Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

RME Support wrote:

Austrian manufacturer Angelbird provided us with the 128 GB variety of the external SSD 2 go pocket, a USB 3 device. The drive works flawlessly with the UFX, recording 60 channels at a constant load of about 70% (USB 2, obviously). Since this did not really make the little thing break a sweat, I then tried it on my Mac, recording 390 channels across USB 3, which also worked fine.

NB: Use of this drive with the UFX requires reformatting to FAT32 (factory default is exFAT).
The Fat32Formatter software worked for me here. The drive comes with a short and slightly stiff cable with USB 3.0 Type A connectors on both sides. The drive's TBW rating of 262 TB will let you fill it up completely more than 2000 times, which would then result in a price of well under € 0.10 per 128 GB recording session...

http://www.angelbird.com/media/filer_public/2014/09/12/ssd2go_pocket_blue_430px.jpg

Would a larger drive ie 256 GB also work or is it not possibe because of maybe FAT32 ?

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

152

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

No problem.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

"Yes, it was not soon, but finally it is there! I was checking from time to time about improvements in USB 3 sticks, and found out about the

SanDisk Cruzer Extreme 64 GB

This stick seems to have the highest write rate ever (more than 160 MByte/s in real-world!), and according to its SMART values it is based on a SSD controller. The higher the write rate, the smaller the pause times during data streaming. So the question was: does that improvement also mean less pause times in USB 2 operation, making it work like a hard drive at the front port of the UFX?

Answer: Yes, it does! I recorded 34 tracks at 96 kHz until the stick was full (nearly two hours). The max write time never exceeded 80 ms, the USB load stayed at 80%, and subsequently there were 0 errors at the end of the recording!

Note that this is the 64 GB stick, sold in Germany for around 60 Euros. The 32 and 16 GB ones have slower write speeds, but it may well be that due to their special design there will still be no pause (write time) problems. If someone tries out these please report here.

!!! Update 01/14/2013: I just confirmed that the 16 GB version also runs the full channel count without errors. !!!

The stick itself gives a very cheap impression due to being extremely lightweight and made from simple plastic. But it includes a nice spring-supported slide mechanism to hide the connector, so no cap needed. It also has the (often missing) gap for a neck wrist. It doesn't get warm so draws not much current. And its speed...heck, I think I have to order more of these..."

I can only get this (great) USB stick to format exFat, not Fat32. Will this be an issue using DURec?

Thanks,

A non-union national read
Demos: brucehayward dot com
Source-Connect: brucehayward

154

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

This stick ships in FAT32. And I have no clue why you can not format it in FAT32. exFAT will not work in the UFX.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Thanks for the reply. The stick I bought sealed in it's packaging - in Canada - was not originally formatted Fat32. I'll have to see if I can find a third party program to format it to Fat32.

A non-union national read
Demos: brucehayward dot com
Source-Connect: brucehayward

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Only options to format the disk using Windows' built in utilities is NTFS or exFat. Found this utility:

http://download.cnet.com/HP-USB-Disk-St … 74082.html

After starting the .exe it immediately found the SanDisk and offered all three formatting choices: Fat32, exFat and NTFS. Just doesn't allow a cluster size choice.

A non-union national read
Demos: brucehayward dot com
Source-Connect: brucehayward

157 (edited by Randyman... 2016-02-08 02:34:56)

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

The Weed wrote:

Thanks for the reply. The stick I bought sealed in it's packaging - in Canada - was not originally formatted Fat32. I'll have to see if I can find a third party program to format it to Fat32.

I've had issues trying to delete/override un-deletable "OEM" partitions on USB drives (and sometimes "OEM/Recovery" partitions on regular drives).
I'm not sure if your FAT-32 formatting problem might be related.  If it is, you can likely force a complete partition deletion using diskpart as follows (and then maybe perform a standard FAT-32 partition operation afterwards?).

