Can you play music directly from external hard drive?
What is an External Hard Drive?
An external hard drive is a storage device located outside of a computer that is connected through a USB cable, Thunderbolt, or wireless connection (Techopedia). It works like an internal hard drive, providing extra storage space and the ability to back up files or an entire system. However, external hard drives can be disconnected and accessed from multiple computers.
Some key characteristics of external hard drives include:
- Portable storage – External drives come in portable sizes, allowing you to carry large amounts of data with you.
- Expanded capacity – External drives provide abundant extra storage, from 500GB to multiple terabytes.
- Convenience – External drives connect easily via USB/Thunderbolt cables. Many are “plug and play” without requiring drivers.
- Security – Keep backups and sensitive files stored offline on a drive that can be locked up.
- Accessibility – External drives interface with almost any operating system, allowing data transfers between computers.
In summary, external hard drives are extremely useful for portable file storage, system backups, storing large media collections, and expanding beyond a computer’s internal capacity.
Storing Music Files on an External Drive
Using an external hard drive to store your music files has some great benefits. Firstly, external hard drives have very large storage capacities compared to your computer’s internal drive. For example, you can purchase a portable external HDD with up to 5TB of space. This allows you to store thousands of high-quality audio files in lossless formats like WAV and FLAC, which take up much more space than compressed MP3s.
Having all your music on an external drive also helps keep the internal storage of your computer free. The system hard drive can easily get filled up with programs, apps, photos, videos and other files you use daily. Offloading your music library saves space for faster performance.
Another advantage is that external hard drives are portable. You can disconnect the drive and bring it anywhere to access your music on different computers. This makes it convenient to collaborate with other artists or DJs. Many external hard drives today are quite small and don’t require a separate power source.
According to this article by Decibel Peak, a fast external HDD with at least 160 Mbps transfer speed offers more than enough performance for backing up and accessing music production files.
Playback Options from External Drive
There are a few different options for playing music directly from an external hard drive:
Direct Playback through Music Apps
Many music player apps like iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC media player, etc. allow you to access music files stored on an external drive and play them directly. You simply need to add the external drive to the app’s library or playlist. The main limitation here is that playback is limited to the device the external drive is connected to.
Some stereo receivers and CD players also allow you to connect an external drive via USB and access the music files on it. This lets you play the music through your home audio system. However, compatibility varies across brands and models (https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/component-to-play-files-from-external-usb-hard-drives-and-stream-tidal-or-qobuz.1120267/).
Streaming Over Home Network
For wireless playback throughout your home, you can stream music from the external drive over your home network. This involves setting up the external drive as a shared drive on the network.
You then have a couple options for playback:
- Use a media server software like Plex, Emby, etc. to create a music library and streaming service using the files on the external drive. You can then stream to any device on your network.
- Directly access the external drive as a network share from apps like VLC or Foobar2000 for playback.
The main requirements here are having the external drive connected to a networked device like a router, NAS, or computer that’s on and accessible over the network.
Direct Playback Limitations
Using an external hard drive to directly play back music files can run into some technical limitations. The two main factors that can impact performance are the drive speed and connection bandwidth.
Most external hard drives use a spinning platter design, which has slower data transfer speeds compared to internal solid state drives. This is especially true for bus-powered portable drives. The drive speed can bottleneck when trying to stream high bitrate audio files leading to choppy playback or buffering issues (Video Source).
The connection interface between the computer and external drive also imposes limits. Common options like USB 2.0 or 3.0 have a max bandwidth of 480 Mbit/s and 5 Gbit/s respectively. In contrast, SATA connections in internal drives can exceed 16 Gbit/s. This constrained pipeline from the external drive can prevent smooth streaming of high resolution music (Article Source).
For best results, an external SSD with a high speed interface like USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt is recommended. Supplementing with a powered drive or external power adapter can also help overcome some bandwidth limitations.
Optimizing the External Drive for Music
To ensure optimal playback performance when accessing your music library from an external drive, there are a few key factors to consider when selecting and setting up the drive:
Drive Format: The two main file system options for external drives are NTFS (for Windows) and exFAT (compatible with both Windows and Mac). exFAT is generally recommended for external drives used for multimedia, as it handles large files better than NTFS. Avoid using FAT32 if possible.
Drive Speed: Use a drive with a fast USB 3.0 or USB-C interface and high rotational speed if using a traditional hard drive. Solid state drives (SSD) are much faster than hard drives and have no moving parts, providing quick access times for your media files.
Power and Connectivity: An externally powered drive with a good power supply will provide better performance compared to a bus-powered drive. Directly connecting via USB rather than through a hub also improves speed.
Drive Cache: Look for a drive with a large cache (64MB or more) as the cache helps buffer read/writes for smoother playback of music and video files.
Anti-shock and Error Recovery: Features like anti-shock and error recovery are useful for protecting your data and reducing disruptions if the external drive is ever accidentally disconnected.
Optimizing the external drive for speed and stability is key to being able to directly play your music collection, minimizing playback issues and disruptions while accessing large audio files.
Setting up Music Library on External Drive
When setting up your music library on an external hard drive, it’s important to organize your files in a logical folder structure to make browsing and searching easy. Many music players rely on correct metadata like artist, album, genre, and year for organizing music. To get the best results, make sure to accurately tag your files with ID3 tags before copying them to the external drive. Album art also enhances the experience, so add this when possible.
For large libraries, copying all the files across can take a long time. To save time, create the main folder structure on the external drive first. You can then transfer artists or albums gradually while still directly playing from the external drive. This prevents you from being without your music collection if the transfer is interrupted.
Keeping the library in sync between devices is also crucial. Once set up on the external drive, configure your computer and devices to point to the new location for managing and playing your music. Turn off auto-sync features that might try to revert to the old internal location. Some apps provide advanced options to manage split libraries in multiple locations.
With robust file organization, fully populated metadata, and library locations correctly mapped, you can comfortably rely on your external drive as the new home for your cherished music collection.
Streaming Music Over Home Network
One way to stream music from an external hard drive over your home network is by using DLNA or UPnP protocols. DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) allow devices on a network to discover and connect to each other to share media files and other content.
To stream music with DLNA/UPnP, the external hard drive needs to be connected to a DLNA-compliant media server or NAS drive on the network. The media server software indexes the music files and meta data so they can be found by DLNA client devices like smart TVs, game consoles, audio receivers, and media players. Popular media server software options include Plex, Emby, and MediaTomb.
SMB (Server Message Block) is another network file sharing protocol that can be used to access files on a network drive. Configuring the external hard drive as a SMB share allows other devices to mount the drive over the network and directly access the music files. This may require some network configuration but avoids needing separate media server software.
Overall, leveraging these networking protocols allows the external hard drive’s media content to be discovered and streamed from anywhere on the home network. This provides a flexible whole-home audio solution.
Creating a Media Server
One of the most popular options for creating a media server to stream content from an external hard drive is Plex (https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/yxhbg3/whats_the_best_harddrive_for_plex/). Plex allows you to organize your media library on the external drive, and then stream it to devices over your home network. Some key steps for setting up Plex include:
1. Download and install the Plex Media Server software on the computer connected to your external drive (https://www.electronicshub.org/best-external-hard-drive-for-plex/). This will be the host computer for your media server.
2. Make sure the external drive is connected to the host computer and scan your drive to import your media files into Plex.
3. Configure Plex library settings, such as enabling automatic updates as you add new content.
4. Download the Plex app on the client devices you want to stream to, like smartphones, streaming boxes, smart TVs, etc.
5. Make sure the host computer and client devices are on the same local network. Then you’ll be able to select media to stream from the Plex interface on your clients.
Plex supports real-time transcoding to ensure media files are compatible for streaming across different devices. The host computer will need sufficient processing power for transcoding smooth playback.
Troubleshooting Playback Issues
When playing music directly from an external hard drive, you may encounter playback issues like stuttering, skipping, or errors opening files. This is often due to connectivity problems, transfer speed limitations, codec incompatibilities, or OS/app conflicts.
First, check your cable connections to ensure the external drive is properly plugged into a high-speed USB 3.0 port. If connected to a USB 2.0 port, the slower transfer rates can interrupt playback. Connecting to a USB port on the back of your computer can help avoid bandwidth conflicts with other devices.
Scan for any driver or software updates for the external drive, ports, or media players. Updates can resolve bugs causing compatibility issues.
Consider if the file formats (like FLAC or WAV) are supported by your OS and apps. Install codec packs or use a media player like VLC that handles more formats. Converting files to more universal codecs like MP3 can help.
For older operating systems, check if the external drive is formatted for NTFS, or reformat it if needed. Defragmentation can also improve read speeds on fragmented drives.
As a last resort, copying music files from the external drive to your computer’s internal hard drive will eliminate any transfer bottlenecks. However, this takes up space on your main computer.
With some troubleshooting and optimizing of your playback setup, your external drive can become a versatile jukebox for your music collection.
FAQs about External Drives for Music
Here are some frequently asked questions about using external drives for storing and playing music files:
What types of external drives work best for music libraries?
Solid state drives (SSDs) offer the fastest performance for playback and loading times. However, traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) have much higher capacities for the price. A good compromise is to use an SSD for your active music library and HDDs for archival storage 1.
How much storage space do I need?
This depends on the size of your music library and if you plan to store lossless file formats like FLAC and WAV which take up more space than lossy formats like MP3. For large libraries, multi-terabyte HDDs provide good value.
What cable interfaces work for connecting external drives?
USB 3.0, USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, and Firewire allow fast data transfer speeds sufficient for audio playback. Ensure your computer has the proper ports or adapters 2.
How can I optimize the drive for music use?
Use the external drive only for music storage. Keep it in a safe place to avoid shocks and impacts which could damage the drive. Consider a solid state drive if the drive will be frequently transported.
Should I keep my music library on the internal or external drive?
It’s usually better to store your active music library on the external drive rather than the computer’s internal drive to save space. Make sure to back up your music library and projects to a second external drive as well.