Fire Wire or USB

I have a Mac Pro 12 GB RAM Using a MOTU UltraLitemk3 I save my projects to a 1TB Westernal Digital External HD. Here's the question. Seems my Mac is unhappy with 2 Fire Wire's at same time. Which gets the usb my interface or External HD. The MOTU people naturally say keep the MOTU with Fire Wire.

I believe that that Mac Pro only has 1 firewire bus with multiple connections.

You have several options here:

• You could daisy chain the hard drive with your interface to make sure that the bandwidth is kept on the same stream. - Demystifying Firewire and Interfaces
  
• You could ditch the external hard drive altogether as your main project drive and use a second internal drive instead; cheaper, faster and more robust. -This is my personal preference. Use the external drive for back ups instead.
  
• You could get an additional firewire PCI card for additional firewire buses.

Thanks for the fast reply. I think I'll go with a Internal for projects and then when I can unplug MOTU and backup to external. So what's your thought on just using the external as main projects working with usb?

I have 3 empty FW and 3 empty usb. In my System Profiler it says

FireWire Device Tree

FireWire Bus

Built-in Hub

Unknown Device

So what's your thought on just using the external as main projects working with usb?

 

Don't!

Not unless you are using USB3.

 

You do not have to disconnect the MOTU when backing up.

Just make sure you don't use the External at the same time as you are using Logic and you should be dandy.

So for my tired old mind, If I do it the old school way (hate that statement) and work from my desktop with projects I'll be too slow and may run into latency etc... issues or small problems. Because when I first or should I say second, went from my DT to the new external HD and launched projects it seemed faster.

So for my tired old mind, If I do it the old school way (hate that statement) and work from my desktop with projects I'll be too slow and may run into latency etc... issues or small problems. Because when I first or should I say second, went from my DT to the new external HD and launched projects it seemed faster.

 

Not sure if I follow what you are saying.

What I meant was getting a second internal drive dedicated to projects, not to use the system drive.

 

The internal SATA bus allows far more bandwidth than a FW800 connection.

OK good idea, I have so many internal HD in my closet now most Old some just sys backup or Photography backup. I've been Photographying all my life. Waiting for what apple is gomg to throw our way since Appple Aperture is now going away.