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Format of new external drive to use with BiaB #651467 04/14/21 05:08 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34 R Rockdoc326 OP Enthusiast
OP Rockdoc326 Enthusiast R Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34	I purchased a new external drive in which to store BiaB files and program. It's a Samsung T7 SSD. It replaces a 160 GB drive from PG Music that I used since 2019, but has run out of space. I'll be formatting the new drive and am seeking recommendations which file format I should use; exFat, MacOS Extended (HFS+) or Apple File System (APFS). Would one file system work better than another for BiaB?

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Rockdoc326 #651473 04/14/21 06:33 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: May 2020 Posts: 2,766 Victoria, BC Simon - PG Music Veteran
Simon - PG Music Veteran Joined: May 2020 Posts: 2,766 Victoria, BC	Any of those drive formats should work fine for BIAB, it will likely make no difference. Generally speaking, it's probably best to use APFS for any SSD as that format was designed to be optimized for flash storage. I work here

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Rockdoc326 #651486 04/14/21 08:10 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: May 2002 Posts: 7,729 Victoria, BC Andrew - PG Music PG Music Staff
Andrew - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: May 2002 Posts: 7,729 Victoria, BC	Also, do not format it with case sensitivity Andrew PG Music Inc.

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Simon - PG Music #651505 04/14/21 09:21 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34 R Rockdoc326 OP Enthusiast
OP Rockdoc326 Enthusiast R Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34	Thanks, Simon. I'll get it set up today. Chuck

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Andrew - PG Music #651507 04/14/21 09:22 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34 R Rockdoc326 OP Enthusiast
OP Rockdoc326 Enthusiast R Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34	Thanks, Andrew Good point! Forgot about that. Thanks for the feedback. Chuck

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Rockdoc326 #651672 04/15/21 09:13 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 2,004 Sillie Con Valley, California Mike Halloran Veteran
Mike Halloran Veteran Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 2,004 Sillie Con Valley, California	Originally Posted By: Rockdoc326 I purchased a new external drive in which to store BiaB files and program. It's a Samsung T7 SSD. It replaces a 160 GB drive from PG Music that I used since 2019, but has run out of space. I'll be formatting the new drive and am seeking recommendations which file format I should use; exFat, MacOS Extended (HFS+) or Apple File System (APFS). Would one file system work better than another for BiaB? What MacOS are you running? If your System drive is formatted APFS (High Sierra and Later), format the external SSD the same. There are advantages, whether you ever take advantage of them or not. If Sierra or earlier, MacOS Extended (HFS+) Journaled—you will not be able to see an APFS drive. Quote: Also, do not format it with case sensitivity Yep. exFAT is recommended only if sharing the drive data with a Windows PC. I like the T7 but only the latest Apple Silicon Macs can take advantage of USB 3.2 speeds. That's ok. USB 3 and 3.1 are more than fast enough for BIAB. BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Mike Halloran #651811 04/16/21 05:14 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34 R Rockdoc326 OP Enthusiast
OP Rockdoc326 Enthusiast R Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 34	Hi Mike, Thanks for the input. I formatted in APFS with no issues (running Mojave). I'm typically slow on the update to newer Mac Os's, as I wish to wait until most programs will work with the newer OS. Wonder if it's time to update to Catalina? Chuck

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Rockdoc326 #651836 04/16/21 08:56 AM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: May 2020 Posts: 2,766 Victoria, BC Simon - PG Music Veteran
Simon - PG Music Veteran Joined: May 2020 Posts: 2,766 Victoria, BC	Originally Posted By: Rockdoc326 Hi Mike, Thanks for the input. I formatted in APFS with no issues (running Mojave). I'm typically slow on the update to newer Mac Os's, as I wish to wait until most programs will work with the newer OS. Wonder if it's time to update to Catalina? Chuck If you go to the Apple menu > About This Mac > System Report > Applications, it will list every app in your system. There's a column that says "64-bit (Intel)" which will tell you whether an app is 32-bit or 64-bit. If you upgrade to Catalina, any app that say No in that column will not work. That's part of the reason why I'm still on High Sierra for my music machine. I work here

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Rockdoc326 #651897 04/16/21 02:35 PM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 2,004 Sillie Con Valley, California Mike Halloran Veteran
Mike Halloran Veteran Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 2,004 Sillie Con Valley, California	I have one bread and butter app that's still 32 bit — other apps perform the same task but not nearly as quickly so I keep it on a separate drive that boots into Mojave (interestingly, it runs much, much better there than High Sierra). Otherwise, my iMac Pro runs Catalina. I had to wait a long time for many apps to transition to 64 bit and it cost me some upgrade money before I could make the switch, however. The same thing is happening with Big Sur. I make over half my income using an app that is almost OS 11 compatible. Almost isn't good enough when Time=$$$$. Mojave is still a supported MacOS till November 2021 while High Sierra is not. Support means Security updates and phone support for MacOS issues–just about everything except 3rd party application support. BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Mike Halloran #652324 04/19/21 03:12 PM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: May 2020 Posts: 2,766 Victoria, BC Simon - PG Music Veteran
Simon - PG Music Veteran Joined: May 2020 Posts: 2,766 Victoria, BC	Originally Posted By: Mike Halloran Mojave is still a supported MacOS till November 2021 while High Sierra is not. Support means Security updates and phone support for MacOS issues–just about everything except 3rd party application support. Very true. I'd absolutely switch to Mojave if I could, but many of my older apps have issues already on High Sierra and I wouldn't want to make it worse - main apps in question being Pro Tools 12.4 and Photoshop CS5, which are not cheap to upgrade. Avid doesn't even give me an upgrade price discount for a Pro Tools perpetual license... I work here

Re: Format of new external drive to use with BiaB Rockdoc326 #652336 04/19/21 10:36 PM Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 2,004 Sillie Con Valley, California Mike Halloran Veteran
Mike Halloran Veteran Joined: Apr 2017 Posts: 2,004 Sillie Con Valley, California	Quote: Very true. I'd absolutely switch to Mojave if I could, but many of my older apps have issues already on High Sierra and I wouldn't want to make it worse You've said that a few times as if it's a thing but, since you haven't tried it, you might not want to pound that drum so hard. Mojave fixed a number of issues in the MacOS — a couple lingering since Leopard broke them way back in the PPC days. Some of my apps performed noticeably better after going to Mojave, Encore being a standout — had been fairly useless over Sierra and High Sierra. None performed worse. High Sierra broke external GPU functionality with OS 10.13.4 unless over TB3. Anyone using a DisplayLink box over USB (like me) or any eGPU over TB 1/2 was all of a sudden out of luck unless one reverted immediately back to 10.13.3 (which had a few really annoying Finder bugs). This functionality was restored in Mojave but not 10.13.5 or 6. BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5

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