Where To Put What - Logic, Etc. Options

[rcross73]

Hello everyone. I will be receiving my new Mac in a couple of days, and I want to know where to put what files to optimize performance of my audio software. Here are the details:

System:
15.4" MacBook Pro 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 120 GB 5400rpm HD
External HD: 250 GB 7200rpm via Firewire 800 (WD MyBookPro - also brand new)

Running:
Logic Express 7.2
Reason 3.0.5 (usually via ReWire as a slave to Logic)
Reason Drum Kits 2.0 (big, and and with various other refills as well)
GarageBand Jam Packs 1 and 4 (a big one)
Line6 GearBox (and I think I might buy the plug-in upgrade)
Amplitube 2.0 (and I might also buy NI Guitar Rig 2.0)

So I assume that all of my programs themselves should be installed on the internal hard drive, and that I should record all of my audio files to the external hard drive. But what about the plug-ins, samples, etc. (Reason Drum Kits, refills, Jam Packs, Amplitube, et. al.)? Do these go on the external? Or will that be bad for performance? Simply put, what goes where?

Thanks in advance.

[mortalengines]

Reason has a pretty good Browser & I've put all kinds of Refills in a Documents folder with nary a problem as most of that stuff is loaded into RAM for playback. I really can't say much about GB but the difference is usually whether you are just streaming 4 second loops or 24+ tracks of 1 to 5 minute audio. Ableton live also likes for you to run all of your loops on a separate hard drive because that is the way it will run audio (though you CAN specify loops to be run from RAM as well...your chance of errors during playback is increased). The same goes for other apps like Pro Tools where you really want a separate hard drive for your songs to stream from. I'm sorry I just got way ahead of myself. Basically put your Refills wherever you are comfortable with putting them. I like to keep mine separate just because I can differentiate easier between Reason's factory loops & someone else's. The advantage to putting your separate refills into the Reason Folder would probably be for less time that you or the program has to look for certain refills. Be careful of moving those refills around though because you will have to conduct another manual search if Reason can't find a certain refill when opening a song you have worked on.

www.myspace.com/mortal_engines