Looking to buy my first HDD

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simplyAl

DJ
Aug 9, 2006
2,367
8
51
Phoenix, AZ
What brand?
What size?
Do RPMs matter?

I will be transfering all my CDs to wave and keeping this HDD as a backup. Then will be transfering all wave files to mp3 to another HDD. I have heard that the larger the HDD is the slower it takes to search; is there really that much of a difference?
 
Lot of variables...

Many drives have multiple read heads and platters, so it's not all that easy to determine whether a larger capacity is slower.

Once everything gets cached, there is little lag time -- but that requires a little work on your part. You have to let your OS know what it's looking for up front. Once you do that, it remembers.

When I write algorithms, I assume that people may screw up, so I go for the safe side. They may decide to search for some pron, instead of a song. So the cache now has to be rebuilt.

RPM's, the faster the better -- but they're not always true, unless you have the entire system optimized...
 
What I plan on doing first is to transfer all my music to mp3. Then hook up the HDD to the mixdeck alone. Then look into getting a windows laptop or Mac to run whatever dj software I choose at that time.

But first step is to get the HDD.
 
simplyAl said:
What I plan on doing first is to transfer all my music to mp3. Then hook up the HDD to the mixdeck alone. Then look into getting a windows laptop or Mac to run whatever dj software I choose at that time.

But first step is to get the HDD.
Click to expand...


Interesting thing to consider...

Almost all drives manufactured, are made in 3 plants. It's very difficult to manufacture drives -- you need clean rooms. So, they are branded, based upon who contracts out.

So, you buy a WD, Seagate, Lacie, whatever -- it's all the same. They're all manufactured to the same specs.
 
Get 2. Use one for backup. Latshaw has free software you can use to synch the drives. You'll be really glad one day that you have your MP3's backed up. Trust me on this. I have 60,000+ music files, and hundreds of hours tweaking tags and such. You backup can and will save your a** down the road.

Best,

Paul
 
Thank you Rick and Paul. As stated in the original post; I will be getting 2 HDDs. The first purchase will be for a HDD that will host all my music files as wave. The second will be mp3s. This will be a longer process than normal as all my CDs are through Great Rock Music (DJ comp CDs) that are not listed on the online DB to automatically get the info. This will be a long manual process for tagging. I also need to figure out how to manage the HDD songs; organized by Title, Artist, Genre, etc.

I have been thinking of setting up folders by Artist name. 27 folders (the 27th will be for names that start with numerical characters.
 
For space, the HDD that will host the wave files will be a 1TB and will host approximately hold 20,000 songs at this time. The HDD to host the mp3s; i don't think I'll need more than 500GB?
 
simplyAl said:
For space, the HDD that will host the wave files will be a 1TB and will host approximately hold 20,000 songs at this time. The HDD to host the mp3s; i don't think I'll need more than 500GB?
Click to expand...

Think again. Why buy a small drive?... so you can buy a larger one when the small one is full? You have now 1TB in Wav's, and 1/2TB in MP3's. To back this up you will need at minimum a 1.5TB drive(s).

Best,

Paul
 
Let me add another point here - it was stated previously but I don't see anything more about it - maybe I'm missing it:

Al, you say you will have 2 drives, one for wave files and the other for MP3. What was stated before was to back these up to each other (for backup / redundancy). I haven't seen anything more about this but I can promise you that if you do not sync the data on these drives and one of them goes bad, you WILL regret it.

It's not a matter of 'if' it goes bad - it's a matter of 'when' it goes bad.
 
I keep my WAV files on two drives. Each is 1 TB. Plenty of room, and I honestly don't know how many songs are on there.

I can always make MP3's out of them if needed, just run a batch job overnight.

I keep one in a firesafe -- because I don't have the option here of another building, and it's too hot to leave it in the car trunk.

I use SyncToy to keep them up to date :)
 
Audiograbber question...

I thought there was an option to rip CD's to a wav file, then batch convert them to mp3's later on.

How is that done...if at all possible?
 
simplyAl said:
Thank you Rick and Paul. As stated in the original post; I will be getting 2 HDDs. The first purchase will be for a HDD that will host all my music files as wave. The second will be mp3s. This will be a longer process than normal as all my CDs are through Great Rock Music (DJ comp CDs) that are not listed on the online DB to automatically get the info. This will be a long manual process for tagging. I also need to figure out how to manage the HDD songs; organized by Title, Artist, Genre, etc.

