Bring Your Studio Anywhere with Samsung Portable SSDs

When I started getting into MIDI-based music production in the early 2000s, most people agreed that hardware still had a clear edge over software-based setups. Back then, most serious urban and dance producers were making music with hardware drum machines and keyboard workstations, then tracking everything to a computer running a DAW. Like many others, I started with an Akai MPC 2000xl, which was one of the drum-programming staples of the time. I added a Yamaha Motif ES, BOSS SP-303 (aka the “Dr. Sample”) and a Microkorg into the mix. Over the next few years I was lucky enough to have friends who let me borrow the classic Korg Triton Extreme, the Roland Fantom-G, and later, I bought the much improved Motif XS. At that time, the thought of moving all of that heavy equipment into just the next room seemed insane, let alone the notion of an entirely mobile studio. Then, everything started to change.

Computers started to become more powerful and more affordable, and it allowed software manufacturers such as Native Instruments, Spectrasonics, EastWest, and others, to create some truly amazing virtual instruments. The never-before-heard sounds of new classics like NI’s Massive and the Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2, along with hyper-realistic instrument simulations such as the EastWest Hollywood Orchestra and the Synthogy Ivory II afforded producers the ability to create professional-quality music using just a laptop, whether they’re producing in a million-dollar recording studio or, theoretically, at a Starbucks.

The only problem with taking top-notch software instruments on the road with you is that many of them use sample libraries that take up tons and tons of disk space. Even after I switched to a mostly software-based setup, I still found myself tethered to a bulky external hard drive because I couldn't fit even half of my samples on my laptop’s system disk. That is, until I got the 1 TB Samsung T1 portable USB 3.0 bus-powered SSD.

It takes a lot to excite me these days, when it comes to technology. But when I consider the T1's capacious storage space with transfer speeds of up to 450 MB/s, coupled with its ultra-portable size, I have to admit that this thing is pretty amazing. The fact that I can now store multiple enormous 300 GB+ libraries like NI Komplete Ultimate on a 0.9-ounce dongle that is less than 0.4" thick is simply a productivity game changer. For all intents and purposes, the New York City transit system is now my production studio. Whether I’m on the train, the bus—or yes, at Starbucks—I can make music with all of my highest-quality sounds without sacrificing a thing. Plus, thanks to the incredible speed of USB 3.0 and solid-state technologies, I can load colossal multi-sample patches faster than I can on my desktop computer at home, with its 7200 RPM internal SATA drives. And if the original T1 doesn’t impress you, the new T3 will. Boasting capacities up to 2TB, Samsung’s new portable SSDs give you even more ultra-portable storage.  

Another great thing about SSDs is that they don’t have any moving parts, which makes them far more shock resistant than conventional drives. In fact, I can personally attest to their ruggedness. Let me tell you a true story that served as an inspiration for this article.

Last week I was on the bus from the Bronx to Manhattan, making music on my laptop on the way to B&H, as usual. I was working on a hip hop/trap instrumental track, programming a horn part using EastWest Hollywood Brass. Apparently I was a bit too involved in what I was doing, because before I knew it, 45 minutes had gone by, and my stop was up. Normally, I make sure to have my laptop safely stored in my backpack by the time the ride is over, but this time I rushed off the bus in a hurry with it under my arm like a football, with the T1 connected. I scurried down the aisle and approached the exit. There was a rush of people that caused some congestion and, then, as I shuffled down the narrow stairwell… the unthinkable. I fumbled the laptop. The next fraction of a second happened in slow motion. Feeling utterly powerless, I watched my beloved ASUS X53E-RH71 fly through the air and bounce off the pavement, shattering into fragments of debris. Feeling as though I had to do something, I made a futile and extremely late attempt at diving for the doomed machine, to no avail. It was gone.

Amidst a symphony of gasps, I arose from the ashes in a state of utter shock. “I’ve lost everything,” I thought to myself. And then, just as I’d resolved to give up this damn music thing all together, a woman entered my peripheral vision running from the left, and she was holding a small rectangular object. “You dropped this, sir! Here!” she said. Dazed and confused, I took object into my hands, looked down at it and read the word “Samsung.” Sure enough, it was my 1TB Samsung T1 SSD.

My laptop was totaled. It wouldn’t even turn on. But the T1, with my sound libraries and all of my most important session files, loaded up without a hitch. Phew.

Anyway, that’s my piece on portable SSDs. They’re awesome. Go get one. Let us know how you like it, in the Comments section, below.

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