Just be VERY CAREFUL that you don't format the wrong drive by accident!!! (seriously)


Step1: Hit “Windows Key” + “R” to open the run dialogue box and type “diskpart” and hit “OK” to open a black command prompt window.

Step2: Type “list disk” to display all the disks of your computer.

Step3: Type “select disk n”. Here n stands for the disk you want to work well.

Step4: Type “list partition” to display all the volumes on the hard drive.

Step5: Type “select partition n”. Here n stands for the volume you want to delete.

Step6: Type “delete partition override” to get rid of the volume.

Step7: Type “exit” to close the window.


You will have a wiped drive that *might* be able to accept a standard FAT32 partition+format for use in your UFX with DURec...

I'm not sure if the exFAT file-system is a deliberate inclusion since the SanDisk Cruzer Extreme is not your average USB stick (as you mentioned - it is basically a full-fledged SSD with a USB3 bridge chip!  I have the 64GB one and it does scream!).  I have no idea how overriding the OEM partition with basic FAT32 will affect performance/bandwidth - so only proceed with your own desire to experiment further.

cool

MADIface-XT+ARC / 3x HDSP MADI / ADI648
2x SSL Alphalink MADI AX
2x Multiface / 2x Digiface /2x ADI8

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Thanks. After using the HP Tool I posted, it's Fat32 and one partition. I'll be testing the SanDisk Extreme in the next couple of days.

Cheers,

A non-union national read
Demos: brucehayward dot com
Source-Connect: brucehayward

159

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

The Weed wrote:

Only options to format the disk using Windows' built in utilities is NTFS or exFat.

Post 15 on page 1.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Thanks, the Ridgecroft Consultants program works just fine.

Cheers,

A non-union national read
Demos: brucehayward dot com
Source-Connect: brucehayward

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

FWIW, I too had massive problems to DURec to any of my USB sticks due to the discussed write latency problems. I followed MC's suggestion and bought a SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.0 128GB (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00HR7FWUC/) stick and tested it with 34 channels @ 96kHz (USB load 80%) with 0 errors for a full stick record and write latency around 77-79ms.

The retractable USB connector is locked in position when slid out, so no issues there - unlike with some other sticks. Device only gets hand-warm while recording at max UFX performance (34ch@96k). Comes with FAT32 filesystem from factory.

If UFX+ becomes usable under Pro Tools (needs I/O ASIO remapping functionality suggested in https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=23759), I will buy one as soon as it ships, re-test and let you know.

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Perhaps this has come up before, but is there any possibility of building a direct record function into TotalMix generally so it can be used with devices without the requisite USB hardware? I assume this would be less of a CPU load than running an entire DAW, which would be especially great if I am running other high performance software like Max/MSP.

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Question to RME: what would be best for the UFX+ ?

I have currently for my UFX the SanDisk Extreme 64GB USB 3.0 (up to 245 MB/Sec):
https://www.amazon.de/SanDisk-Extreme-U … dp_product

Is this well enough as UFX+ has more channels or shall I consider to get the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.0 128GB ?
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00HR7FWUC/

I want simply the best stick to be well prepared shall I have to record with max number of channels.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I am so excited!
My UFX+ is on the truck for delivery today:)
I will be recording tonight!
What is the latest on recommendations for DUREC.
Best Pen Drive?
Maximum size?
Best SSD?
Maximum size?
Thank you very much!

Linz

SamProX23 Suite-RME UFX+,FF800;X-Touch,21" Acer Touch,ASUS ROG G750JH-DB71-Win8,MSSurfbook-Win10

165

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Still the same as mentioned in the manual - Sandisk Extreme rocks.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

166

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

indeed Sandisk extreme you cant go wrong with..ive used 2 x sandisk extreme 64gbs for years and never skipped a beat usually (24 x 88.2khz)

_

RME HDSP9652 | | RME Digiface USB

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Sandisk kicks out a new stick with SSD speed:

https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung … 89185.html

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub14

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Wow!

