Using Three Drives - Help Please. . . Options

[Humaniversally]

Hi everyone. I just bought a third hard drive which again brought up the question of how to set-up things for optimal performance. While I’ve read around forums about this, I’d appreciate feed-back on certain points.

I’m planning to do this :

First 80GB drive for apps and DAW.
Second 160HG for samples.
Third 160GB for recorded audio.

My questions are : What about soft-synths and such ? There are 3 components here, the software itself, the “sampler instruments files” and the actual samples’ files (wav. Sf2. Aiff. Etc). Is the whole thing better off in the samples’ drive ? Or the app stays in the first with the sampler instruments’ files while the samples go to the samples’ drive ? Or both the sampler instruments and the samples go there ?

Then. About the third recorded audio drive, is it better strictly used for audio that’s recorded with one’s sequencer or can it be also used to store other audio stuff – such as recorded audio made with other programs (in wav, aiff formats and such) as such or compressed as MP3s, MPEGs, etc ?

Also. Some mentioned making a partition on first drive to separate the DAW’s sequencer from all other apps. Any value in this ?

That’s it for now. Thanks in advance,

[lepetitmartien]

Also. Some mentioned making a partition on first drive to separate the DAW’s sequencer from all other apps. Any value in this ?

It's this one?

As I said, ALL apps should be on the system drive, OS X is supposed tp be set up that way and we've got neat folders for this. There's no point into separating the DAW app from the other apps. As for making different users for different use, which was a Classic workaround, is of no use on OS X. Especially as apps are installed for all users (only prefpanels for example are installed on a user basis).

BTW don't ever even think of moving Apple apps of their original location (or face update issues…)

It is way way more important to put audio files, samples on separated hard drives than meddle into the OS X way to organize things. Note that it's because you'd ask potentially too much from the system drive if you would asked it to have everything on it. Have the apps including the DAW in the app folder (you can organize things inside it - as long as app work, some don't like, and don't touch Apple ones) and your samples on another drive as the audio files on a third. it'll be all fine and pretty.