For larger scoring projects I am often streaming 32 tracks from the sampler comp on 2 standard 1TB drives with zero problems...so not in any rush to switch to SSD until the price comes down more...also not enamored with the idea of splitting my large orchestral libraries up on several drives. Will continue to watch SSD development...

In your situation, you don't need the speed of SSD... so it's not a cost effective solution.
I get that...   


If you needed 500+ simultaneous notes of disk-streaming polyphony (LASS, Hollywood Strings, etc), it would be a different matter.  For these folks (and they're the minority), SSD delivers disk-streaming performance that's just not possible with conventional HDs.

I'm running Vienna...as far as orchestral samples.

Curious why they would be running that much (1500+) simultaneous polyphony?  In a roughly 100 person symphony orchestra, with most of the instruments being monophonic or at best 2 note polyphonic (excepting harp, piano, timpani, etc.) at a 1 to 1 person/track ratio that would only be in the few hundreds of simultaneous polyphony...can you eloborate?  Seems like 500+ would even be high?  Are they doubling each chair position for some reason? Multiple mic positions perhaps?

Curious why they would be running that much (1500+) simultaneous polyphony? 

These guys were characterized as "composers." so two things come to mind. One they can't count (or at least do the math that would let them make a cost effective choice). And two, it would cost them more than the cost of their over the top system to hire an orchestra to audition even a small piece of their work, so they think it is cheap to have excess capacity.


Of course it may not be the number of notes that is the drag on their system, but the resolution (size) of their samples. Since composers used to hear their music in their heads while writing it down on lined paper, it sounds like these guys must be doing more than composing--like turning out high def finished performances that will never involve a real instrument. 

Multiple mic positions perhaps?

Bingo...   



With LA Scoring Strings (LASS) or Hollywood Strings, polyphony piles up very quickly.

Apparently (according to the forums) LASS is more dependent on SSD's than Hollywood or some of the others...?

I can understand having the option of multiple mic positions, but it still seems strange to use multiple mic positions at the same time on an orchestra.  A guitar amp?...sure.  But when micing an actual full orchestra (have assisted on a couple) or even a small ensemble (have done many times) there is generally 1 mic to a chair at best, with section mics alternatively being utilized more often than not (phasing issues can become an issue quickly in a 1 to 1 [or more!] micing situation)....interesting.

SSD's will be like everything else...get faster, more reliable and cheaper...I'll enjoy the ride LOL