Do I still need two hard drives for video editing today?

I have heard time and time again that editors should use two hard drives when editing in Final Cut Pro, it was even written in part of the Final Cut Pro 7 user manual. One was used for the system and Final Cut Pro software and the other was used for storing video.
Is this still true with the newer SSDs available today? Since they do not use a rotating disk, can't my video and Final Cut Pro X work to maximum performance? Or is it still a bad idea to have your video and software on the same drive?
I would be curious to what some have to say and thank you in advance for your help.

Will it work on one drive ?.. in short Yes. Will it work well when I start doing multiclips with lost of angles and a separate track all being ingressed from HDV and wav? .. I suspect not so well .. You see the bottom line is that you are correct in so far as SSD's have no moving parts but the input/out speed (I/O) is not all that fantastic. Multiple video streams when doing multicam (for example) will cause a huge data quantity needed at fast speeds to be shipped back and forth .. SSD's are fast at boot up but after that the there is not all that between them and ESATAII internal drives (I have four ESATAII in my Mac Pro)..
Best practice advice is to have a fast separate drive, preferably connected via Thunderbolt or FW800. The whole thing just works more efficiently and - better. All in all I would say yes if you can afford it and are going to be doing lots of editing which gets more advanced you will not regret the second drive investment.
Jim

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Need advice on purchasing an external hard drive for video editing

Hi,
I looking for advice on which external hard drive to get. The main purpose for the hard drive will be storing video files on for use with Final Cut Pro. I have the 12 inch powerbook G4 so I plan to use the FireWire (400) port to connect the drive. I'm interested in getting comment from others who use their external hard drives for video editing.
Thanks!

Firstly your decision to use FireWire is a good one, as not only will it free up the USB it performs much better on sustained transfers.
That said you're still limited by the FireWire interface, so opt for a drive with a big cache (16MB would be good) and fast spindle speed (7200rpm+).
Some of the newer enclosures are compatible with SATA drives. While these are easier to install and theoretically will perform better, I'm not sure that the performance would justify the extra cost.
Matt

What format is best for an external hard drive for video editing on a mac?

What's the best format for an external hard drive for video editing to be use with a mac only? I need to format my new hard drive and want to be sure I choose the right format.

I concur with Kappy. His suggestion is correct.
Allan

What is the best External Hard Drive for video edition?

Hi guys, I'm looking for a good firewire external hard drive for video edition.
I have 2 HD already but the bigest is a Seagate and is a trouble cause this one have an auto sleep system that is impossible to put out and when I'm printing to tape this one fall to sleep and the video that I'm transfering get a delay horrible!!
I'm looking for a 1 tb or 2 tb external HD.
Can you recomend me something??
thanks a lot!

Gufa wrote:
Thanks Jouu, great prices but I need to know if those discs doesnt have the autosleep function!
Thanks
That was why I mentioned the 24/7 live Chat support, they (should) know the products they sell.
8^)
Joe

External hard drive for video edition

Please, anybody can recomend me an external hard disk for video edition in high definition with final cut pro x?
I have an imac with thunderbolt, firewire 800 and usb conections.
Is firewire 800 enough to video edition, not only for storage the images?, thank you very much.

If you're looking for a dependable Firewire 800 External HD check out the OWC Mercury Elite Pro
I'm not familiar enough with RAID Externals, but I know a lot of video production pros use them. In that case check out the
OWC Performance RAID O
OWC also has Thunderbolt Drives

Multiple Hard Drives for Video Editing with Premiere Elements 8?

