Best settings for EWSQSO?! PLEASE HELP!

[Benedict Nichols]

Hi everyone

Im having trouble getting my orchestra (GOLD edition) up and running glitch free (in kontakt 2 or 3). Ive tried messing around with DFD settings and what not and dont really know what to do! Heres my setup:

Macbook Pro 2.4Ghn dual core 2
4Gb Kingston RAM
Samples on a Western Digital MyBook External harddrive (by USB)
Tascam 1804 (firewire 400)

I know it sounds like the Harddrive could be the problem, but im able to stream many other sampled libraries off it at once with no problems. Up to 40 instruments in some cases. I dont know how to turn DFD off (so samples are all loaded into RAM which Im guessing would improve performance?) so if anyone could help me that would be great.

Ive noticed that some of the instruments (eg Horn stac) have REALLY long tails which are not gonna be heard (in fact I can hear someone moving a chair or sometihing in one of them! Authentic!). Is there a way of turning these tails off? Would really cut back on voice count.

An example of it glitching and jumping etc is when i play a fast scale passage (semiquavers at 100bpm) using the following instruments in unison (but "monophonic")

C CBS Quick Up dn
F St stac
Thunderensemble (from StormDrum)
F 6FH Stac Short

so basically some basses horns and a tuba. This is getting me up to a note count of 50! WHAT?!?!?

So my question is: What are the best settings for me? (DFD etc) or o I have to fork out on an expensive faster external hard drive, which will only be able to connect by firewire 400 (unless i get a SATA card for the free slot on my macbook pro...and thats getting too expensive for me!)

Thanks for reading all this, if you have any suggestions, or a similar problem, please say!

Cheers

Ben

[Enlighten]

Try turning off Airport and see if you notice any difference.
Secondly, USB is way too slow for DFD. You don't have to get an SATA card. Just use the Firewire 800 that comes with your macbook pro. (i.e. get an external drive with Firewire 800)

[Benedict Nichols]

THanks for the reply Enlighten.

Is firewire 400 better than USB? I ask because the firewire hub on a macbook pro cannot work at 800 and 400 at the same time. And ive got a tascam 1804 going into the firewire 400 port.

I read somewhere that 400 is slower than USB, is that true?

THanks

Ben

[Enlighten]

Actually, your MBP can work 800 and 400 at the same time. That's what I have. :) My interface on 400 and my external drives on 800. And you even have a newer model of MBP.

FW400 vs USB was a long debate. Others probably have their own opinions. But from what I read, USB is only faster than FW 400 in "peak transfer speed". That's not the consistent transfer rate you get. Only spikes from time to time during the transfer. And the consistent transfer rate of FW 400 is higher than USB. So FW 400 is better for audio purposes. IMO anywayz.

If I were you, I'd get a Lacie Quadra external drive for my samples.

[Benedict Nichols]

Thanks Enlighten, must appreciated!

I was convinced that the firewire bus will only run at the slower speed (if the two hubs are in use) so Im gonna have to check that out, but I will be getting a new harddrive anyway. Thanks a lot for the suggestion of a particular hard drive too, gives me somewhere to start looking for one!

I noticed that you said your "external driveS" are runnig FW800...how have you got more than one linked up?

Thanks again for your help. :)

Ben

[Enlighten]

Oh I meant just one external drive. I typo I guess. ;)

[johng]

firewire 400 is way faster than USB -- about twice as fast on both read and write, according to at least one study on a Macbook pro.

And you don't have nearly enough memory to run a really big orchestral mockup. I'm using more than 9 Gigs' total loaded memory for a Platinum orchestra.

I also thought that if you have both 400 and 800 firewire the system works at 400. But 400 is fast enough if you don't have too much going on at the same time.

[Benedict Nichols]

firewire 400 is way faster than USB -- about twice as fast on both read and write, according to at least one study on a Macbook pro.

And you don't have nearly enough memory to run a really big orchestral mockup. I'm using more than 9 Gigs' total loaded memory for a Platinum orchestra.



Hey John, thanks for info!

9GB!!! wow. niiiiiiiiice. Have you got one of every instrument loaded up then? (and for strings are you using KS or individual instruments for each articulation?!)

I read that macs at present can only assign up to 2Gb of RAM to any one application. Is this relevant to using Logic? or do plugins work around this somehow? (im sure ive used more than 2Gb in my work!) And whats your setup? id love to know if you have the time.

THanks

Ben

[johng]

I am no big expert on Macs; Performer can use more memory than Logic, someone told me, but I don't know that for a fact.

all the EWQLSO stuff is loaded on to six external PCs, each with about 3 gigs' RAM. the sounds come out of those via RME 9652 cards, into MOTU 2408mk3 interfaces, then into Digital Performer.

But if I were starting from scratch I would go for one or two 64 bit slave PCs and hope that PLAY for EWQLSO comes very soon!

[Benedict Nichols]

wow thats quite a cool setup. must haven taken a while to get running smoothly tho!

I just checked out your website John, and have to say, Im a fan! love your music (and cool website design!). Im just "starting out" being halfway through a masters degree in soundtrack composition. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get to where you are now? did you start music when very young? where did you train/learn?

If you dont want to say here, I'd be very grateful for a PM with any tips or advice you've got!

THanks for your time!

Ben