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 DJing Discussion
SSD drive
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SSD drive

Certified Quality Entertainment 2:07 AM - 18 January, 2016
So I have a mid 2012 MacBook Pro. 2.5 16gig ram and a 500gb HD. Used only for DJing. Nothing else on it. have had literally 0 issues with it and SDJ using my SZ. At my party last night playing a track and the Serato DJ interface kind of froze for about 10 seconds. Audio was playing fine , no hiccup there at all but it scared the shit out of me. It happened when I was searching in "all" for a track. So my guess is that it had a hard time searching and took a few seconds. Would getting a SSD help that? Like I said never had any issues and even last night the audio didn't cut out but nervous it may happen again when I need to switch a track really fast.
Am I just paranoid or should I make the investment to a SSD. And if so what do you recommend. Between 500gb and 1tb.
deejdave 2:16 AM - 18 January, 2016
I actually have two 2012's. Even further one has an SSD and the other does not so you would think I had the perfect answer for you. Unfortunately I don't keep any music on my internals and use externals exclusively for DJing. That being said I don't run into this issue ever. Actually haven't since 1.7 if I remember correctly but this got addressed via the next version.

Out of curiosity was your setup left alone for a few minutes and you came back to this or was this just business as usual and it came out of nowhere?
Arjun B 3:48 AM - 18 January, 2016
I think the problem might actually be that your hard-drive went into sleep mode and when you try and access it, it takes a few seconds to boot back up and continue working. I made the mistake of leaving the "put harddrive to sleep" option on and serato crashed on me at an event because of the hard drive. I was using an external hardrive though, so if yours is internal, then it might not be that issue. That is one scenario, and the other would be obviously that your HDD is just slowing down. You should try to defragment it or try to upgrade to an SSD.
deejdave 3:56 AM - 18 January, 2016
This is why I asked. If you let it run for a bit and the option is on then this "stall" will happen. This is just one of the basic optimizations Serato recommends though.
 6 5:21 AM - 18 January, 2016
First make sure you review this. A lot of folks keep forgetting or don't do this at all:




Mac Optimization Guide for OS X

The following optimizations are recommended for use with Serato DJ on your Mac running OS X. Make sure you are using the latest point release of the supported operating system version.
In order to do many of the optimizations below, you will need to access system preferences. To do so, click the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen and choose System Preferences. Please make sure you follow each step correctly.
Optimize Energy Saver
This optimization will free up system resources as well as prevent the computer from going to sleep or standby mode which can cause audio dropouts with Serato DJ software and hardware.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “Energy Saver.”
• Do one of the following (available option depends on your computer model).Un-check the box for “Put hard disks to sleep when possible.”
◦ If present, set the “Computer sleep” slider to “Never.”
◦ Otherwise, check the box that says “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.”
Turn Off Wi-Fi (during performance)
If your computer is equipped with Bluetooth wireless and/or a Wi-Fi (AirPort) card, these may need to be disabled for Serato DJ to work efficiently. In addition to freeing up system resources, disabling these can help resolve errors. We recommend you turn off Wi-Fi in live performance scenarios if possible.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “Network.”
• On the left hand sidebar, click on Wi-Fi.
• Click on the button that says Turn Wi-Fi Off.
Disable FileVault Protection
This optimization will allow your hard drive to work more efficiently with Serato DJ.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “Security & Privacy.”
• Click on the “FileVault” tab.
• In this window find where it states: “FileVault protection is (on/off) for the hard disk…”
• If FileVault is on, click the button to “Turn Off FileVault.”
Disable Automatic Updates
Some updates to your Mac software can cause conflicts with Serato DJ.  Therefore, it is suggested to disable the automatic update functionality within the operating system. If there is an update that you need, you can manually update your Mac software my clicking on the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen and choosing Software Update.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “App Store.”
• Make sure the box labeled “Automatically check for updates” is unchecked.
Disable App Nap
App Nap can negatively the performance of Serato DJ or other software that processes audio or control changes. This is because App Nap considers any app that is hidden from view to be “idle.” It may then temporarily disable the app to free up resources which may cause clicks and pops as well as disrupt any processing that is happening in the background. To disable App Nap :
• Go to your Applications folder.
• Go to the App for which you want to disable App Nap (Serato DJ).
• Right-click or control+click the application and choose Get Info.
• In the Info window, under General, you will see an option to prevent App Nap.
Disable Sudden Motion Sensor (laptops only)
If you’re recording in a loud environment, this optimization will prevent the Sudden Motion Sensor from kicking in which temporarily stops the hard drive from spinning to prevent damage if your computer is suddenly moved.
• Double-click on the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop (this would be your system drive if you have renamed it to something else).
• Go to the Applications folder.
• Go to the Utilities folder.
• Double-click on Terminal.
• Type sudo pmset -a sms 0 and press Return (typing in ’0′ disables it).
• Enter your administrator when prompted.
• Type sudo pmset -g to verify that this has been applied.
To re-enable Sudden Motion Sensor:
• Go back to Terminal following the above steps.
• Type sudo pmset -a sms 1 and press Return (typing in ’1′ re-enables it).
• Enter your administrator when prompted.
• Type sudo pmset -g to verify that this has been applied.