I have been thinking of setting up folders by Artist name. 27 folders (the 27th will be for names that start with numerical characters.
Click to expand...
When setting up your Music Library in a HD, Genres should be your priority. You should be the one choosing your Genres by batch, make a folder in Explorer for each Genre, Tag Scanner can help. Don't rely on some software or iTunes to do that for you. In each genre will be a list of the Artists Alphabetically. Any good DJ software worth its salt should be able to sort your Music Library any way you want based on the Tags or Comments you add. For instance I can place an * or "HIT" in the Comments Field of a particular file. If I want only hits from one particular Genre or the complete Music Library, all I have to do is type in "HIT" and all my hits will come up.
 
We already have a thread discussing file / library management here: http://ourdjtalk.com/threads/how-do-you-organize-your-dj-song-library.43789/
You may have to experiment to decide which type of organization works for you.
ahoustondj said:
When setting up your Music Library in a HD, Genres should be your priority....
Click to expand...
I prefer mine sorted by artist, but check the link above to see a bunch of different opinions.
ahoustondj said:
Any good DJ software worth its salt should be able to sort your Music Library any way you want based on the Tags or Comments you add
Click to expand...
including by genre if it is in the tag.
Again... just play around and see what you are comfortable with. Since we have determined that the software you use will allow searching on most any, if not all the file tags... the only time it will probably be used is if there is an issue with your player's library and you have to perform a bunch of drag and drops to get through a gig. Just my 2 cents.. YMMV
 
Ron said:
We already have a thread discussing file / library management here: http://ourdjtalk.com/threads/how-do-you-organize-your-dj-song-library.43789/
You may have to experiment to decide which type of organization works for you.

I prefer mine sorted by artist, but check the link above to see a bunch of different opinions.

including by genre if it is in the tag.
Again... just play around and see what you are comfortable with. Since we have determined that the software you use will allow searching on most any, if not all the file tags... the only time it will probably be used is if there is an issue with your player's library and you have to perform a bunch of drag and drops to get through a gig. Just my 2 cents.. YMMV
Click to expand...
A software will only find what is in there (Tags). If your MP3s are not properly tagged you will end up with incorrect results.
Most Filing Systems conform to a certain Protocol. A DJ's Music Library is no different. Think in terms of your City's Public Library. If they were to file all the books on shelves by Authors Name, it would be very difficult for someone to find books on, lets say, Architecture. This is why Libraries have sections (DJs have Folders/Genres).
One should be able to take their HD with the Music Library and connect it to ANY DJ Software or Digital Music Player and have it easily read.
Can a Secretary file her work in a way just to suit her? Absolutely! She will be able to find anything because she placed it there and may know where everything is located. However, if someone comes to do her job, they would be hard pressed to find anything. One should be able to look at ANYONE'S Hard Drive in EXPLORER (Not the DJ Software) and determine the Genres. So YES, there IS a Standard Filing Protocol but everyone does not follow it, they do "what works for them." Maybe because they don't know how it is done.
 
I don't want to re-hash the threads previously, but filing by GENRE is only 1 possible way, not the only way, and not necessarily the best way. Unlike a library that files things for OTHERS to find, a DJs library needs to be sorted so THEY can find things, and that might be by genre, it might be by album, artist or by year .. whatever makes it easy. I tend to file by Artist and Album, as it is easier when I rip them. YMMV
 
steve149 said:
I don't want to re-hash the threads previously, but filing by GENRE is only 1 possible way, not the only way, and not necessarily the best way. Unlike a library that files things for OTHERS to find, a DJs library needs to be sorted so THEY can find things, and that might be by genre, it might be by album, artist or by year .. whatever makes it easy. I tend to file by Artist and Album, as it is easier when I rip them. YMMV
Click to expand...
I don't mean to rehash things either but there are new people coming on here all the time looking for answers. The way I described is not MY way, it is a filing system Protocol that is tried and proven. I did not invent it.
I rip my Songs by Artists and Titles too but that is different from filing. It is the raw material with Tags. If I were to come up to you and ask,"show me ALL the Country Music you have in your Hard Drive, without going into your DJ Program", you would have to agree that if it was not filed as such in a given folder, that it would be difficult to tell. Even in some DJ programs it would be difficult to tell if it was wrongly labeled.
 
And if I asked you to show me everything by Darius Rucker without a DJ program, you wouldn't find it by genre either (rock/alternative/AC/country). A bigger question would be why would I not use the DJ program if that is what I normally use.

I won't disagree that by genre isn't a system, I disagree that it is a preferred one.
 
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