SyQuest EZ135

Where can you store all those long samples and audio files? Paul White checks out one possible answer.

With the proliferation of 'MIDI plus audio' sequencers, and also the increased use of samplers with large memory capacities, hard drive storage space has become a major issue. Recently, low‑cost removable drives have appeared on the market, such as the Iomega Zip and Jaz drives (see the SOS review of the Zip drive in last December's issue), and the SyQuest EZ135 reviewed here. The SyQuest EZ135 is of particular interest, because it is fast enough to use for direct‑to‑disk audio recording, and it also seems the ideal medium for storing samples. Even if most of your samples come from CD‑ROM, there will be occasions on which you want to edit the sounds in some way, and then resave them.

The EZ Life

Unlike the early 44Mb and 88Mb SyQuest drives, the EZ135 is smartly styled, affordable and, most importantly, the 135Mb disks are only just over £17 each. A rear panel switch allows easy selection of the SCSI ID, and a SCSI terminator and lead are supplied. Power comes from an external adaptor — also bundled with the drive — that automatically adapts to the local mains voltage. The only complaint I have here is that it's too easy to insert the PSU plug incorrectly into the drive! Mine wouldn't work until I unplugged it and plugged it back in the right way around. A better mechanical keying system would solve this.

Bundled with the drive is a floppy disk containing the necessary PC installation software, while the Mac equivalent comes on the included cartridge. The vital bit for Mac users is Silver Lining Lite, which enables your computer to mount the disk; it can also be used for formatting, though new 3.5‑inch disk cartridges (which have a mechanical write‑protect switch) come ready‑formatted and with duplicates of all the original software on them. The software includes a limited copy of Virtual Disk, which allows you to keep a catalogue of your removable disk contents on your internal hard drive, plus several games that seem to involve rampaging through blood‑splattered corridors.

In Use

The drive worked just like any other hard drive with my ProTools II system and with Emagic's Logic Audio, but best of all, it proved to be really quiet in use; previous SyQuests I've owned have been like sharing the studio with a dishwasher! On shutting down the computer, the disk unmounts and the eject lever pops out, so if you want to use the disk next session, you have to remember to push the lever back in.

When connected to an Akai S2000 sampler, the disks can be formatted directly from the sampler, and again, no problems were experienced. The drive seems every bit as fast as a typical fixed hard drive — except you don't get fan noise. The disk cartridge packaging is also rather nice; as well as being very protective, there's also a transparent outer sleeve beneath which you can fix your own label.

At the price, the Syquest EZ135 is a bargain that's hard to resist — and incidentally, I didn't! It may not have the capacity for album editing or long multitracking sessions, but when you just want to add the odd guitar solo and vocal line to a MIDI composition, it's just the ticket. What's more, the disks are affordable enough to archive at around twice the price of a DAT tape.