USB3 HDDs for audio use

[updog]

I have an external hard drive which I have been using with the Firewire connection, but I need more space than that since it's only 500gb capacity. It seems like Firewire is slowly going out, but I don't feel like investing on a Thunderbolt external for the time being. This led me thinking how well USB3 would fare for storing the samples.

Now, I know that on paper, USB3 is faster than Firewire, but since it's USB, the speed on paper is not the whole story now is it. Since I couldn't find much viable information on this - what are you guys using nowadays for audio? Any problems with USB3 externals whatsoever?

 

[JeffTD]

I use an SSD via USB3 for all of my mobile tracking and it's never even batted an eye.

 

[Line666]

I've been running sessions off a Western Digital external for a while now - USB3 is rapid and I've had no problems whatsoever with it.

 

[sprack]

The reason Firewire is better for audio than USB1/2 is because it is interrupt driven. That means that when the device sends data it has to be serviced by the processor. USB is polled, the processor checks on the USB buffer periodically to service the data there. If the driver writer does a very good job then its polled often and mean no dropouts. USB3 is interrupt driven.

 

[Trevoire520]

Using a USB3 7200rpm drive for audio here with no bother.

 

[updog]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I was looking into a 7200rpm drive as well... I did some research, and unlike what I had thought at first, with the USB3 the drive speed is more or less the only bottleneck for the overall data transfer speed. I didn't think it would make sense to buy an USB3 SSD external, but - despite USB3 obviously being slower than what you'd get in an internal, it looks like you'd still get almost twice the speed compared to a 7200rpm ext. drive connected via USB3.

This makes an SSD external a very solid option indeed, even if it was only USB3.