Question:

How can I ensure orb2db writes data to disk as quickly as possible?

Answer:

Normally, orb2db writes miniseed compressed data to disk, and so data is written one 4096 byte block at a time. This can represent 5000 or so samples.

To cause orb2db to write data more quickly, set the output data type to some uncompressed format like s4 (either on the command line, or in the parameter file), and set the parameter file flag flush_wf_writes to yes. Be aware that this will use more disk space and more cpu time, however.