Anyone using NAS in their studio?

[theEmbark]

So I've got multiple machines I want to share my data between. I've got probably 75-100tb in storage with all the gear I have. (Used to be in IT so have a lot of spare servers etc around)

I'm trying to decide how to setup my storage. I have an old 10tb 7200rpm NAS that I figure would be nice for project files. Maybe using freeNAS as the OS ran off one of my old machines.

But I also want my samples on a NAS so I don't have to double everything. So I don't want 2 drives for my kontakt libraries etc.

So my thought is to use the raid 5 hot swap NAS for sharing project files between my 2 macs and my PC.

Then building a second NAS with SSDs for samples.

Anyone have any suggestions? Best practices or ways to do this that might make more sense then others? Been out of IT for a while but still know enough to setup a NAS.

Thanks,
Kevin

[dsan@mail.com]

I'm not using "NAS" per se; however, I have several external drives hooked up to the various computers and shared via my network. Most of the time, speed is not an issue for me so unless it will be for you, I suggest just share the drives over your network.

One thing I did to eliminate some clutter was to house multiple drives in hdd enclosures that will accommodate this, such as this from Mediasonic, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6816322019

Or this from Addonics, http://www.addonics.com/products/rtmpm6g.php

Of course there are some to gain by using NAS but it really isn't necessary to go through the expense in a home environment, IMHO, unless your sharing video content with multiple viewing stations simultaneously. JM2C though.

[theEmbark]

Thanks Dan,

I actually have an old NAS server from my old design business so I'm trying to decide if it's worth hooking up.

I'm really not worried about the project files but do you use your multiple drives for vsti?

Thanks,
Kevin

[superscan]

I have a NAS, but don't use it for VSTi/e or sample libraries. My NAS is for backups of my projects, on-site copies of Sample Libraries and Applications. It's too slow for music applications. I have two GB NIC's and a higher end Synology.

For VST and Samples, I originally started with my internal disk (hybrid SSD), when that got full I moved to an external USB3 using an SSD Drive. I noticed a slow down, and ended up buying an external Thunderbolt Dock (BlackMagic) to get to the speed I need.

External USB3 isn't bad, you just won't get the full benefit of the SSD drive's speed.

[dsan@mail.com]

Thanks Dan,

I actually have an old NAS server from my old design business so I'm trying to decide if it's worth hooking up.

I'm really not worried about the project files but do you use your multiple drives for vsti?

Thanks,
Kevin

First, if you have use for extra drives then yes, I think it's worth it to set up the NAS server. TBH who couldn't use extra drives

If nothing else, you will have some additional storage and since you already have the equipment, why not use it if you have the room?

Yes, I store vst's, sound files, samples, MIDI files, project files, everything I can get off the OS drive onto separate external hdd's.

I haven't invested in ssd's yet, except in the case of my OS drives, because, since it's all data and accessed quick enough for me, there has been no need to incur the expense of ssd's.

In the case of vst's, I let them install to the OS drive, create copies of the dll's and point the DAW's to an external folder that contains these when I want to add a track in the DAW. Any sound files or other data the vst needs gets installed off the OS drive.

Since everything is networked, now all I have to do is "Share" the drives. It's a private network so others in the house do not have access to the shares. This makes things fast enough for my purposes. (If you are sharing with others you may want to consider a different solution than sharing - such as a dedicated NAS.)

Now if I were renting space/time in a studio, this setup would never do. Or, if I were on deadlines, I don't think it would be sufficient. Quick enough for what I do now but no way fast enough for paying gigs. Falls just short.

[theEmbark]

Thank you all for your feedback.

I guess hooking up my NAS for file sharing is a no brainier (actually found 2 in storage!).

But...

I'm still struggling with best practice for my virtual instruments. If I'm in the studio I'd like to be able to load them onto any machine. So if I've got my laptop open or open them on my other secondary machine.

I've got 48gb of DDR3 ram laying here and a dual core processor. I'm sure I can find or buy a motherboard and plenty of ssd drives around. Could I basically build a machine to just run my vsts then connect to it either wirelessly or with a tether? Just treat it as a server? Or is this going to be slow as well? Seems like there should be a better way then having multiple drives with the same content for each machine. Or better ways then using external drives. Not that this is bad practice I just have a s*** ton of computer parts laying around that could be utilized.

Thanks,
Kevin

[dsan@mail.com]

Aaahhhhh.....so this is a different issue than NAS.

What you want to do is Master/Slave scenario, where you run the DAW on machine 1, and then use a platform to host the vsts and pipe the sound from machine 2 to machine 1.

What you need is this: https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Vienna_Softwar ... semble_PRO

Jack Audio may be able to do this but since I don't use it I cannot say. Worth looking into though: http://jackaudio.org/

For me the VEP5 was a perfect fit for all the hardware I had lying around. Now, anytime I run into an "extra" computer, I harness the power of it to load more vst's into the DAW, but the strain is not on the DAW computer then. It's on the slave machines, which allows me to do more with less on the main machine.