SamProX23 Suite-RME UFX+,FF800;X-Touch,21" Acer Touch,ASUS ROG G750JH-DB71-Win8,MSSurfbook-Win10

169 (edited by mjfe87 2017-09-11 12:32:52)

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

MC wrote:

Still the same as mentioned in the manual - Sandisk Extreme rocks.

Unfortunately the Sandisk links in this thread are now removed. Are there differences between the 'Go', 'Pro' and 'Cruzer' versions?  And what about the Sandisk Extreme USB sticks with none of these words in their title?!

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

170

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Answered here:

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=25850

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

171 (edited by mjfe87 2017-09-11 13:55:28)

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Thanks MC.  You say to avoid 'Go' but what about the drives that are just labelled 'SanDisk Extreme' e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/sandisk-extre … 0290.m3507

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

172

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

That was answered in that thread as well. Your link points to the working 128 GB version.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

MC wrote:

That was answered in that thread as well. Your link points to the working 128 GB version.

So to clarify, there is no real-world improvement when upgrading to the Pro version - both are equally reliable?

It also seems the Pro version has different generations with write speeds of 240MB/s and more recently 380MB/s - has anyone compared these versions?

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

174

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I am sorry, yesterday I did not look carefully enough. The link that you provided is NOT the 128 GB Pro (which is known to work), but a version that IMHO doesn't exist. Might be a fake product. I did not find any reference that Sandisk ever built the normal Extreme 3.0 stick (that we all  like and use) with 128 GB capacity.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I've been using 2 different models of Sandisk flash drive for DURec on my UFX+ for half a year or so now without any obvious problems. I typically record at 24/48 up to a dozen or so channels for up to 3 hours of constant recording in a session.  This past August I was recording more tracks ... up to mid 20s ... at a time and after half an hour most channels trashed (massive static).  Occasionally the recordings would go back to working as expected.  I'm not in the habit of having to monitor for errors, etc. so didn't. I assume I overwrote the speed capability of the drive. This past Saturday I used my other model thumb drive with 14 channels and it was back to working without issue. 

The thumb drive model that had problems in August: SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB SDCZ80 (note no "PRO" in model name) write speed up to 100 MB/s

The thumb drive model that worked this past Saturday: SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.0 128 GB SDCZ88; write speed up to 240 MB/s

Note that the slower non-PRO thumb drive would work for awhile before running into problems. I assume its slower speed caused my recording problems. I suggest that if there's any doubt you stop/start recordings when possible and monitor the errors (which I didn't do).

176

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

What you report is not what we have seen through all our testing. I just activated 70 (!) record channels at 48 kHz and recorded them with the 16 GB version (a bit slower than the 32 GB one). USB load is 76%, R/W-Time 70 ms up to 100 ms, and the recording went like that for 26 minutes - then the stick was full with 7 files. Not a single error.

So I did the same again with only 36 channels. USB load is a ridiculous 39%, R/W-Time is a constant 70 ms, recording ran for 51 minutes. Not a single error.

I also have to point out chapter 37.5 in the manual - Checking the performance of the record media.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I have just bought a San Disk Extreme USB3.0 usb stick SDCZ-80-064G-X46 (64Gb,read 190MB/s, write up to 170MB/s). I armed 24 tracks (outputs) and it recorded fine. I just wondered if there was a 'dismount' routine I should follow? Should I power down the UFX before removing the flash drive from the front of the unit? Or is it enough just to make sure that the drive isn't recording or playing back before removal?
Thanks
Al

178

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Exactly. No dismount.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Thanks Matthias,

Al

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Hello,

San Disk Extreme 500 USB 3 SSD 240GB
form factor is a ~3 inch square about 1/2 inch thick, ~6 inch USB cable

Acronis and FAT32Formatter were unsuccessful in formatting it to FAT32 such that the UFX would recognize it.
Formatting it back to NT was successful and PCs could see it again. hmmm...

reformatted it to FAT32 on a Mac mini using the native disc utility -> MS-DOS
UFX recognized this FAT32

UFX with every possible recording channel armed, all inputs + outputs
60 tracks, Fs 48Khz
1 hour
USB speed pinned at 70-71%, 0 errors
2 hours
USB speed pinned at 70-71%, 0 errors
decoded both to single wav files via RME tool on HP EliteBook, no issues.

