Optimizing Issue from External Hard Drive

Hello fcp community! I have a rather odd issue: I read that using an external for file management is helpful and causes less strain on the computer itself. So, I purchased a WD My passport Ultra (1TB). Works as it should for file transfers, however when I try to optimize my media within fcpx, it stalls at around 30%, When I try to use Compressor, it fails. Now if I transfer my media to my actual comp's hard drive and try to optimize, it works beautifully. What gives?

Also, what are the best options for external hard drive usage for fcp media? RAID setups?

As to the speed of that drive: the drive you mention is USB3. But if your computer only has USB2 connections you will only get USB2 speeds, and that's way too slow for streaming your optimized media (which is ProRes HD).

But I think the real cause for your specific issue is the way this drive is formatted. Launch Disk Utility, select the drive in the Disk Utility window and press the "Erase" tab. There you will see the Structure of the drive. It should say "MacOS Extended". If it says "FAT" this means your drive is Windows formatted which means you have a file-size limit of 2GB. This would explain why your conversion process fails.

If it says "FAT" you will have to erase the drive and re-format it to "MacOS Extended".

- Ronny

Cromonius wrote: ...I read that using an external for file management is helpful and causes less strain on the computer itself. So, I purchased a WD My passport Ultra (1TB). Works as it should for file transfers, however when I try to optimize my media within fcpx, it stalls at around 30%...Also, what are the best options for external hard drive usage for fcp media? RAID setups?

The advice about using an external drive for media doesn't mean use just any drive -- you want a fairly fast one. While I haven't tested the WD MyPassport Ultra, I have tested many other bus-powered USB 3 drives, they generally aren't that fast. The only really fast ones are the 7200 rpm drives made by HGST, the 1TB Touro Mobile Pro and Touro S. Even those aren't as fast as a 7200 rpm, 3.5" AC-powered external drive.

If you could download and run the free BlackMagic speed test on the WD MyPassport drive, that would help give some ideas: itunes.apple.com/us/app/blackmagic-disk-...st/id425264550?mt=12

Make sure it is pointed at the drive using File->Select Target Drive, and under Stress, pick 4GB or 5GB size.

In general you want a fast external drive, ideally Thunderbolt but an AC-powered USB 3.5" 7200 rpm drive can be OK. Even some late-generation 5400 rpm 3.5" drives can be fast because the "areal density" is high and transfer speed can be faster than old 7200 rpm drives.

The absolute cheapest option would be a 1TB HGST Touro S at about $69. It is like your WD drive but faster. However despite the speed improvement I would not recommend editing on it: www.amazon.com/HGST-7200RPM-High-Perform...S03729/dp/B00IVFDQ48

A G-Drive USB is one of the less-expensive quality drives. You could edit on this OK, assuming it wasn't multiple HD streams: www.g-technology.com/products/g-drive-usb

A G-RAID Thunderbolt RAID0 is considerably faster. It is RAID0 so you'd need good backups, but actually any external drive should be backed up: www.g-technology.com/products/g-raid-thunderbolt-mac-and-pc

A Thunderbolt RAID5 array is an even better choice. Example:

Promise Pegasus2 R4: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1013099-R...y_4x2tb_t_bolt2.html

The OWC Thunderbay 4 is less expensive but uses software RAID. However it has gotten some good reviews: eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt/Exte...ive/OWC/ThunderBay-4 Some people have complained about how loud the fan is, but there is a quieter fan option I think.

I am always astounded at the feedback I get from posting within this site. A fantastic community, indeed.

My external is formatted in FAT32 so I could plug it into PC's and extract files. I am assuming formatting it as MacOS Extended will bar me from doing that. Guess I have to pick my poison on that one.

I sincerely thank the both of you for your feedback. I am always very grateful for the help. Thank you.

Cromonius wrote: ...My external is formatted in FAT32 so I could plug it into PC's and extract files. I am assuming formatting it as MacOS Extended will bar me from doing that. Guess I have to pick my poison on that one....

If it's FAT32, there's a 4GB file size limit. As Ronny said, if FCP X tries to make a bigger file, that could explain why it hangs at 30% complete.

You'll need to copy the data to a safe place then reformat the portable drive as either exFAT or HFS+. exFAT is read/write compatible between Mac and PC and has no file size or volume size limit.

HFS+ is generally preferred in a Mac-only environment where PC data interchange is not required. It also has no file size or volume size limit.

In my performance tests on bus-powered USB portable drives, exFAT and HFS+ have roughly the same performance but in some cases HFS+ has an edge. HFS+ would generally be considered a little more reliable due to the journaled file system, however usually your data is safe with exFAT. If you are actually doing FCP X operations on the portable drive I would definitely suggest HFS+ due to various issues with permissions, symlink support, etc.

Using a 3rd party driver, Windows can read/write to HFS+ formatted drives: www.paragon-software.com/home/hfs-windows/

This may solve your immediate problem but longer term it's a good idea to have a more robust drive with higher performance for FCP X.