And it's fast because it is LAN. You won't want to do this WIFI because the lag will destroy you

I don't believe you will be able to run your vst's in a "conventional server scenario". You will need a way to port the audio from one machine to your DAW machine, and how will you host them from the server?

Like I stated earlier, there is no need to have "data" drives specific to a machine. I suggest data drives should be networked and shared throughout your system of computers.

I keep my data on several hdd's that are networked and shared among several computers.

I'm running my DAW from 1 machine. On that machine I run how ever many instances of the VEP5 vst I need to run.

VEP5 is then installed on the other many slave machines. Then it hosts the VSTi I want to run and getting the data to run that vsti (sounds, presets, etc.) from the slected network drive.

BUT, the executable of the vsti is installed on the slave machines alongside VEP5, within the limits of the license of the specific vst.

So in a sense I am running a server, but not like you would normally think of a server.

If you have enough lying around to build a halfway decent computer I'd look into Jack to see if it will give you what you need, or invest in VEP5, since I know it will do what you want to do. Best move I ever made

HTH Kevin.

Cheers!

[theEmbark]

Hey Dsan,

Thanks again as always! You're a life saver!

VEP5 looks like it might be what I am looking for. Especially when working on my laptop! My main machine is a power house with 48gb of ram and 12 cores at 3.33ghz but my laptop is a 5 year old MBP. So I could run the instruments from my main machine and work off my laptop.

What specs do you think a machine needs to just be a vst host? Trying to think how taxing they might be.

Also I see that the price on the site is for 3 instances of VEP5 do you know how much it costs if you want to add a four machine?

Sounds like my solution will be to run my NASs for my projects and then run VEP5 to connect my machines.

Thanks,
Kevin

[dsan@mail.com]

From Vienna Instruments site, these are the requirements:

System Requirements
•PC Windows 7/8/10 (latest Update, 32/64-bit), Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 X2
•Mac OS X 10.8 (latest update), Intel Core 2 Duo
•2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
•Working Gigabit connection between master and slave computer(s). Also works on a one-computer setup.
•ViennaKey (Vienna Symphonic Library USB protection device) or other USB eLicenser (e.g., from Steinberg or Arturia)
•eLicenser Control Center software (get the latest version from www.eLicenser.net)

Other configurations may work but are not actively supported.

Recommended
•PC Windows 7/8/10 (latest Update, 64-bit), Intel i5/i7/Xeon
•Mac OS X 10.9 (or higher), i5/i7/Xeon
•Fast separate hard drive (7200 rpm or faster)
•AU/VST/VST3/AAX Native/RTAS/MAS compatible host (also works stand-alone)
•MAS version requires Digital Performer 8 or higher
•RTAS version requires Pro Tools 7.3 or higher
•AAX version requires Pro Tools 10.3.5 or higher
•88 key master keyboard

The big thing, to avoid latency, is the Gigabit connection and use CAT6 cable between machines. Obviously the more spec'd a system is, the better, but you should be able to run VEP5 fine on a Core 2 Duo. It's the VSTi's that it hosts that cause the hit on CPU, so the better the CPU the better the whole setup.

As for the license - you can run up to 3 machines (authorizations) on 1 license; however, each machine will require the Key if you want to run all at the same time. (BTW - buy the Steinberg Key - it's cheaper and is the same thing.)

If you want to run on 4 machines then you need another license (which gives you 3 more machines - but now you will have a small fortune tied up in Vienna Keys )

Anyway, you install the VST of VEP5 on as many machines as you want. You don't need the Vienna key to run the VST in your DAW. So in my case I have only burned 1 of the 3 authorizations. I installed the whole program on each machine but only access the VST on all but one machine. I'm only ever running one instance of VEP5 (on the slave machine); however, I can host however many VSTi's that machine will handle. It has 32GB RAM and is a Core i7-4790. So far I've not come close to taxing it even with 30+ instances of VEP5 VST in my DAW. My DAW machine (Master) though is getting maxed out by then - 8GB RAM, core i5-750.

Vienna is constantly updating the software and when you run the VEP5 host it does a check for updates. I never allow it to update on its own. Instead, I go to my account and download the update, transfer it to each machine I have installed it on and then run it to be able to have the latest VST update on all machines.

I recommend going through the videos to get a better idea of what VEP5 is and does. BTW - if Bitwig is your DAW, they don't play well together. Team BWS has not been in any hurry to fix the situation either. VEP5 works well in Live though and I've not had any problems in Studio One 2, Sonar X2 or Cubase 6 - but I don't often use those so take that with a grain of salt.

Sometimes Vienna has a sale on VEP5 - not often - so you may want to get their newsletter.

Cheers!

[theEmbark]

Thanks again Dsan,

Still doing some inventory here haha but found a pair of x5550s that should be perfect for this and 48gb ddr3. Probably need to buy a mobo.

You can get these for like $100 used these days http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 13-182-182.

I've got some machines that make good NAS/sas servers which will come in handy for my projects but think I need more power in a dedicated vsti workhorse.

[theEmbark]

accidental post