Regarding backing up projects

Hi, Can anyone recommend back up software that will back up to a separate drive but also back up, for instance…just part of a project, If i work on a project and change a few things is it possible that a back up system could only replace the new stuff in a project folder as I’m working ? I think it’s called incremental back up but not sure…

cheers, Kevin :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Have a look at Syncback Free. Except for the doing it as you are working, it does a nice job of backing up whatever folder you want to a separate drive incrementally. Been using it about a year now, very happy.

Although someone mentioned that W10 itself had a good incremental backup system now.

Not sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for, but I use DropBox, GoogleDrive and iCloud to do this (I use Cubase and Logic, so I have different accounts for the two programs so I’m a) not keeping my eggs in one basket and b) not hitting the storage restrictions or having to pay for a new level.)

So I save the project files into the GoogleDrive/iCloud directories, and every time I work on a project I save a new version with a new filename, so “projectname 1,” “projectname 2” etc - it means that all the projects I’m working on are stored in the cloud so if I have a hard-drive failure or something (touch wood never had anything yet) then I won’t lose any work.

DropBox works like how you’re asking anyway, it just changes the things you modify I think. In terms of saving to a separate drive, I don’t know how that would work (whether you can set it to work on multiple drive locations in the same computer, probably someone will though) - you could always have a separate backup computer with the same software installed and it would sync across all of them, kind of an expensive solution I guess and it would have to be on at the same time as your DAW system for the syncing to take place in real time, although you could always turn it on periodically and it would sync from the cloud! Hope some of that helps :wink:

OneDrive does the same as well :wink:

cheers Guys…something to look into… :slight_smile:

Just an fyi- Windows 10 (and 8 I think) includes “File History”. This does incremental backups on an hourly basis, to a drive you select. Not the ‘cloud’. I have found that it actually works too.

that’s very interesting…I haven’t gone to 10 yet but if I did I wouldn’t need 3rd party software…got some thinking to do… :sunglasses:
thanks for the info… :slight_smile:

Yeah, I had a look at the Properties dialog for a folder in my Cubase project folder, I clicked on the “Previous Versions” tab and was able to open File History for that folder. All the audio was there, backups of cpr files etc. I have not restored too many times, but I have used it and it worked.

Note that this is for back up only, and not a way of archiving projects. Once it fills the disk up it begins to delete the oldest backup. It mimics in function most of what Apple Time Machine does, without the pretty graphics, which I admit to finding fun. :confused: :astonished: (Time Machine can restore a computer to a previous state after a catastrophic disk crash. I don’t think File History can do that.)