Mac Mini 10.7.5 and Elitebook Win7/64 would recognize the drive in FAT32
Dell XPS Win7/64 would not. very odd. not sure why this is happening.
It recognizes my SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3 card in the mandatory SanDisk card reader/adaptor.
More on that card in my next post.

normal recording setup with this rig would be 28 mic inputs + 2-6 monitor inputs (mains + 2 headphones)
34 channel record 1 hour test gave USB ~40-41%, 0 errors.

seems pretty solid for my purposes, just make sure your system can see the drive in FAT32

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3 card in the mandatory SanDisk card reader/adapter.

You must use the SanDisk USB adaptor specifically for this card for it to perform properly.
Other adapters will not work properly. I tried, no go.
This is a very high performance card (U3) so it's not surprising a dedicated adapter is required.
Both are available from B&H.

Other than that, formatted it to FAT32 with FAT32Formatter  no issues, Card can be read on all systems.

34 channel record 1 hour test gave USB ~49-50%, 0 errors.
This yields around 3.5 hours record time in this config.
RME extraction to individual wav files with no issues.

I've been using this card for a while, and now have the SanDisk Extreme 500 SSD for even greater capacity.

Grand opera coming up on the schedule in a couple of weeks, one or the other will be used as the b/u recorder for the HP Elitebook i7 Win7/64 Samsung SSD laptop running Sequoia 13.

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Update on the San Disk Extreme 500 USB 3 SSD 240GB

The SanDisk site says to use the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. to format to FAT32
Downloaded the Hp Tool and formatted the drive again. 
The tool gives you a nice result report upon completion, it’s idiot simple to run.

It immediately shows up in the Dell computer drive page. Removed and reinserted and it reappears on the Dell. Plugged it into the Elitebook and the drive is immediately recognized. Transferred the extracted 60 track project from the internal drive of the SSD to the San Disk 500, all good.

Ejected the San Disk from the Elitebook and plugged it into the UFX DURec port.
34 tracks /48Khz, my usual tracking setup, 1 hour record gave the 40% USB and 0 errors result again.

So the HP formatter tool solved my remaining issue and it's all good.

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Hi to all,
Could you recommend a cheap/not so expensive stick (16gb or more) that works ? I will be recording 2 or 4 channels at 192hz.
Thanks

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

esteban wrote:

Hi to all,
Could you recommend a cheap/not so expensive stick (16gb or more) that works ? I will be recording 2 or 4 channels at 192hz.
Thanks

Sandisk Extreme Pro (not Go or any other versions). Annoyingly it’s chunky and blocks off neighbouring USB ports but it works with the ufx at capacity!

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

185 (edited by esteban 2017-11-11 10:17:37)

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Thank you. I have one Scandisk extreme pro, but I need to buy another stick and wanted to know of there is a cheaper option that works

186 (edited by mjfe87 2017-11-11 10:58:56)

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

esteban wrote:

Thank you. I have one Scandisk extreme pro, but I need to buy another stick and wanted to know of there is a cheaper option that works

All our others by Samsung produce errors particularly on higher sample rates or track counts and though you may get away with it, this can lead to audible glitches.

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

187 (edited by ingar.hunskaar 2018-01-31 22:57:52)

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Hi!

Does anyone have experience with this SSD drive for use with Durec and UFX+ over MADI?

SANDISK EXTREME 500 PORTABLE SSD (250GB):

https://www.multicom.no/sandisk-extreme … c/p9423711

Thinking of buying this SSD for use as a backup/parallell recording solution for a live venue in Oslo, Norway. Recording will be up to 48 channels at 48kHz. Will also record on a Macbook Pro simultaniously, using Nuendo Live.

