For Your Consideration - A Fast External Storage Recording Drive
As someone who spent a few years honing a Reaper template for virtual sound checks, people will ask me what my preferred external hard drive is for live recording. With the falling cost of external solid-state drives (SSDs) and the rising costs of internal Apple computer storage, it has become almost inevitable that users will store their multitracks on external SSDs.
Like most products in the tech space, there are a myriad of options. It can be daunting to navigate all the options when all you really want it is best bang-for-your-buck when it comes to speed and storage size. One popular choice right now is the Samsung T7. Of course, you could go for the popular choice, but is these potentially a better option?
In the world of data management, there are several ways to store, transport, and access data. For all intents and purposes here, I am going to focus solely on USB-C connected solid-state drives to Apple Computers. If a NAS, RAID, or expanded internal storage fits your needs better, that will have to be a discussion for another day.
Before we discuss other options, let’s look at the two main specs when it comes to choosing the right SSD:
The first is storage size. Most drives will come in either a 500GB, 1TB, or 2TB. Some drives now come in a 4TB and even 8TB version. It is important to be aware of how much storage your recordings will take up to get a good estimate of how many recordings you could theoretically fit before needing to expand. For myself, my current recordings at monitor world consist of about 100 channels at 96k. This includes all inputs as well as a number of stereo IEM mixes. My last recorded show took up about 145GB.
The formula for calculating recording size is relatively simple, but it is usually much easier to use a calculator like this one from Sound Devices. Using this tool will help you decide how much space you need for your drive.
The second spec most people care about is transfer speed. Transfer speeds have become unbelievably fast, but there are some misconceptions because the world of USB and Thunderbolt has not done itself any favors with properly communicating its possibilities and limitations.
Let’s clear up a common misconception. USB-C is ONLY referring to the connection type. The USB-C port on an Apple computer is very different compared to a USB-C port on a rechargeable flashlight. What matters is what you can’t see that is happening behind that port.
There are two types of data transfer protocols relevant to our SSD conversation, and those are USB and Thunderbolt. A broad rule of thumb is that Thunderbolt ports on a MacBook are generally a do-it-all port. Even so, there has been a long-standing contempt towards the “dongle-life” Apple forced everyone into back in 2016. Despite the backlash, the opportunities for blazing fast transfer speeds were on the horizon.
You just said that USB-C is just the port, but now USB is also the protocol?
Correct. The letter suffix refers to the physical connection type, while the numerical USB versions refer to the data transfer specs. The naming is definitely straightforward and not confusing at all (said sarcastically). Here is a chart for reference.
On the other hand, we have Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt also suffers from its own complicated naming scheme and even more complicated specifications. For our purposes here, we can just imagine one extra row at the end of the USB list above that effectively matches the USB 4 speeds. The best part is that upstream Thunderbolt ports are backwards compatible with all versions of USB. This is why the USB-C port on Macs is so powerful. With the right adapter, you can plug most devices into it and it will work.
So where does this leave us? I just wanted to know what SSD to buy…
Let’s go back to the Samsung T7. The T7 is listed as a USB 3.2 Gen2. According to the above chart, we can get a theoretical 1250MB/s which is incredibly fast. Unfortunately, that speed is rarely going to be a reality because of overhead, file type, file size, etc. It will definitely be fast, but it is not generally going to have sustained speeds of over 1GB/s. For $170, you can get a 2TB drive, which will be fine for most people; hence its popularity.
You did all of this to tell me to buy a T7?
No. I did all of this to set the stage for why I think what I currently use is the best option for the fastest and most flexible external SSD for Apple machines.
Allow me to introduce you to the Acasis Thunderbolt SSD Enclosure. It is a tool-less enclosure that allows you to install any M.2 NVMe SSD. Unlike other external drives, this is only an enclosure and requires you to buy the drive separately. Though this seems like a negative, let's look at the benefits.
M.2 NMVe SSDs are typically purchased to replace the storage in a Windows laptop or when building your own PC. They have incredibly fast transfer speeds because they utilize a connection type called PCIe, which is a high-speed interface for interconnecting parts within a computer system.
The benefit in our situation is that we can leverage the speeds of PCIe with its integration within the Thunderbolt technology. Additionally, we can take advantage of the lower costs of buying an M.2 NMVe SSD and installing it into an enclosure; effectively creating our own DIY external SSD.
What do the speeds look like compared to the T7?
They are fast; really fast. The enclosure advertises 2800MB/s which more than double the T7. Just like before, this is a theoretical limit, but the benefit here is that most of the current M.2 drives on the market have speeds well above this. This means that the enclosure will be the bottleneck before the drive itself. I am able to transfer a whole 145GB showfile in under a minute.
Personally, I have been using this setup for over 2 years. I carry a number of M.2 drives in a small case along with the enclosure for a total of 10TB of incredibly fast storage in the palm of my hand.
From a cost perspective, you could get two 2TB T7 drives for $340, or you could get the Acasis enclosure and two 2TB Crucial P3 Plus M.2 drives for $302. If you plan to buy more than a single SSD, the enclosure becomes both the faster AND more cost-effective purchase.
Parts List:
M.2 NVMe SSD Options:
All of the following are ones I either own or would personally purchase
4-Slot M.2 SSD Case (This is a protective case if you want to carry multiple drives to swap in and out)
P.S. Here is a great video by Adam Savage discussing why thunderbolt cables cost so much and why it is one of those things where you do actually get what you pay for.
None of these links are affliliate links. This it just what I use!
