Steven Porter

Are you listening to music? recording/producing music? what genre? We can't help you if you're this vague, nobody knows what to recommend.

How about this? https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Proliant-2U-Server-SE326M1-DL180-G6-2x-Xeon-E5649-2-53ghz-Hex-48gb/293068886279?hash=item443c445107:g:GYsAAOSwkkZdjk3w:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!92084!US!-1 It says it has a RAID controller. How does that affect functionality with FreeNAS? Should I swap that for an HBA or will this work as is? If I were able to, I'd love to go with a better system. Now just isn't the time unfortunately. I saw this, but passed due to the shipping price and cost of adding RAM nearly doubling the price. Thanks for the suggestion though! Honestly, because I didn't know any better. Could I use one workstation on fibre and another (less important) one on 1Gb RJ45? Just to double check, something like this should work just fine right? One NIC for the server, and one for the client with SFP+ cables https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicom-PE210G2SPI9B-SR-Dual-10GB-Fiber-Ethernet-PCI-E-Intel-NIC/353024768245?hash=item5231ea78f5:g:iUwAAOSw49Befjwy https://www.ebay.com/itm/SFP-H10GB-ACU7M-Cisco-10GBASE-CU-SFP-CABLE-7-METER/223911195161?hash=item342225b219:g:N-gAAOSwFWNeR09~ I only really NEED one workstation (20 feet away) but I'd like to add another editor about 50 feet away. I have no plans for needing more than 2 clients. Thanks so much for your advice!

I am an experienced PC/workstation builder with basic knowledge of some server gear, so I'd really appreciate someone with more experience double checking my work before buying anything. TL;DR I need a new server yesterday, 6TB 200MBPS bare minimum, somewhere around 16-24TB 10Gb is ideal. I do not need any virtualization, just a big fast hard drive. For now, I need to keep it under $500-ish, but upgrading this server will be top priority once work picks back up. Will the parts I found below be sufficient? Parts (Ebay links) $530 total SuperMicro CSE-825 X8DTN+ 8LFF Server 2x Intel Xeon E5520, 24GB, DVD-ROM $200 Seagate Constellation ES 2TB drives $20 ea, 10 needed (8 installed, 2 backups) $200 total 10Gb RJ45 NIC for client PC $130 FreeNAS, ZFS with 2 parity disks giving me 12TB capacity after 2 parity drives I have many flash drives and an extra SATA SSD I can used as a boot drive as well, if needed. Questions: 1- Are these parts/FreeNAS configuration compatible? 2- Is it worth considering used drives temporarily until finances allow an upgrade? 3- What is the most cost effective way to get reliable bandwidth of at lease 200MBPS to my editing workstation? My workstations currently have 1Gb Ethernet, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type A and Type C, and one PCI Gen 3 16X slot each and are 20 and 50 feet respectively from where the server will be. 4- If I go this route, how should I configure FreeNAS? My gut says either two Z1 VDEVs with 4 drives each or a single Z2 VDEV with all 8 drives, but I could very well be wildly wrong in every possible way. I'm trying to figure this out! 5- What is my upgrade path in terms of capacity? Can I get another chassis with more drive bays and add more VDEVs to the existing pool that way? 6- What did I miss? There's gotta be something stupid I totally forgot about. Unnecessary Amounts of Detail For Those who are Curious Here's the full story. I own a small video production company. My business partner and I shoot corporate video, real estate, and short films on Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro and Pocket 4K in BRAW 8:1. Occasionally, we handle 6K or 8K RED footage, but that's pretty rare and usually involves proxies. For years, I've been using an OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual 2-bay RAID enclosure with a pair of HGST 3TB NAS drives. This is my "Active Projects" drive. In RAID 0, this gives me 6TB around 300MBPS. Perfect for my needs so far. Yesterday, that enclosure failed. My data is safe (Yes, I have backups thank goodness) but I'm very interested in replacing the desktop RAID box with a proper server since I'm working with a team now on some projects and sharing files in the office at high speed will be a nice upgrade. Currently, I only have 1Gb Ethernet on my 2 workstations. In order to hit my bandwidth needs, I'm sure I'll be needing 10Gb, but I'm not sure whether I should stick with CAT6 cables or try out a different solution since I'm sure I'll be upgrading NICs anyway. Any thoughts here would be appreciated. To be clear, I know that buying used hard drives probably isn't the best long term plan, but we're totally shut down thanks to COVID-19 and I am not in any position to be spending a lot on new drives. I currently have 5TB of media on my Active Projects drive, around 2TB of which is essential for a project I am currently editing, so getting at least that on high-speed media is very important. It's high res RAW footage, so some kind of RAID (or similar) or SSD is necessary to edit at any reasonable speed. I have a solid backup system, so this will really just hold me over for a few months until we get back on our feet and get shiny new drives installed. Thanks in advance!

