Greetings 
Ideas?
I could simply place my project folder into my local dropbox folder, but, this is currently on the C drive and I am using another hard drive for the projects…
Is there a better way please?
Z
https://www.gobbler.com or dropbox will work for cloud backup.
You could copy the folder from the project drive to the DropBox folder as well instead of moving it.
Executive summary: BTSync + another local computer running Crashplan = perfect solution for large digital audio / video projects.
BTSync ensures a local mirror is always up-to-date on another computer that just always runs. Crashplan runs on that mirror to back it up.
Four problems with Dropbox, awesome as it is:
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There is no “versioning” of your files.
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It must be running during sessions (and stealing valuable CPU) if there is any hope of getting those large 32-bit freeze files to upload in a timely fashion.
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An internet connection is required on the DAW (not an issue for me, but for some).
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Backup size limitations.
Here what I do to get around these issues…
First, I put the excellent, free, cloud-less BTSync on my DAW and set it up to mirror my project folder with another local computer on my home network via ethernet.
Advantage: you get an instant, local, quickly done backup on another computer with no backup size limits, no monthly fees, and no cloud needed. If you can get away with running BTSync while recording (CPU-wise), great. But if you can’t, the other advantage of BTSync is that you can exit it quickly, do your studio stuff, and then launch it before you go to bed. Because its job is to simply mirror (backup) the project folder to a local computer, 8 hours will always be enough to fully backup even the largest sessions.
Second part of the setup: Now simply use Dropbox, Crashplan, Mozy, etc. on that second computer and leave it running all the time, day and night (as it’s supposed to be run). This other computer just always runs and backs up the backup – so no CPU hit on the DAW.
The other advantage, if using Crashplan, Mozy, etc. (I recommend Crashplan), is that you get versioning. You can go back to a version of any file on just about any date, forever.
One backup is not really a proper backup and this system gives two layers of redundancy. The local mirror and the online backups of the local mirror.
The other cool thing, is that since the mirror is always up-to-date, you can repair your DAW, take it to a gig, upgrade the parts in it, upgrade the OS, etc. and it doesn’t stop the online backup process because your other computer is dedicated to doing that.
For those that enjoy the Dropbox sharing workflow with their DAW, this solution is fully compatible with that. Simply add a BTSync folder on the mirror that maps to its Dropbox folder. Once again, what’s great about this is that the mirrored computer is doing the Dropbox heavy lifting. Dropbox doesn’t even need to be installed on the DAW (just the mirror).
Let Crashplan be the “backup” and let Dropbox be the “sharing.” Dropbox, on its own, is not the best solution for backups.
Thank you for the replies, however both solutions won’t work here.
Drop box. I use this for other purposes but it wont synch outside its own folder, which is on the C drive and I dont want to move it for non music reasons
The BTsync idea could be good for some, but I dont have another PC running all the time to sync with.
Maybe I could connect a hard disk to my router and use some form of syc solution.
My aim is to have a remote copy of my projects, in case of PC theft or disaster. File sizes are not huge.
I am looking for an autoback up solution.
Maybe I should post in the hardware forum?
Z
BTsync will actually run on many NAS (Network-attached-storage) hardware devices. Some can be had cheap, I think, or you can build your own with linux and small atom processor in a miniITX or even rackmount chassis.
Google: BTSync NAS Linux
Edit: I’d like to drive the point home that I think, for you, a NAS is the proper solution to your problem. NAS is the solution to these kinds of problems.
What you DON’T want (trust me on this) is to run a 24/7 online backup app on your DAW. It’ll suck the life out of it.
Hence, BTSync to “something else” locally, that you control, that then gets backed up by an online backup app.
Since your on PC and your projects are small try Microsoft one drive, you can tell one drive to sit its folders on your project hard drive and include your project folder. Then you Have automatic ongoing cloud backup.
I do this on wireless with an i7 Intel PC with no issues. I start all of my projects in one drive, then when they get really large though I move them to another drive ( no one drive ), and make back ups to a third and 4th drive…so I will check out the bt solution mentioned in this thread.