Disable Spotlight Indexing
Have you ever seen the Spotlight magnifying glass icon with a pulsating dot in the middle? Did you notice your Mac running super sluggish while this was occurring? This is Spotlight creating a virtual index of all the files and folders in your system (i.e., indexing), allowing Spotlight to quickly search your drives. For everyday use, this is fine and not too much of a nuisance, but when using resource intensive audio applications, having Spotlight suddenly start indexing in the middle of your set can be disastrous.  

If your MacBook is overheating or the fan just won't stop buzzing, it's time to check the Activity Monitor. Because the systemstats process might be unnessarily eating up your CPU processes.

Have a read through this article on how to kill systemstats from your processes and stop unecessary CPU usage.
The easiest way to prevent indexing is to adjust your Spotlight Privacy settings. The only hitch, Spotlight will no longer be able to search the drives you make ‘private.’ If you’re a Spoltight addict, don’t worry, you can easily remove your drives from the Privacy list to restore searchability after your gig is over. 
• Open System Preferences by clicking the System Preferences icon on your dock.
• Click on Spotlight.
• Click on Privacy.
• Click the + sign in the bottom left corner, click on the drive you want to make ‘private,’ and then click Choose. Repeat the above process for each drive you wish to add to the Privacy list.
• To remove the drive, click on the drive icon listed and use the – key.


________________________________________
Bragging rights for life bitch! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
serato.com

nm
Certified Quality Entertainment 2:04 PM - 18 January, 2016
Computer was not left for a while. This was during a set so it I was using search, etc heavily for quite some time. I can see why you would ask the question though. Everything is on my internal drive.

HD has been set to not fall asleep. Did that when I first bought the computer back in 2012. I haven't done many of those other things that 6 mentioned though. Some I have, but not all. I will certainly do that.

The reason I was thinking that a SSD would help was because I was searching in the ALL folder at the time. My thought was that it just took a long time to search. That hasn't happened prior or happened the rest of the night so it could have been a fluke thing, but it certainly got me worried.
DJ Marv the Maverick 1:21 PM - 21 January, 2016
What OSX are you on? If El Capitan you will need to roll back
Dj Rehab 1:49 PM - 21 January, 2016
I put a Samsung 850 Pro SSD in my 2010 Macbook Pro. Best performance upgrade ever. At $500 it wasn't cheap but man, SDJ runs without even 1 dropout or freeze night after night. Programs open and close instantly as well...........the drive has a 10 year warranty as well.
Scully DJ Services 2:03 PM - 21 January, 2016
The 850 Pro line is fantastic! They are some of the best drives out there that are SATA based. If you dont like Samsung or something though, check out the Intel 730 series. They are incredible
Certified Quality Entertainment 3:17 PM - 21 January, 2016
On Yosemite, not El Cap.

I just ordered a 1TB samsung SSD. It arrives today will probably have time to swap out this weekend as I don't have any gigs so I can swap out and test.. Will post back with my feedback.
Joee 7:46 PM - 21 January, 2016
Quote:
First make sure you review this. A lot of folks keep forgetting or don't do this at all:




Mac Optimization Guide for OS X

The following optimizations are recommended for use with Serato DJ on your Mac running OS X. Make sure you are using the latest point release of the supported operating system version.
In order to do many of the optimizations below, you will need to access system preferences. To do so, click the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen and choose System Preferences. Please make sure you follow each step correctly.
Optimize Energy Saver
This optimization will free up system resources as well as prevent the computer from going to sleep or standby mode which can cause audio dropouts with Serato DJ software and hardware.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “Energy Saver.”
• Do one of the following (available option depends on your computer model).Un-check the box for “Put hard disks to sleep when possible.”
◦ If present, set the “Computer sleep” slider to “Never.”
◦ Otherwise, check the box that says “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.”
Turn Off Wi-Fi (during performance)
If your computer is equipped with Bluetooth wireless and/or a Wi-Fi (AirPort) card, these may need to be disabled for Serato DJ to work efficiently. In addition to freeing up system resources, disabling these can help resolve errors. We recommend you turn off Wi-Fi in live performance scenarios if possible.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “Network.”
• On the left hand sidebar, click on Wi-Fi.
• Click on the button that says Turn Wi-Fi Off.
Disable FileVault Protection
This optimization will allow your hard drive to work more efficiently with Serato DJ.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “Security & Privacy.”
• Click on the “FileVault” tab.
• In this window find where it states: “FileVault protection is (on/off) for the hard disk…”
• If FileVault is on, click the button to “Turn Off FileVault.”
Disable Automatic Updates
Some updates to your Mac software can cause conflicts with Serato DJ.  Therefore, it is suggested to disable the automatic update functionality within the operating system. If there is an update that you need, you can manually update your Mac software my clicking on the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen and choosing Software Update.
• Open System Preferences.
• Click “App Store.”
• Make sure the box labeled “Automatically check for updates” is unchecked.
Disable App Nap
App Nap can negatively the performance of Serato DJ or other software that processes audio or control changes. This is because App Nap considers any app that is hidden from view to be “idle.” It may then temporarily disable the app to free up resources which may cause clicks and pops as well as disrupt any processing that is happening in the background. To disable App Nap :
• Go to your Applications folder.
• Go to the App for which you want to disable App Nap (Serato DJ).
• Right-click or control+click the application and choose Get Info.
• In the Info window, under General, you will see an option to prevent App Nap.
Disable Sudden Motion Sensor (laptops only)
If you’re recording in a loud environment, this optimization will prevent the Sudden Motion Sensor from kicking in which temporarily stops the hard drive from spinning to prevent damage if your computer is suddenly moved.
• Double-click on the Macintosh HD icon on your desktop (this would be your system drive if you have renamed it to something else).
• Go to the Applications folder.
• Go to the Utilities folder.
• Double-click on Terminal.
• Type sudo pmset -a sms 0 and press Return (typing in ’0′ disables it).
• Enter your administrator when prompted.
• Type sudo pmset -g to verify that this has been applied.
To re-enable Sudden Motion Sensor:
• Go back to Terminal following the above steps.
• Type sudo pmset -a sms 1 and press Return (typing in ’1′ re-enables it).
• Enter your administrator when prompted.
• Type sudo pmset -g to verify that this has been applied.

Disable Spotlight Indexing
Have you ever seen the Spotlight magnifying glass icon with a pulsating dot in the middle? Did you notice your Mac running super sluggish while this was occurring? This is Spotlight creating a virtual index of all the files and folders in your system (i.e., indexing), allowing Spotlight to quickly search your drives. For everyday use, this is fine and not too much of a nuisance, but when using resource intensive audio applications, having Spotlight suddenly start indexing in the middle of your set can be disastrous.  

If your MacBook is overheating or the fan just won't stop buzzing, it's time to check the Activity Monitor. Because the systemstats process might be unnessarily eating up your CPU processes.

Have a read through this article on how to kill systemstats from your processes and stop unecessary CPU usage.
The easiest way to prevent indexing is to adjust your Spotlight Privacy settings. The only hitch, Spotlight will no longer be able to search the drives you make ‘private.’ If you’re a Spoltight addict, don’t worry, you can easily remove your drives from the Privacy list to restore searchability after your gig is over. 
• Open System Preferences by clicking the System Preferences icon on your dock.
• Click on Spotlight.
• Click on Privacy.
• Click the + sign in the bottom left corner, click on the drive you want to make ‘private,’ and then click Choose. Repeat the above process for each drive you wish to add to the Privacy list.
• To remove the drive, click on the drive icon listed and use the – key.


________________________________________
Bragging rights for life bitch! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
serato.com

nm

damn thats a lot of sh!t to do……lol, I've never done anything other than turn off bluetooth / wifi & disable checking for system updates


I've never had issues even when doing video with SDJ