My friend and I are driving from San Diego. If you want to join forces and split the cost let me know!

The problem has been fixed thanks to good ol' trial and error. After moving the drive to a different USB port, it's now copying fast and reliably as it did before. This doesn't really make sense to me, unless the other port or hub is failing, but I have other drives on that same hub that are still working fine which leads me to believe that the hub is ok. Oddly, all of the folders still say "Read Only" but other than that it seems things are back to normal.

3DDude, thanks for clarifying, and yes your description of the drives is correct. Neither drive is slow on their own (around 500MB/s on the SSD, and 300MB/S on the RAID) but the transfer speed when moving large files from the SSD to the RAID is slow and intermittent. In the past, it has always transferred around 250MB/s and now it only hits 200MB/s for a few seconds before dropping to 5-10. Read speeds are still great, and other operations (like encoding/exporting video) run perfectly. Both indicators on the OWC RAID are green indicating that the drives are healthy, and there have been no clicking noises etc. associated with drive failure. (And don't worry, I do have at least 2 backups of all important data just in case!)

Last week, I was suddenly unable to copy video footage from my cameras SSD to my editing drive on a Windows 10 Pro computer. I'm copying BRAW files (URsa Mini Pro raw codec) from a 500GB Samsung 850 Evo docked in a Neewer Voyager Q to an OWC Mercury Electra Pro Dual with 2x HGST 3TB NAS drives in RAID 0. Both drives are connected to the system via USB 3.0. I can browse media already on the RAID no problem, and everything seems perfectly fine until I try to copy media onto the RAID from any other drive. It starts around 200MB/s for a few seconds then plumits to 5-10MB/s and stops. Often, Explorer will freeze and both drives will be unresponsive. This system has been working for over a year and suddenly developed this issue last week. Small files appear to copy just fine, but the large video files consistently freeze and fail. Using other methods to transfer the footage like Red Giant Offload are hardly better. It usually works eventually, but stalls of ten and is extremely slow. (Before this issue it would be at least as fast as using Explorer.) I have tried ensuring that my account (the only account on the system) has full admin privileges and access to the drive, but it says that every folder on every drive on the whole system is read only. No matter how many times or what methods I try to remove the "read only" setting, I just can't seem to restore my permission to save data to any drive, although smaller files (under a few GB) seem to work fine. Timely replies are much appreciated, as I rely on this computer for my business and am stuck using much slower drives to hold me over until this is fixed. Thanks in advance.

Judging by the recording, it doesn't sound like a grounding issue to me. Can you please post details of how your audio system is wired in order of how they're connected? (for example: SM58 mic, XLR cable, Behringer Q802 mixer....)

High quality MP3 compression mostly affects the high frequencies. Distortion and noise can be heard in things like bright cymbals or "s" sounds in vocals. Most studio monitors (I have KRK RP5G2's) with good tweeters will be able to reveal it, and headphones that cover up to 22KHz or so generally can as well (I have vintage Sony MDR V6 that really show it, but the newer versions have a darker tone that may make it more difficult to hear.)

If you want noise isolation, look into getting aftermarket ear tips from Comply. I have their isolation tips on my Klipsch R6 and it's incredible how little outside sound gets through, not to mention how much more comfortable they are. I noticed there's quite a bit more bass after changing from the included silicon tips (they were definitely lacking before and now they sound a little more bass heavy than I'd prefer) so keep in mind they may change the sound of your IEMs, but I'm very impressed with the isolation they provide.