I thought I had solved this, but no.
I stuck a portable drive into my AC68U router, which is remote from the studio (which is what I want).
I set up MS Synch Toy to copy between both drives - so that the portable drive has a clone of my project folder on my PC.
I mapped the network drive on my PC, ran the app and it worked, a copy was made.
I returned to the PC later and found the mapped drive was unavailable - don’t know why
The drive seems to have its own rules according to Asus, it used a tehcnnology called ‘air’
your supposed to log in via the net on the asus site, where you get your own domain, reachable worldwide. However, when you start to apply simple windows file operations to the windows explorer page they are absent (its not ftp least not normal ftp).
When I tried to access the root of the remote drive and create a folder, the button greyed out. Any folder which does not have content simply does not show. I can get into al;ready created ‘full’ folders and I can create a folder within these, so I did this to create the project back up folder.
Its all clumsy and its falling over…
I am beginning to favour the idea of having a hard drive attached to the router, but its behaving in a funny manner, making life difficult. If I could get this working somehow, I could eliminate the need for cloud. I have only started one project in the folder and its already six gig, so a whole musical, would be prohibitively expensive.
Do I need some kind of server tech?
Apols for contradicting myself, Iam just learning the issues here…
Z
Yes. A Network-Attached-Storage device, is just that.
Think of it as a personal, local “cloud” of your very own – that you control and with no size limits or monthly fees.
BTSync will run on the NAS and on your DAW (with internal or external drives it uses), keeping the NAS in sync with your DAW projects.
The NAS will also run services like Crashplan at the same time, so that it can upload those synced projects to a proper fee-based, online, offsite backup.
You might look at the ReadyNAS line of NetGear NAS products. I think both BTSync and Crashplan will work on the ReadyNAS OS (it sits on top of Linux).
Or, maybe there is a service pre-built into NetGear ReadyNAS that may work for you. I have not reviewed them myself, but there are a ton of them. I think Dropbox, Owncloud, etc. are available on ReadyNAS (as well as BTsync and Crashplan).
Or, roll-your-own NAS with linux, and any “cloud” type apps you like, if you’re up for the technical rabbit hole.
I think these devices start around 130 bucks.
I’m simply using another PC with VNC (remoting software) and BTsync and Crashplan, because I already have a rack of PCs for audio, video and 3d rendering.
But a proper NAS is the “right” way to do it in 2014.
thank you Jalcide for your lengthy posts and time taken.
I seem to be getting there. I wasn’t sure that a drive plugged into a router counted as a ‘network drive’ and would function as one.
The Asus AI cloud software for my router sets up the drive as a streaming device, the access is through a bespoke asus domain name you have to set up, you see the drive in a browser window, which only displays media files and has little or no useful functionality.
So. I mapped the drive as a network drive in Win7, using Win7 tools. I got some initial problems, but now it seems to be there and visible - eventually.
I set up an app called SyncToy by Microsoft, this allows the cloning of the project folder on the PC to the remote drive attached to the router. I then set up a scheduled task to run at start up, initiating a fresh file check and copy.
Whilst not a perfect arrangement, it does seem to work, though only at every start up opf the music PC.
I have been surprised by how difficult it has been
Perhaps Steinberg could look at some kind of back up to the cloud function. I am in the habit of saving new versions every few minutes when I work on a project, it would be good to have the extra security to know that all work is being backed up live to both a hard drive and soem kind of remote device.
Z
I’m not sure why this is even an issue. Cubase would be wise to provide a backup solution to its users. Gobbler currently offers a version that works with Pro-tools and it does a “smart” backup of projects - keeping what’s needed for a particular project. But as important a feature as this is - I can’t even fathom why cubase doesn’t add that as a feature - There should be a menu item called Cloud-backup - and it should be run in the background - adding any new files/projects that are created in cubase. Are you listening Steinberg?
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Personally, I wouldn’t want SB to be responsible for remote backups.
Why not use Windows File History? It can save to any drive on the network, backs up often and runs quietly in the background.