I'm using Premiere Elements 8 for video editing. These are the specs I'm using:
The camcorder I used to shoot the footage is a Sony Handycam with model number HDR-SR12. It's a digital HD video camera recorder that shoots in NTSC 1920x1080i HD recording. The footage was shot with AVC HD 9M (HQ), which records in higher image quality mode. The video camera is connected to my computer through a USB cable.
The computer itself is a Windows 7 desktop computer. The CPU is an HP Pavilion Elite HPE-150f PC with Intel Core i7-860 processor. I imported the video into Premiere by selecting "File" --> "Get Media From" and then choosing the third option from the top.
My import option is NTSC/AVCHD/Full HD 1080i 30 5.1 channel, which matches the specs of the camera I shot the footage with.
Even with the patch 8.0.1 that should be preventing crashing, the program keeps crashing upon startup with one specific video project. Using the exact same video files for that project, I recreated the video, with Elements, and never ran into the problem. Both times, I had the patch installed.
At the moment, I am using only the single internal hard drive for everything (software, OS, video editing, etc.). It is 1 TB in size. However, I am informed that one hard drive is not recommended for video editing, and that I need at least two hard drives, one for OS and one specifically for video editing. I was also informed of FireWire 800 and eSata; however, it does not appear that my computer supports eSata.
Can this problem be resolved if I have an external hard drive and connect it to my computer with FireWire 800 (which the computer supports)? If not, what can be done so this problem doesn't arise in the future?
Thanks for the help.

staring-into-space wrote: My import option is NTSC/AVCHD/Full HD 1080i 30 5.1 channel, which matches the specs of the camera I shot the footage with.
When you import the footage is there a red line across the whole of the timeline?
staring-into-space wrote:
I recreated the video, with Elements, and never ran into the problem.
As you have the recreated project working fine I'd be inclined to put this down as a one-off glitch. If it happens again on a different project then it may be more worrying. You may want to consider using save-as to create multiple versions of your project (note this does NOT duplicate the source clips - so you won't be eating up much extra disk space). You could for example use save-as to create a daily version - ProjectName-Mon, ProjectName-Tue etc....
Cheers,
Neale
Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

External hard drive for video editing

I am looking for a reliable and fast external hard drive, which I can store my projects in and work off of. I use Final Cut Pro. PowerBook G4 17"
I don't know if my mac has the eSATA or FW 800.
Here are what I’ve been looking at so far:
500GB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro 'Quad Interface' 7200RPM 16MB Cache Solution with eSATA/FW800/FW400/USB2. Intech HD Speedtools, Prosoft Data Backup, and connecting cables for eSATA/FW800/FW400/USB2 Included. 2 year OWC Solution Warranty. (OWCMEAQ7500GB16) $217.99
1.0TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL PRO 800 RAID Dual SATA Drive 7200RPM FireWire 800/400+USB2.0 Oxford 924 Storage Solution w/32MB Data Buffer(16MB per HD). All Cables Included, Prosoft Data Backup 3, NovaBACKUP, and Intech Speed Tools Included. 2yr Warranty. (OWCME8SRS10TB32) $359.99
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MEAQ7500GB16/
G-Tech G-DRIVE 500GB FW400/USB 2.0 Hard Drive $249.95
Two year Warranty with USB 2.0 cable and Manual on CD-ROM
Should I get the ones including the eSATA? Would this help with the rendering or playback issues? (Considering I might have to get a eSATA-to-SATA bracket/cable-adapter, since I can’t see any eSATA on my laptop.)
The OWCs are cheaper than G-Technology and offer backup software. what would I lose if I go with OWC? or if u have better suggestions?
Is there any auto back up program for mac?
I am also having difficulty rendering my files specially the ones with more than 2 layers of images. I thought it might have been because of the USB connection. Beside upgrading the connection with the new hard drive is there any other way to enhance the working quality? or do I need any thing else?
This is what I have on my PowerBook:
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.2)
CPU Speed: 1.67 GHz
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
I included a lot of Qs but Your answers to them is truly appreciated.

Any of the drives you mentioned would be fine but since your 17" PB has a FW800 port, I'd go for drives that support FW800. G-Tech also has them, but as you said they are higher priced.
The ProSoft backup software that comes with the OWC drives is very nice but it really provides more convenience than anything else. You can always backup your files manually without any special software (using the Finder to copy files/folders from one drive to another ... or you can even set up Automator actions to do backups). Anyway, the ProSoft backup software is only ~$40, so you're not out much if you have to buy it separately.
There are other good backup programs out there, SuperDuper and Retrospect come to mind; Lacie includes SilverKeeper and/or Retrospect Express with their drives. And Leopard (OSX 10.5) includes Time Machine, which is an auto backup capability. Requires its own hard drive for backup, by the way.
As for eSATA, you would have to get an eSATA card for the PC Card/Cardbus slot in your PB. eSATA is even faster than FW800 but I think in the case of a G4 PB it's probably overkill.
You mentioned problems rendering files ... if you are currently using a USB external hard drive, that is most certainly the problem. USB 2.0 can't keep up with the demands of video and your PB only has the slower USB 1.1.

Hard Drive for Video Editing

I need a new external hard drive to use for video editing with Final Cut Pro 6. I will be using it with the new 17" MBP (June 09). Mobility is a major plus, so would this drive suffice?
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MS8U7500GB16/
If not, any other ideas?

Firewire ExpressCard/34:
B&H Photo (Lacie, Sonnet, SIIG, Belkin cards)
Wiebetech (their own cards)

How to set up multiple hard drives for video editing?

I have recently purchase a new custom built PC for video editing with Premiere.
I have 3 seperate HDD's as I read on one of the forums that I should set up the hard drives as follows:
one for OS/programs
one for media
one for pagefile/scratch/rendors (these are new terms for me and I am not exactly sure what they mean)
If anybody can help walk me through the steps to set up/program my HDDs properly for editing video for adobe CS5, it would be greatly appreciated.
I do not know where to begin to set this up as recommended.
Thanks in advance.

Todd_Kopriva wrote:
I go through this in this video:
http://www.video2brain.com/en/videos-5353.htm
This video helped a lot. I have configured through my adobe software accordingly. Another user also suggested that I configure redirecting of my swap files through windows. I was unable to figure out how to do that.
Is that necessary?
Thanks.
Your video definately helped.

1TB Hard Drve vs 500GB Hard Drive for Video Editing?

I've heard rumors to stay away from the 1TB internal hard drive? Something about how it makes video editing slightly slower because its a bigger drive? This has always confused me because I was under the assumption that Both 1TB SATA drives and the 500GB SATA drives run at 7200 rpm and both with 3GB/s data transfers.
Are these rumors backed up with anything else?
I'm interested in the optimal set up for a Mac Pro running Final Cut Studio and working with High Def footage.
Thanks so much for your help

I don't think it is worth swatting flies or every rumor. A drive performs slower as it reaches capacity, and there is full track seek if a file is scattered over the full track or platter. By "slightly" that means it isn't an issue or matter, or not critical.
Drive access times and bandwidth:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hitachi-western-digital-terabyte,2017-5.html
Your highest performance is from the outer 1/3 to 1/2 of a drive. Your Mac has 4 internal drive bays so you can setup boot drive, capture, editing.
benchmarks and reviews of some 1TB drives -
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hitachi-western-digital-terabyte,2017.html
- be sure to read or jump to the last page 13.
http://www.barefeats.com/hard94.html
Best bang for buck right now is WD 640GB Caviar:
http://www.barefeats.com/harper14.html

Hard drives for video editing - FCP

What drives do you folks recommend for use with FCP? I have an open slot in my machine and it was earlier recommended that I use an internal SATA drive so I am considering that.
I found this WD 'Green' drive; 1 TB for about $100. Also, I have a LaCie 500 BDE which has served me well, so I thought about getting another one, a 2TB for about $210. But if there are better choices out there, I would like to know so I can consider them.
I keep seeing in the forums that some people have no trouble editing with external FW drives and some do; the BDE I have has been running for four years on FW800 and I have had no issues with it - will I have an issue daisy-chaining another one into it?
You are all very helpful and I am thankful!
jf

Hitachi for the internal. I've run Seagates for years without issue but apparently there is some bruhaha about the current versions.
The western digital enterprise class drives are fine. Their consumer level drives are problematic.
Some people swear by LaCies, some swear at them. Given the mass quantity of cases they sell in a year, you have no idea what drive will be in the case.
If you are looking for an external drive, recommended brands are Caldigit and Granite Digital. I used to recommend G-technology but their customer service is not overwhelming.
Good luck.
x

Can I Still Use My Hard Drive For Other Things After I Do A Time Machine Backup?