It's hard to recommend without hearing them, but Logitech certainly has a good reputation with (relatively) low cost per speakers. From looking at the website, it's clear that this system was built for bass. If that's what you want, go for it! It's worth knowing that the tweeters (small speakers that make high frequency sounds) are fake on these. To quote from the site, "Small driver (tweeter) on satellite speakers is decorative and non-operational" Based on this, I wouldn't expect them to be particularly clear and detailed sounding, but I bet the average person wouldn't complain about it. That being said, this Logitech is probably about the best you'll get in this price range for a new system. Here's a rather extreme example of a used system in my area. I know this is far more than you're looking for, but it shows how far you can go in the used market. $25 for a pair of speakers. I'm guessing on the sizes from the photo and listed dimensions, but each speaker has around a 1" tweeter, 3" and 5" mid-range drivers, and a 12" subwoofer. (Total of 8 drivers between the two speaker boxes) all you'd need is an amp ($20 or so) and some speaker wire for $5 and you'll have a totally insane audio system for cheaper than the little Logitech. https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/ele/d/la-mesa-mitsubishi-s5370-speaker-set-2/6846670434.html In my area, audio systems like these are really cheap and readily available. Smaller systems can be even cheaper, and almost all will sound far better than any normal PC speakers I've heard. Feel free to send me any used systems you find and I'll let you know what I think!

In that case, given your budget and limited space and the speaker you're upgrading from, you'll probably be totally happy with them! Going back to flat vs colored sound, it's probably worth mentioning that even studio monitors can sound quite different from one another. There isn't really a specific quality that is exclusive to monitors vs other speakers. At the end of the day, they're all just drivers in a box, and aside from their pro-grade connectors and tendency to be more flat than others, there's nothing magic about them. They are all colored to some extent, they just tend to be less extreme. If there's a music store near you, see if they have them on display so you can hear for yourself. The Guitar Center near me has a whole room full of monitors and you can plug in a phone and switch between them to compare. Now that my random tangent is over, I would recommend these speakers based on your needs. Just to reiterate, they will almost certainly have very little bass, but I would expect that mids and highs will be very smooth and clear from my past experience with the brand. Hope this was helpful!

They're not all strictly hi-fI's, but maybe worth sharing anyway since I find each piece of gear excellent in a specific area for my needs. Speakers/Amps: Studio monitors (KRK RP5G2, Monoprice 10" studio sub, Behringer 3102 EQ/Crossover getting it within +/- 2db from 32Hz to 24KHz) Bose 301 Series V with Fisher amp from early 70s (no model number to be seen, but I LOVE it. I'm super biased toward this system because it was my grandfathers.) Polk R30 with DIY mosfet amp because I got bored one day. Headphones: AKG K7XX (my everyday listening headphones) AKG K44 (cheap, but surprisingly ok. They live on the drum kit now for recording) Sony MDR V6 (from the early 90s, before they turned to plastic garbage. Mainly used for recording vocals and guitars) Klipsch R6 with Comply foam (for super loud location sound recording) Misc. Audio Goodies: Teac TN200 phonograph LG V20 (My proud daily driver, still among the best phones available for audiophiles) Behringer UMC 404 HD (an unbelievable deal) Tascam US-800 Tascam M164FX mixer

Don't be afraid of used speakers too! I don't know what the market is like for you, but I see super cheap used speakers online all the time, and many of them sound shockingly good.

Most over-ear headphones will cut a fair amount of noise. On ear headphones (while less comfortable to me at least) will let in a bit more ambient sound. Ideally, you'd have open back headphones. I have AKG K7XX which let me hear things around me shockingly clearly despite being big over-ear headphones. I haven't really tried any wireless headphones recently, but looking for an open back design may be the way to go.

Could you post a recording of the sound? It could by any one of a number of issues, and being able to hear it could help diagnose the problem. If it is tied to CPU usage, it's likely a buffer size issue. Here are some things to try which may help if the issue is performance related. Clean the connector. You can use a contact cleaner (Deoxit D5 is the best IMO) or isopropanol on the cable end, then while it is slightly wet repeatedly insert and unplug the connector to clean the inside of the jack. Obviously this should be done with the system off using as little fluid as possible, and give it a minute to evaporate before powering back on. Increase the audio buffer size if your hardware has the option. Usually, only USB/Thunderbolt/PCI devices let you change this. Decrease the sample rate and/or bit depth (in most cases, anything better than 48KHz 16-bit is indistinguishable.) This can be done in the Sound Control Panel > Properties > Advanced