Best regards
Ingar Hunskaar
Oslo, Norway

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

See Post #184 in this thread for my review.

ingar.hunskaar wrote:

Hi!

Does anyone have experience with this SSD drive for use with Durec and UFX+ over MADI?

SANDISK EXTREME 500 PORTABLE SSD (250GB):

https://www.multicom.no/sandisk-extreme … c/p9423711

Thinking of buying this SSD for use as a backup/parallell recording solution for a live venue in Oslo, Norway. Recording will be up to 48 channels at 48kHz. Will also record on a Macbook Pro simultaniously, using Nuendo Live.

Best regards
Ingar Hunskaar
Oslo, Norway

189

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Sandisk extreme Pro 128GB SD-Cards with Kingston USB 3.0 Cardreader works nicely. 60 Track @48kHz, 73% max. With 16 Track @96kHz load goes up to 83%.
Also nice: SanDisk Ultra Fit 64 GB. I use it with up to 40 Tracks @ 48kHz, load is 55% max. Perfect for recording only the input tracks.
Cheers

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I need to buy urgently a drive to use with my UFX for a recording session. I have found the Sandisk go pro here and the best option seems to be the Intenso Intenso Tragbare  SSD128 GB.  Do you have any experience with this one ?

Thank you

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Here some other successful tested USB drives;
SanDisk SDCZ43-064G-GAM46,USB-Flash-Laufwerk USB 3.0 bis zu 150 MB/S, 64 GB Schwarz/Silberfarben
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01BGT … &psc=1

SanDisk SSD Plus 240GB Sata III 2,5 Zoll Interne SSD, bis zu 530 MB/Sek
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01F9G … &psc=1

Regards,
Audio AG Support

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Audio AG Support wrote:

Here some other successful tested USB drives;
SanDisk SDCZ43-064G-GAM46,USB-Flash-Laufwerk USB 3.0 bis zu 150 MB/S, 64 GB Schwarz/Silberfarben
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01BGT … &psc=1

That's great, thanks Joost.  Does it have to be 64gb or does the 128gb work too?

These drives are way more compact than the Extreme Pro series which means we can shut our rack case even when there's a USB stick in the UFX.

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

This is a little off, but I have noticed using the recommended SanDisk stick ( https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail … rive-128gb ) has been randomly stopping.  Sometime it will record for 8 minutes and stop, other times it will stop in less than a minute.  Track count does not change it.  I have noticed if RME Buffer is set high, it is less likely to stop recording.  This is all at 96kHz.  Anyone else have this experience?  It is not confidence inspiring knowing your only back up recording is failing.....

194

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

This stick has never been tested nor recommended by RME. You looked for the wrong one. The originally recommended stick is no longer available.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Has this one been approved as a replacement:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ … b_3_1.html
Thank you.

196

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Tested by me and failed, somewhere in this thread.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

MC wrote:

Tested by me and failed, somewhere in this thread.

This is different from the 64gb one that Joost just recommended, right?

Has anyone tried the 128gb version?

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-12 … B01BGTG2A0

And are we talking about the original UFX or UFX II?

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

198

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I am currently trying to find out why this stick was recommended. My review and one of a customer

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopi … 20#p104420

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopi … 593#p99593

were a few years back, maybe the stick changed internally.

Edit: Joost is in holidays, so this will not be cleared within the next two weeks.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

I have been using the:
Sandisk CZ48 128GB USB 3.0 Flash memory Drive - SDCZ48-128G-U46
Note this is not the "Pro" flash drive discussed in this thread.  It's been working flawlessly on recordings of 20 tracks or so at 96/24.

The price is only $27/US via Amazon.  Considerably cheaper than the pro version.

200

Re: USB recording media recommendation for UFX - pen drives etc.

Please do the 96 kHz full channel test and report the max write time and load. Thanks.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME