Storage space serves as the long-term memory of your computer, where data such as documents, photos, and many other types of files are permanently stored, even when the computer is powered off. The storage drive is the physical location where data is stored on your computer. Another memory-related term in computing that you might hear is Random Access Memory (RAM), which is a form of temporary computer memory. However, for the purposes of this article, we’ll primarily be focusing on your computer’s long-term data storage capabilities.

The available storage space on your computer determines the amount of data it can store (examples of data include documents, photographs, music, and videos). The storage drive is also where software (e.g., Omnisphere) and your operating system (e.g., macOS Sequoia) are installed. Here are some key concepts associated with data storage on your computer:

What Storage Space Does

It permanently stores the operating system, installed applications, and all your personal data.

How Storage Space Works

When you install a program, its files are written to the storage drive. When you save a document or photo, for example, they are also saved to your storage drive.

Types of Storage Drives

Solid-State Drives (SSDs): Use flash memory with no internal moving parts. SSDs are faster, quieter, and more reliable than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). SSDs are recommended for Spectrasonics instruments.

Hard Disk Drives (HDDs): Use spinning magnetic disks to store data. HDDs are slower and more fragile than SSDs.

Cloud Storage: Data can also be stored using online cloud services (e.g. Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox), although this method of storage is NOT recommended for Spectrasonics instruments.

Storage Capacity

The total amount of available storage determines how much data you can keep on your system. For example, a 256 gigabyte (GB) drive is usually sufficient for web browsing, documents, and light use, while 1 terabyte (TB) or more is generally recommended for creative professionals working with large audio, video, or design files.

Note: It is generally recommended to have at least 15% - 25% of your system drive (i.e. default storage drive) space free in order for your computer to work optimally. For example, if your system drive is 1 TB, it is recommended to have an additional 150 GB - 250 GB of free space at all times.

Units of Measurement for Data Storage

Smaller Units

Bit (b) – smallest unit, either 0 or 1

Byte (B) – 8 bits, basic unit for files and storage

Larger Units (Most Likely to Encounter)

Kilobyte (KB) – one thousand bytes

Megabyte (MB) — one million bytes

Gigabyte (GB) — one billion bytes

Terabyte (TB) — one trillion bytes

Effects of "Purgeable" Data (Mac Only) 

On Mac, the amount of available storage space equals the “Available” number MINUS the “Purgeable” number.

To determine how much storage space is available on a Mac computer, follow these steps:

1. Open Finder

2. Navigate to the “Go” menu located in the very top left corner of your computer screen

3. Select “Computer”

4. Right-click (i.e. control + click) on your system drive (usually called "Macintosh HD")

5. Select “Get Info” from the right-click menu

If you have too much purgeable data to install your instruments, please reach out to Apple for more info on how to remove it to clear up space so you can install your instruments.

How Much Storage Space is Required to Install Spectrasonics Instruments?

For more info on how much storage space is required to install Spectrasonics instruments, please see our Knowledgebase article here.