SSD Storage setup for editing?

Cliff Etzel wrote on 5/28/2018, 12:10 PM

In addition to making the transition to Vegas 15 thanks to the latest update, I'm reassessing my storage setup and wondering what others use and what I'm thinking for the upgrade myself.

My current configuration for storage devices is as follows:

Crucial 240GB Boot/Programs drive
WD 640GB 7200RPM Black Drive for all Project files and Renders
2x1TB WD 7200RPM Black laptop drives Mini Raid 0 in an Akitio enclosure attached via eSata card
Seagate 160GB 7200RPM for all media cache and temp files

My thinking is to move as much as possible to SSD's but not sure still - the read/write for my single SSD is off the chart compared to my spinning HD's according to AJA's system test app. My SSD read/write is basically 500MB/sec, where as my mini RAID0 clocks in at about 1/4 that! My concern is the read/write lifespan of SSD's.

My thinking for the storage medium upgrade is as follows:

Crucial 240GB for boot drive (Already using)
Crucial 500GB SSD for Project files/final Renders
Crucial 2x1TB SSD's in eSata/USB 3.1 mini Raid enclosure for all assets
Crucial 120GB SSD for media cache/temp files

I'm thinking to repurpose the spinning drives for archiving completed projects in addition to using a couple of WD 4TB Red drives for weekly offsite rotating backup.

I'm still editing 1080p footage and do plan to move to 4K later this year hence the idea of moving to SSD's.

What are others using and what are your thoughts on this configuration?

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Cliff Etzel wrote on 5/29/2018, 10:50 AM

I'm using a PCI-e card for eSata I brought over from my previous x58 setup

That card will limit your graphic card to PCIe x8. I would rather use a USB3 to eSata adapter.

I had no idea such an adapter existed!!! That makes total sense and I had gotten to wonder about the eSata card choking throughput. This looks like it can hold me over until I upgrade to the SSD's

NickHope wrote on 5/29/2018, 11:15 AM

@Nick Hope I like the simplicity of your configuration. I'm basically running the same setup with spinning drives. What's your playback performance off of your 4K footage while editing? projects I shoot.

I get full 29.97fps from my GH4 8-bit 4:2:0 UHD. Also 59.94fps from my GoPro HERO5 Black 2.7k.

These are the 3 drives. Note that they are all very full at the moment, especially the single WD Black.

O/S, programs, paging file: Samsung 850 Pro 256Gb

Video & audio media: 2 x Western Digital Black 4TB drives (2014) in an Intel IRST "fake" RAID 0

Documents & other data inc. Vegas project files: Western Digital Black 2TB HDD (2017) (VERY FULL!)

Cliff Etzel wrote on 5/29/2018, 11:26 AM

@NickHope - what's your archive setup for completed projects? Trying to gather as much info on that as possible to put one into place for my work.

NickHope wrote on 5/29/2018, 11:42 AM

Project files themselves sit forever on my D drive (the 3rd one in my previous post). That drive is backed up regularly using Syncback Pro.

All captured source footage sits in folders on my E drive (the 2nd one in my post). My entire archive of over 20,000 video files and 4000 audio files also sits on that drive (one benefit of having stayed with compact formats so far). I trim everything I archive and smart render it, currently using FFmpeg for my GH4/OSMO/GoPro 4k media.

I have one ridiculously slow external Seagate 8TB drive that I mirror my media drive to when necessary, and a couple of portable 4TB drives that I capture to in the field, and backup the most important of my archive to as well.

In other words, pretty much everything keepable that I've ever shot is "live" on my system, and even travels with me.

Cliff Etzel wrote on 5/29/2018, 11:47 AM

Gotcha! Now if only MAGIX would update Media Manager (or something similar) to make Vegas a more complete app for serious editing. I had just started using Premiere's version of it and now I wish Vegas had it :-/

OldSmoke wrote on 5/29/2018, 1:04 PM

Gotcha! Now if only MAGIX would update Media Manager (or something similar) to make Vegas a more complete app for serious editing. I had just started using Premiere's version of it and now I wish Vegas had it :-/

I just wonder if a Media Manager is required with all the functionality Windows Explorer offers nowadays. Sure it’s not a database driven system but you can organize everything in folder and the search function will find it for you. The beauty of Vegas is the drag and drop function to either timeline or project media.

Kinvermark wrote on 5/29/2018, 1:05 PM

Gotcha! Now if only MAGIX would update Media Manager (or something similar) to make Vegas a more complete app for serious editing. I had just started using Premiere's version of it and now I wish Vegas had it :-/

As a workaround, I suggest using Adobe Bridge cc 2018. It's free, and works in similar ways to Premiere's internal bins/folder (with the exception of hover scrub.) You can use metadata keyword tagging, "user" order, and collections to organize your footage. Not powerful enough for Nick Hope's MEGA Library, but maybe ok for "normal" use.

Cliff Etzel wrote on 5/29/2018, 1:20 PM

Gotcha! Now if only MAGIX would update Media Manager (or something similar) to make Vegas a more complete app for serious editing. I had just started using Premiere's version of it and now I wish Vegas had it :-/

I just wonder if a Media Manager is required with all the functionality Windows Explorer offers nowadays. Sure it’s not a database driven system but you can organize everything in folder and the search function will find it for you. The beauty of Vegas is the drag and drop function to either timeline or project media.

That's how I do it right now - I create the appropriate bins and such within a project - I guess Media Manager would be utilized for very large projects? Maybe I'm not needing to deal with it at all for the work that I shoot and edit - again, I fell into the trap of believing the Adobe way of doing things which again was cumbersome and inefficient.

One thing I did experience first hand in Premiere CS6 is the ability for transcribing interviews right within Premiere and being able to that transcription into a text document - really nice to have that when working with alot of video interview material - something I shoot quite a bit of in my work. I'm guessing it would entail licensing some sort of technology to integrate into Vegas which would raise the cost accordingly...

fr0sty wrote on 5/29/2018, 9:39 PM

It would also be helpful for people who produce TV shows and have to close caption their content. I used to have a music TV show back in the day... I had to CC the bands, none of which I'd ever have the lyrics for, so the results were sometimes hilarious.

Musicvid wrote on 5/29/2018, 10:20 PM

Cliff, I know you love the intricacies of hardware, and you always make for interesting reading, but there is some merit in hitching the horse ahead of the cart, and purchasing a competent system for your future needs, not an overengineered one. I know it's not as much fun.

If, after you've made the switch to 4k, and begin settling into a workflow, reassess your needs. If your disk i/o throughput is a bottleneck, you will know it straightaway.

In the reasonable likelihood that you "may" be able to use more throughput, determine by how much using math, and buy up to technology that was hot 18-24 months ago, and plan on spending about half as much. Just a different viewpoint, if you please.

Moi? Couple of 10k spinners, lotsa cheap space, no raid, jbod. I'll get back to you on the 4k.