I have an Intel Duo Core MacMini with several USB ports but only one Firewire port. I'm deciding on the best way to hook up an external hardrive and audio interface. My external hard drive is Firewire but it let's you connect another Firewire peripheral through it in series. I've tested it with a firewire audio interface like this: Audio Interface > External Hardrive > MacMini. It all seems to be working ok with a test project but I'm not sure with it'll work with bigger projects in the future. Is this going to be too much data transfer for the firewire port? Should I have one of these peripherals on a USB port? My mixes are usually 16 audio track playing back at the most and recording only one analogue stereo input at a time. Any help appreciated

--- In logic-users@yahoogroups.com, "Me" <forums@...> wrote: > > Message posted by Me <me@...>: > > I have an Intel Duo Core MacMini with several USB ports but only one > Firewire port. I'm deciding on the best way to hook up an external hardrive > and audio interface. > > My external hard drive is Firewire but it let's you connect another Firewire > peripheral through it in series. I've tested it with a firewire audio > interface like this: Audio Interface > External Hardrive > MacMini. It all > seems to be working ok with a test project but I'm not sure with it'll work > with bigger projects in the future. > > Is this going to be too much data transfer for the firewire port? Should I > have one of these peripherals on a USB port? > > My mixes are usually 16 audio track playing back at the most and recording > only one analogue stereo input at a time. > > Any help appreciated > Seeing as you don't need to record loads of tracks simultaneously, it might be worth using a USB interface and keeping your HD(s) as firewire. There are quite a few reported problems 'daisy chaining' (ie through one device into another) FW HDs and FW interfaces. Mike

Me wrote: > Message posted by Me <me@somewhere.com>: > > I have an Intel Duo Core MacMini with several USB ports but only one > Firewire port. I'm deciding on the best way to hook up an external hardrive > and audio interface. > > My external hard drive is Firewire but it let's you connect another Firewire > peripheral through it in series. I've tested it with a firewire audio > interface like this: Audio Interface > External Hardrive > MacMini. It all > seems to be working ok with a test project but I'm not sure with it'll work > with bigger projects in the future. > > Is this going to be too much data transfer for the firewire port? Should I > have one of these peripherals on a USB port? > > My mixes are usually 16 audio track playing back at the most and recording > only one analogue stereo input at a time. > Never had any trouble playing back or recording stuff like this with my old Powerbook G4 1Ghz, Motu 828MKII and a Lacie 160GB d2.. And this was all FW400. Havent done it in awhile since we now have a dual 867 MDD at the studio but used to use it pretty regularly over the last 4-5 years or so. -- Chris http://www.monotrematamusic.com http://www.myspace.com/monotremata http://www.descentrecords.com

> Seeing as you don't need to record loads of tracks simultaneously, > it might be worth using > a USB interface and keeping your HD(s) as firewire. There are quite > a few reported > problems 'daisy chaining' (ie through one device into another) FW > HDs and FW interfaces. > > Mike Well, there are some good results too out there. I use a MOTU 828 mkII daisy chaining with a LaCie FW HD for more than a year without a single problem. I used both ways (Mac>828>HD FW and Mac>HD>828 - using this now) and no problems at all. --------------------//---------------------- And "me", how about thw Mac mini performance? I just ordered a mini Core 2 Duo 2GHz and want to know what can I expect with this little machine. I will be using it to replace a PPC G4 single. Will the mini Core 2 Duo be a lot better than my G4? Or just a little better since it is an entry level machine? Thanks

> > I have an Intel Duo Core MacMini with several USB ports but only one > Firewire port. I'm deciding on the best way to hook up an external hardrive > and audio interface. > > My external hard drive is Firewire but it let's you connect another Firewire > peripheral through it in series. I've tested it with a firewire audio > interface like this: Audio Interface > External Hardrive > MacMini. It all > seems to be working ok with a test project but I'm not sure with it'll work> with bigger projects in the future. > > Is this going to be too much data transfer for the firewire port? Should I > have one of these peripherals on a USB port? > > My mixes are usually 16 audio track playing back at the most and recording > only one analogue stereo input at a time. > Never had any trouble playing back or recording stuff like this with my old Powerbook G4 1Ghz, Motu 828MKII and a Lacie 160GB d2.. And this was all FW400. Havent done it in awhile since we now have a dual 867 MDD at the studio but used to use it pretty regularly over the last 4-5 years or so.-- Chrishttp://www.monotrematamusic.comhttp://www.myspace.com/monotrematahttp:/ /www.descentrecords.com i personally would run them seperatly. the audio interface on the firewire with out a shadow of a doubt and the harddrive on the usb. i dont keep my external harddrive on all the time so that wouldn't be a problem to me. does the harddrive have to be switched on for the bridged connection to work? i have been thinking about getting a second external harddrive but i would have to connect it in this way.

>Is this going to be too much data transfer for the firewire port? I've been using a Firepod and external HD on the firewire port of my G4 iBook (1.33 ghz) without any problems, recording to the HD as much as eight tracks while reading from it as well. It seems to me, with my system, the CPU will get overloaded before the firewire connection does. Things change if I switch to high resolution recording (96khz), but again it's the CPU that's struggling (at least according to the overload messages).