d2 file retrieval

[wensleydale]

i've not really been a big fan of hd based systems in the past as I cant see that they are worth it yet, however I have the opportunity to get a d2 pretty cheap so am considering it.

i have only used one on one occasion in the past but was surprised at how long it took to find files when it was "searching" despite the fact that it had the library file.

any tips on what I might have been doing wrong- is there a max hd size you should use?

[One Vision]

Hya wensleydale don't be put of mate, it sounds like the system you used had not had a full library update done.
Yes in the version 8 firmware it could be slow on occasions but faster at others, but since the 1.9 firmware upgrade has come out if you do a full HD library update the search is instant, this includes when you select a track it loads rapid even a couple of pre-made mixes I have that can be half hour long (generally used for when I go for a Sig or for a squirt) they load within 2-3 seconds.
Go for it mate you will not be disappointed.

[CRAZY K]

i've not really been a big fan of hd based systems in the past as I cant see that they are worth it yet, however I have the opportunity to get a d2 pretty cheap so am considering it.

i have only used one on one occasion in the past but was surprised at how long it took to find files when it was "searching" despite the fact that it had the library file.

any tips on what I might have been doing wrong- is there a max hd size you should use?

Cant help specifically on that but generally USB readers should be very quick.

My Cortex takes seconds to find tracks---I have 320gb hard drives with around 10,000 tracks including duplicates.

CRAZY K

[One Vision]

Just a small pointer on the size of hard drives.
I rip all Cd's at 256kps mp3. we have roughly 5-6000 tracks including some large mixes etc.
I have a 256gb hard drive and so far have only used roughly 30gb of space which also includes the drive partition info and the library update.
I am actually gonna change things slightly as I am using a laptop type external HD that does not have its own power supply although run through a powered USB hub.
I have decided to get a smaller hard drive size of 160gb but also a larger PC type IDE or SATA that has its own external power supply as these run physically faster than the laptop versions and less prone to problems.

The main reasons for changing is for speed and stability.
The D2 works via a low voltage adapter rather than at 240v so the less that is being powered from it the less chance of potential problems from slow search, freeze-up or general failure, the machine would only be powering the very basics itself.
The other reason is the stability of the hard drive itself as laptop types can let you down more so than the traditional PC type.

Anther reason being not having more space on a hardrive than I actually need as the D2 has to search the hard drive for what your looking for so the smaller size means it doesn't have to work quite as hard to find.

Another reason is on the maintenance side of things, if for any reason I had to format the hard drive a smaller faster hard drive will be formatted far quicker than a larger capacity slower laptop hard drive.
Plus using a small sized faster hard drive which is self powered means that when transferring files to the hard drive and then updating the library software which can take a while on a laptop USB powered one, the whole process would become faster so far less chance of anything becoming corrupted during transfer of the files and the update.

You have to remember that a computer is doing other things in the background so whilst its taking a while to do critical tasks like a full library database creation if a USB drive is struggling a bit for power then the process can get interrupted, so as they say every little helps in ensuring that you have a trouble free gig regardless of how a particular company says this machine does this that and the other with no problems, a basic common sense in not overloading the system can make all the difference.
Another example is the use of external USB CD players via the D2, I personally would not recommend using them.
As I have said the D2 is a low powered unit and does not run at 240v and I would assume that to run external USB CD players would take a fair bit to power and in my opinion a potential crash, search facility issue and generally compromising the stability of the system itself becomes a when and not an if.

[spin mobile disco]

Personally always rip at 320kbps cbr myself for the sake of quailty. And now they have bought out latest library update the searches are fine with 10.000 tracks on a laptop type hard drive.