• From: londra
  • Registered: 2008-12-03
  • Posts: 36

Topic: trying to record mixes - but get 'disk too slow' warnings

hi,

I use an old powerbook running Ableton Live or Garageband to record mixes. Usually it works ok, but I often get some disk speed related problems, meaning that I can never really rely on it.

In Live the recording just seems to slow down and skip every now and again - making a sound a bit like a CD glitch.
In Garageband it stops recording totally and gives me an error message about disk speed.

Does anyone know how I can speed up how fast my disk writes? Do I need to take stuff off my computer/defrag it? Should I make do with cassette tapes? Any advice gratefully received...

giacomo's Website

  • From: Bethnal Green
  • Registered: 2008-10-28
  • Posts: 38

Re: trying to record mixes - but get 'disk too slow' warnings

haha. you should only ever record mixes on cassette tapes, you just can't trust modern technology, especially macs tongue

Mixes
Facebook
Moskow Diskow

junoface's Website

  • From: hackney grid
  • Registered: 2008-07-09
  • Posts: 328

Re: trying to record mixes - but get 'disk too slow' warnings

your internal hd is likely to be a 5400rpm, if you haven't replaced it with a faster one. If the powerbook is old, it's also likely to be quite full up in terms of disk space. old powerbooks also sported hfs filesystem with no journaling, unless you reformatted the disk through its life. this means possible fragmentation.

your best bet is get an external firewire disk and set that as recording destination in Live. never use an internal hard drive to save large chunks of data, always better to keep the drive which runs operating system and software as free as possible from data and clutter.

Laptops are especially problematic as they normally sport slow hard drives.

i am positive you won't have any trouble using an external hard disk. Also if you can, backup your data and refresh the machine by wiping the hd completely and re-installing a fresh OS, and software. Old machines always benefit A LOT from a restore.

when buying an external HD for audio use make sure it's at least firewire 400 (what powerbook are you using? does it have a firewire 800 port?) and that the disk in the enclosure, whatever the brand, is a 7200rpm.

signalsum

cimabot's Website

  • From: londra
  • Registered: 2008-12-03
  • Posts: 36

Re: trying to record mixes - but get 'disk too slow' warnings

Thanks guys!

Faster external HD it is then, at least after I've used up that stack of D60'sI've got USB HD, but presumably that won't work. I'll give the computer a spring clean as well.

It's a 12inch Powerbook G4 - I think it has Firewire 800, but will check.

giacomo's Website