EastWest Sounds

Ed-92 · #1 09-27-2018, 08:03 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on buying the Hollywood Orchestra, but I'm not quiet sure if my computer can handle it.

I have seen some similar threads and questions similar to mine in this forum and also I have read a couple of system requirements. However, I still want to make sure how much can my computer handle the work.

I'll appreciate to have an opinion of the efficiency and viability of my set up. Thanks very much in advance. This are my Computer Specs:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2015) 2.2 GHz, Intel Core i7
• 16Gb of RAM and SSD.
• Currently running OS X Yosemite
• My MacBook Pro has a Machintosh HD storage of 250Gb. Currently I have only 55Gb free of 250Gb

• External Hard drive for libraries and backups:
WD called (My book for Mac ) of 3Tb
• It is connected by USB 3.0 to a USB 3.0 HUB (j5 create) to my MacbookPro by USB3.0

• Pro Tools 12.7.1
• Focusrite Scarlett 8i6

Would my computer be able to handle and run Hollywood Orchestra or not really? If so, is there anything I could do to optimize my computer ?
I don't want to buy it and then find out any technical difficulties while working with it.

Thank you very much for your opinions.

Greetings from Ecuador!

LMW · #2 09-27-2018, 09:23 AM

Hey Ed,

yup, the threads get quite similar when the specs are quite close together.
My answers will probably be quite similar to this thread (link).

RAM and CPU look good. Obviously, you will eventually run into latency
issues, which will be noticeable when you hear pops / clicks during playback.
In this case, you can try a few of the suggestions, which I have added at the
bottom.

The only issue I currently have is with your drive(s):

NOTE: Please remember that the Hollywood Orchestra is quite large!!
Gold: 95GB and Diamond 709GB

If possible, try not to use the OS drive for the samples - it's a latency issue
due to constant reading / writing from background programs.

This leads however, to the problem(s) with your large drive:

What's the current format? Is it FAT32, exFAT or MAC OS Journaled?
Is it 5400 or 7200rpm?

5400rpm - Too slow for sample streaming. You'll experience pops and clicks
when the samples aren't being read fast enough. The data throughput isn't
high enough and the latency will be affected.

Use: 5400s are perfect as back-ups. They're quite cheap in this regard,
and you won't need any fast access times.

7200rpm - Good enough for sample streaming. You will still experience
certain limitations depending on the number of tracks / samples you are
trying to simultaneously stream from it. This is also slightly library dependent.

The drive connection itself. Also referred to as the bandwidth, this is important,
as this determines how much you can transfer from the drive to the computer.
And this is theoretically problematic. If the drive rpm is higher than the bandwidth,
then you will experience a throttle in this scenario. The rpm rate might allow for a
theoretically higher read speed, but the bandwidth limits the potential.

This also means, that having 2x 1TB á 450mb/s is better than 1x 2TB á 450mb/s,
since the former will allow you for more simultaneous reads, even though the GB size
is exactly the same.

You can try using the suggestions, which I've attached below to improve your system.

All in all, I expect you to be able to use 20 patches without an issue, and
anything above that will most likely result in latency issues due to the drives.

Consider getting an additional, dedicated harddrive only for the samples!

NOTE: Are you getting Hollywood Orchestra Diamond? You can try using the 7200rpm
drive, which automatically comes with that purchase. Though most recommend getting
an SSD for that (e.g. the T-series from Samsung).

Or if you're getting gold, you can also in addition get this drive:
http://www.soundsonline.com/CC-Gold-HD

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Misc computer / Play settings - Here are a few things, which
you can do to improve your DAW capabilities:

- Turn off WIFI and BlueTooth
- Unplug your LAN cable (basically, get off the internet)
- Turn off all background programs such as security etc.
Depending on your security settings, these might actually
be scanning the samples prior to them loading / playing.
- Only open your DAW. Check how many programs are
automatically run upon startup.

NOTE: Please remember that the turned off security settings
should be re-enabled prior to connecting to the internet again!

p. 60: The Sample Cache feature allows you to determine how many
of the samples are loaded directly into RAM or are streamed from the drive.
Test out different levels to see if that helps.
p. 58: The Sample Purge feature allows you to remove any not used
samples from the RAM.
http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/d...ser-Manual.pdf

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

jspencer · #3 09-27-2018, 09:55 AM

Lorenz has great advice, as usual. I run a 2013 MacBook pro with similar specs (I have a 512GB flash). You really want to consider having the Hollywood stuff on SSD, and as Lorenz mentioned, the Samsung T-series is great. I'm using the T5 connected to USB3 and it's great. Your biggest limitation will be RAM, but you can get pretty good results with 16GB....I fire up a slave PC when I need to use bigger templates (but I mean BIG).

Also, if you plan on using a hub for drives, make sure it's powered (has it's own power supply), not bus powered.

Ed-92 · #4 09-27-2018, 09:42 PM

Thank you guys a lot for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

Lorenz, answering to your question about my large drive.
• The current format of my WD "My book for mac" is MAC OS JOURNALED.
• But I wasn't able to find the Rpm of the drive. I searched for it on online manuals and specs but still haven't found the Rpm of the drive. It might be a 7200rpm but I can't confirm that.

And yes. Mi initial intention was to buy Hollywood Orchestra Diamond and upload the samples to my External Drive, but I'll try to change to a SSD.

What are your thought about this ?

If I adquiere an External SSD Drive only for the libraries, would it be posible for me to run more than 20 patches using Hollywood Orchestra Diamond ?

Perhaps could that improve the efficiency or reduce the latency issues ?

I was thinking in buying the Glyph SSD Atom Raid of 2Tb.
It is more expensive, but I think it might be worth buying on the long term.
What do you think ?

Thanks you guys again

LMW · #5 09-28-2018, 05:24 AM

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