It's an acquired taste, but I really enjoy it. I've been listening casually on studio's reference monitors for years and find it much more engaging than my previous listening speakers (Bose 301 Series V with a vintage Fisher hi-fi amp) due to the huge boost in clarity and depth. However, keep in mind that what you're looking at are (relatively speaking) very low-end monitors with tiny drivers. I hate to sound like a snob, but given their small size, limited response, and low powered amps, I'd hardly consider them studio monitors. (Most common entry-level monitors are closer to ($100-150 per speaker, and even they are best used with a correctly tuned subwoofer to get the full range.) In their defense, I've heard a few other PreSonus models before and have been impressed with their clarity and definition, but do NOT expect any bass out of these. If you're looking for larger speakers for normal listening, I'd highly recommend looking in the used market for old hi-fi speakers. You can find tons of 5-8" speakers for very cheap on Craigslist and amplifiers are really inexpensive brand new. I have several Lepy 2020 series amps and they're totally sufficient for listening. Going this route will almost certainly be less expensive and give you a much better listening experience.

My friend and I (25y dudes) are driving up to LTX from San Diego and looking for others to meet up with and/or ride with along the way! We'll be making a 2 week road trip out of it by stopping at many cool places which we will determine eventually (one week each way, so two weeks round trip.) If you're somewhere along the west coast and interested in coming along for all or part of the journey, message me and we'll go over some plans. Thanks!

Driving from San Diego and making a 2 week road trip out of it! (We're looking for others to join us and split the cost. Message if you're interested!)

Message sent!

No clue where it's from, but I made a remix.

Last night, my phone (LG V20, Verizon, Android 8.0.0, software version VSS99520c) turned off sure to a low battery. After turning on again, all of my widgets except for Google Maps "Driving" have the "problem loading widget" message over them. Restarting again had no effect. I am using the Evie launcher, but have never had an issue with widgets loading before. I most recently added the IFTTT buttons 3 days ago, but it doesn't make sense to me that adding these would kill all the others except Driving. Any idea what's going on? If IFTTT is the problem, why would it only cause an issue after a restart? Also, I just tried removing all IFTTT widgets and restarted the phone, but all the other widgets are still having issues. Thanks in advance for the help. Widgets I am using (top left to bottom right) Page 1: Google at a glance Google driving (working) Countdown widget PIA Page 2: Google calendar IFTTT button x8 Samsung Smart Things x2 (arm/disarm alarm) Pandora

Zagna, WizTree revealed a bunch of media files that Explorer apparently did not see. I dug deeper into some of the project files, and it looks like the disk is indeed nearly full. The weird thing now is that the Properties tab for the individual folders still do not add up to the total used space. One folder has terabytes of media in it, but only shows its size as a few hundred gigs. Any ideas as to why Windows is reporting folders smaller than the sum of their contents? As far as I am aware, there is nothing special at all about anything on this drive. No weird permissions, no hidden files or folders, no unusual formats. Just video footage (mostly from DSLRs) and exported media in MP4 and DNxHD.

**UPDATE** The issue is not as it seemed at first. It appears that the disk is indeed nearly full, and the discrepancy is a result of Windows failing to include all files in its calculation of the disks capacity. For example the first folder "Active Projects" in the drive Active Projects shows as being around 200gb, but just one of its subfolders has over 2TB of media. I'm now trying to figure out why Windows is drastically underreporting the amount of data in some folders. Here is the original post: I'm a video editor, and my system has a boot drive and 3 others for media and backups. These 3 drives are: Active Projects (2x HGST 3TB NAS HDDs in an OWC Mercury Electra Pro Dual, hardware RAID 0, 5.28TB NTFS formatted capacity, USB3.1) Scratch (1TB HGST HDD, NTFS, internal SATA3) Backups (8TB Seagate HDD, NTFS, USB3) Active Projects currently has 1.7TB of data stored on it, but Windows reports that it only has 177GB free. There is one hidden file (sync.ffs_db which is used for my backup system FreeFileSync, less than 1MB) and nothing in the recycle bin. Windows thinks there are 5.28TB of files on Active Projects alone, but the total capacity used by Backups (which contains Active Projects, Scratch, and my boot drive) is only 3.74TB. Adding up the sizes of the projects saved on Active Projects and Backups, there is absolutely no way I have over 5TB of media on Active Projects. I have attached many screenshots for your reference, and would be happy to provide any other information to diagnose this. Any idea how to correct this, ideally without reformatting the RAID?

Turns out my display doesn't like something in the recent drivers. I did try old drivers as part of my troubleshooting process, but not old enough. Reverting back to a driver from late 2017 completely fixed both issues.