![External Hard Drive Professional External Hard Drive for Audio](https://api.sageaudio.com/storage/article/uploads/2014-03-hd-300x190.png)
In a previous post we talked about the basics of using an external hard drive and recommended that you use one to record your DAW sessions because you don´t have to worry about data recovery. We didn’t discuss, however, what you should look for in an external hard drive.
For many reasons, it’s worth picking up a couple of hard drives to use as your scratch discs when recording. But there are literally hundreds of options out there. Which one should you choose?
Here are three things to look for when buying an external hard drive:
Rotational Speed
Solid state hard drives have hit the market in the past few years. They’re faster and more durable, but as of now they’re still not cost effective. This means you’ll most likely want to purchase a traditional drive with a rotating disc. Because recording is a more intensive data writing process than normal use, you’ll want a professional grade drive that rotates at 7200 rpm. (Commercial grade drives typically rotate at 5400 or 4200 rpm.)
7200 rpm has been the industry standard for quite some time. While fast speeds are available and certainly work well, 7200 rpm seems to be the sweet spot for audio recording. As solid state prices come down they may become the most popular, but as of now you won’t go wrong with pro-grade rotating disk drive.
Connection Type
Even if your drive rotates fast enough, it’s only as fast as the type of connection to your computer. Once again, because audio processing is more intensive, you’re going to need a connection that can handle more bandwidth than that used in normal computing.
As of now, the connections that are consistently fast enough are Thunderbolt, Firewire 800, USB 3.0 and eSATA. Each of these are able to handle writing and playback of multiple high-quality audio tracks. Just make sure your computer supports whatever connection you choose.
Reviews
It’s also really important to check online reviews for hard drives. No hard drive is perfect and it’s not uncommon for one model to be great while another one by the same manufacturer is a lemon.
There are some brands like Glyph, Buffalo and G-Technology that are designed for professional media use and they come with a carbonite offer code. These are a good place to start looking, as they already have a reputation for performance.
Stick to these easy criteria and you should have no problem. But, always remember to think not if your hard drive breaks but rather when your hard drive breaks. No drive is immortal, so follow the number one rule: back it up!
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >
7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
Yes, I want to join the membership now >