The best external hard drives for music production: storage solutions to supercharge your music

Music is a memory muncher. Producing in a DAW, downloading effects plugins, virtual instruments, samples, mixes and masters, artwork and photos, music videos — eventually, something’s got to give. Don’t let that be your computer! We all know the pain of those constant pop-up messages saying your computer is running low on memory, or worst of all, when the performance slows down to a snail’s pace as you’re trying to make a track.

This is where the best external hard drives for music production swoop in to save the day. With an ever-mounting amount of storage that your laptop or computer eventually can’t sustain, an SSD for musicians will take all those samples, audio files, and even music software for you and ensure you can still enjoy peak performance when making beats. And still have space on your computer for photo albums of your dog.

And let’s not forget how vital it is to back up your music files! Many of us will know the heartbreak of losing cherished music files and projects due to skipping this step.

Allow Headliner to free up the data in your brain by showing you the five best external hard drives for music production, starting with the most affordable, ranging up to the most premium-priced SSDs.

Toshiba Canvio Ready

Pro: The most affordable option, offering great value for money for casual backups or less demanding projects.

Con: As a traditional HDD, it is significantly slower than the SSD options on this list.

If you’re ready for one of the best external hard drives for music production to change your music-making life, but aren’t quite ready to splash the mega bucks on one, then say hello to Toshiba’s Canvio Ready. Bearing in mind some of the most premium options will set you back more than £/$200, it’s great to know there’s a solid option at the £/$50 mark (or less if you’re adept at the eBay game).

Note that this one is a traditional HDD, which, in layman's terms, won’t offer you the lightspeeds of an SSD. But it will still offer much better performance than your average budget external hard drive, some of which should be avoided at all costs. It’s a nice, portable size, and it's equipped with shock sensors to protect your data in case it does get dropped.

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Samsung T7 Portable SSD

Pro: The best all-around choice, providing an excellent balance of speed, portability, and price for a general-purpose studio drive.

Con: Lacks the rugged, drop-resistant design of other portable drives.

If you’re seeking an excellent, all-rounder music storage solution for a chunk less than £/$100, then the Samsung T7 might be seeking you. As mentioned above, HDDs are the inferior choice next to SSDs, so if you can manage the £/$20 or so more from the Toshiba above to the Samsung here, you can expect a big upgrade. File transfers will happen at Sonic the Hedgehog speeds, and it’s easily portable in its cute credit card size.

That said, for those on the move, note that it isn’t the biggest bruiser in terms of build on this list, so don’t put it through any deliberate drop tests, and do transport it in a bag with decent protection. It’s available in up to 4TB memory, multiple colours, and can connect with PC and Mac computers, tablets, and game consoles.

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SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

Pro: Unbeatable durability with IP55 water and dust resistance, making it the perfect choice for mobile musicians and artists on the road.

Con: While fast, its performance falls behind some of the professional-grade SSDs on this list.

Portability goes extreme with one more excellent SSD that’s below £/$100 from the respected brand SanDisk. Like much of the company’s music storage solutions, it packs in some lovely aesthetics into a tiny device, and its name alludes to being such a rugged little thing for those who want to take it on their travels. It’s even built to be resistant to water, dust, and other things the elements might challenge this external hard drive with. A diminutive device has some tradeoffs, like fewer connectivity options. But it does offer USB 3.2 and 1050MB/s transfer speeds. To keep it budget, you’ll be going for the 500GB version, but there are other options going up to 4TB if you are able to spend a few hundred. A great music storage solution that fits in your pocket.

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Crucial X10 Pro Portable SSD

Pro: Blazing-fast speeds (up to 2,100 MB/s read), making it ideal for running large sample libraries or high-track-count projects directly off the drive.

Con: You will need a computer with a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 port to unlock its full potential.

It’s nice to know there’s an external hard drive for your music out there that was created with creatives in mind. Crucials X10 Pro is another portable SSD that comes in a design that’s both stylish and built for the hard knocks of life, with anodised aluminium and rubber edges for a bouncy impact if the unthinkable happens. And it’s tiny, coming in a 65 x 50mm frame, and its lanyard hole makes it extra easy to take around with you. It offers fast transfer speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s, and its protective design can also withstand dust and water.

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WINNER: The Crucial X10 Pro Offers ultra-fast read/write speeds of 2,100 MB/s, rugged IP55-rated housing and shock resistance to protect data on the go. Its combination of speed, durability and portability makes it ideal for recording large audio sessions and backing up on the road. - Headliner Awards

LaCie Portable SSD

Pro: It's a very fast, portable, and stylish SSD that works seamlessly with most Mac, Windows, and iPad devices via USB-C, making it an excellent choice for a mobile studio.

Con: While durable, it is not as rugged or water-resistant as the "Rugged" series of drives, and it is more expensive than other similar-speed portable SSDs on the market.

The LaCie Portable SSD is as fast and reliable as you like, and brings much-needed style to proceedings as a music storage solution designed for creative professionals and power users on the go. Boasting read speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s, it promotes fast and painless file transfers and allows for real-time music editing and smooth media management. It’s a real looker, with a sleek, compact design, and is easily portable and tough enough to withstand daily wear and tear. Available in storage sizes up to 2TB, the drive connects via USB-C for delightful compatibility with Mac, Windows, and iPad devices, to get you up and running with your sound libraries, VSTs, and the rest lightning fast.

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How much storage will I actually need for my music external hard drive?

As you’ll see above, the more storage you go for, the higher the price tag. For your average home studio music producer using a moderate number of samples, plugins, effects, and instruments, one of the best SSDs for musicians above in 1TB format is a great starting point and will have you covered for some time to come. If you fit more into the professional category, working with full bands, high-quality audio formats, or if you’re working in, say, film score and orchestra work with immense memory-eating sample libraries, the space on your music storage solution might start to disappear more quickly. In these bigger scenarios, 2TB or 4TB is a wise investment that future-proofs your work.