32 track, 24 bit, 48 KHz performance from just one dedicated IDE/ATA audio drive is supported. (SATA drives not tested with Digi 001 or Audiomedia III)

SCSI Drives

Using a dedicated SCSI drive and SCSI HBA (Host Bus Adapter) card will, in general, provide the same performance as an IDE/ATA drive, with the exception that IDE/ATA drives may take a couple seconds longer than SCSI drives to start recording 32 tracks.

When using an ATTO SCSI HBA (Host Bus Adapter), ATTO driver and firmware v1.66 is required. Before upgrading to ATTO 1.66 driver and firmware, disconnect all drives connected to the ATTO SCSI controller card. ATTO driver and firmware updates are available from www.attotech.com/software

Avid & Digidesign SCSI Storage Options

  • Avid MediaDrive rS300/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDrive rS146/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDrive rS73/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDrive rS36/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDock Shuttle iS146/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDock Shuttle iS73/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDock Shuttle iS36/320 LVD
  • Avid MediaDock Dual
  • Avid MediaDock Dual+
  • DigiDrive SCSI Drives
  • DigiDrive MediaDock
  • SCSI-128 Kit (with ATTO Express PCI-UL3D)

Not tested with Pro Tools 6.9 and higher:

  • SCSI-64 Kit/ATTO Express PCI-DC

FireWire Hard Drives

The Avid MediaDrive rS80, Avid MediaDrive rs250, and DigiDrive FireWire 80 have been qualified with all Pro Tools LE systems for the following :

  • Qualified for up to 32 tracks of 24-bit/48 kHz audio with 1 drive

The Avid MediaDrive rS80 and DigiDrive FireWire 80 has been qualified with Digi 002 & Digi 002 Rack systems for the following :

  • Qualified for up to 32 tracks of 24-bit/48 kHz audio with 1 drive
  • Qualified for up to 24 tracks of 24-bit/96 kHz audio with 1 drive
  • Qualified for up to 32 tracks of 24-bit/96 kHz audio with 2 drives

For more information and specific requirements for FireWire drives, see FireWire Drive Requirements

For more information on using FireWire drives with Digi 002 & Digi 002 Rack, see the Getting Started with 002 & 002 Rack Guide. (included with Digi 002 & Digi 002 Rack systems, or download from the Technical Document Library)

DV Tookit 2 & Music Production Toolkit Options — Maximum Track Count Information

The purchase of either of these options expand a Pro Tools LE system from 32 total voiceable tracks to up to 48 mono or 48 stereo tracks at up to 96 kHz (interface permitting). Most desktops are capable of 48 stereo tracks at up to 96k, providing the system meets the following recommended requirements for maximum track count:

  • 2GHz or higher processor
  • 1GB total system RAM or more
  • 2 or more hard drives dedicated for audio record and playback:
    • 1 internal IDE/ATA and 1 internal SATA drive
    • 2 internal SATA drives
    • 2 SCSI drives
    • 2 or more FireWire drives

Hard Drive Requirements

for IDE/ATA, SATA, FireWire or SCSI drives

  • Minimum speed of 7200 RPM & average seek time of less than 10.0 ms
  • FAT32 or NTFS file system for Windows XP
  • Windows XP is unable to create a FAT32 partition on a drive that is larger than 32 GB. If your drive is larger than 32 GB, either use a partitioning application such as PartitionMagic® or use the NTFS file system.
  • Windows NTFS or FAT32 formatted drives supported on Mac OS X for transfer only
  • Mac HFS+ supported on Windows XP for transfer only when using MacDrive 6
  • Recording to boot drive not recommended or supported
  • For 24-32 tracks, drives must be dedicated for audio (internal or external)
  • Each IDE drive must have DMA enabled in the "System" Control Panel. This can be changed in the "Settings" of each IDE drive on the "Device Manager" tab of the "System" Control Panel. For detailed instructions click here.
  • Pro Tools does not support RAID technology. Please do not activate this feature on any Pro Tools recording drives.
  • Pro Tools only supports Basic drive Types (Dynamic drive types are not supported)
  • Drives should be formatted with Windows XP disk administration without Dynamic Disk selected

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

Notes

  • Pro Tools has a single audio file size limit of 2048 MB. 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 Guidelines

Approximate Storage Consumption (Megabytes per Minute per Track)

Sample Rate (kHz)
44.1
48
96
16-Bit — MB per Minute
5
5.5
11
24-Bit — MB per Minute
7.5
8
16

Approximate Track Counts — SCSI, IDE/ATA or FireWire Drives:

Drives
44.1 kHz
48 kHz
96 kHz
1
32
32
24
2
32
32
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. For sessions with high edit density, we recommend the following configurations. Testing has been conducted using Avid MediaDrivers and Digidesign DigiDrives. Performance with other drives may vary.


Digidesign Compatibility Documents Index