I'm currently in the process of backing up my imac with time machine using a Western Digital My Passport 1TB hardrive. My total back up is just about 600GB. I've read that I will still be able to use my hard drive for backing up or transfering other files but I should partition my hard dirve. Now that time machine back up has started, will I still be able to partition my drive or is that something you must do before using time machine?
-Gabrielle

macjack has a very valid point, so you might want to consider a second drive for files.
To partition, you need to boot into the Recovery Volume (command - R) on restart. Select Disk Utility.
Step 1 - select the hard drive.
Step 2 - select the Partition tab.
Step 3 - select the current partition and then use the lower right corner to push up and resize the partition.
Step 4 - click the plus sign to add a partition. Then select the new partition.
Step 5 - Name the new partition and select the format. The one shown in the screen shot is generally recomended.
Step 6 - Hit apply.
This procedure can be reversed at a later date if you find your Time Machine backup needs more space.

Best type of SATA drives for video editing?

I'm getting a MacPro system to do editing of Hi-def home movies in Final Cut Express and iMovie. I will be adding additional internal drives, but I'm not buying from Apple because they seem overpriced. So the question is: is there a preferred brand out there for video editing? Maxtor, Western Digital, Seagate, etc.?
They have good prices on MacSales.com, but some talk about being suitable for nearline applications, and I don't know what that means. I have also heard that setting up a RAID may be the way to go, but I've never done it and I'm a little intimidated by it (I don't want to get hundreds of gigs of material and then realize I should have done something differently, and have to reformat and start over).

Look for SATA-II (3 Gbps) drives that are 7200rpm and have at least 8MB cache (preferably 16MB). Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi and other drive manufacturers all make drives that meet these specs. For what it's worth, I have long preferred Seagate drives.
In addition to your working drives, remember to add 1 or more drives for backup capability, preferably external drives that can be kept offline except for times you are backing up or restoring.

I need some performance advice for video editing

or
I am deciding on which Mac Book Pro to purchase for video editing. My choices are:
2012 - 2.3 Ghz Quad-Core i7 w/ 500GB Serial ATA@5400 rpm 8G RAM
or
2013 - 2.0 Ghz Quad-Core i7 w/ 256 Flash Storage 8G RAM
The one is a year newer but .3 Ghz slower processor and I'm really not sure if it would matter that much for video editing. (FCPX, After Effects, etc.) I know the Flash Storage would be faster as far as opening applications etc., but for video editing, I didn't know.
Can someone more qualified than me recommend which would be best. I need a laptop for video editing, but I need the least expensive I can get so I am looking at refurbs from Apple.
Thank you!

If you look at the 2013 Retina models in the Apple store, you'll see the higher end version has both the Intel Iris and an additional Nvidia graphics module. The higher end models have this additional circuit, which is to provide faster and smoother graphics for video, games, etc.
I'd suggest looking at both model benchmarks at everymac.com. Here's the 2012:
https://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-unibody-faq/macbo ok-pro-13-15-mid-2012-performance-benchmark-comparison.html

Need good Hard drive for 4:4:4 HD....recommendations?

Hey guys, we are going to start capturing straight from our camera into a new quad core. So we are goin top notch for this operation. We need a fast enough hard drive to capture full 4:4:4 HD footage. We don't need anymore than a Terabyte for now. Any recommendations. Im guessing SCSI hook up is the best for this, correct? Thanks in advance.

Uncompressed HD 4:4:4 isn't a "light" codec. It is one of the most demanding codecs you could be using. $6000 is actually cheap...and doesn't get you much storage. You might have to look at $12k to $15k to get decent enough space. And you need enough to get you AT LEAST 400MB/s...so an 8 drive to 20 RAID.
Plus the Controller Card costs another $2k.
Uncompressed HD isn't cheap...not by any stretch of the imagination. 4:4:4 is demanding and will require a lot of high cost equipment.
Also its going to be a portable system, to capture on set.
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Welcome to the world of HD. At least I am getting my feet wet with DVCPRO HD. TO go all in with 4:4:4...that is the World Series of HD. Well, the Minor League World Series. World Series is what Michael Mann, David Fincher and George Lucas are doing with HD.
Shane

Do I still need two hard drives for video editing today?

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