[comp.sys.next] MAC HDs, Music recording, etc.

jalkio@cc.helsinki.fi (12/18/90)

Here some questions about HDs, Music and program development:

I bought MacWorld to check the 600MB SCSI HD prices.

There seems to be some Wrens and some Fujitsus costing about $2000
(external, some with international power supply).

Are these drives reliable (I guess they are since I have understood that
NeXT uses them).

If these drives are advertised for Macs, is it possible to use them
with a NeXTStation without any problem? (With appropriate cabel, of course.)

I am getting a NeXTStation with 105MB HD and I will soon get an additional
600MB HD. This should be enough for program development and music
composing? 

Is 8MB RAM enough? (I don't care, if the machine had to use
virtual memory now and then.) Upgrading would be quite expensive since I
have understood that I would have to buy 4 4MB SIMMS.

Is it possible to play 16bit 44.1kHz stereo samples from the 16ms SCSI
Hard disks on the NeXT? (This way I could master record at least 15 minutes of
music on my future NeXT easily.) How about recording (with Ariel digital
microphone, for example)?


			Thanks,   Jouni

matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) (12/19/90)

In article <4302.276d5285@cc.helsinki.fi> jalkio@cc.helsinki.fi writes:
>Are these drives reliable (I guess they are since I have understood that
>NeXT uses them).

The Fujitsus have a 5 year warranty and 200,000 hours MTBF... I'd call that
pretty reliable.

>If these drives are advertised for Macs, is it possible to use them
>with a NeXTStation without any problem? (With appropriate cabel, of course.)

If it's true SCSI, it'll work.  Some Mac drives have funny ROMs in them
apparently, because Macs sometimes use funny SCSI, but as long as you keep it
external it should be fine.

>I am getting a NeXTStation with 105MB HD and I will soon get an additional
>600MB HD. This should be enough for program development and music
>composing? 

Oh God yeah...

>Is 8MB RAM enough? (I don't care, if the machine had to use
>virtual memory now and then.) Upgrading would be quite expensive since I
>have understood that I would have to buy 4 4MB SIMMS.

Enough is relative.  For one person it's fine.  My systems slows to a
moderately slow halt when another person or two logs in (and my HD gets
swapped to hell, too...).

>			Thanks,   Jouni

Velcome,
------
Mike Matthews, matthews@lewhoosh.umd.edu/matthews@umdd (bitnet).
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