backing up project

[kline2001]

Hello,

Since I have to export a project in order to save it to a CD, how do I back up a project?
It is saved on my hard drive, but what if my computer were to crash . . . it is a few years old.

Thank you.

kline2001

[kozikowski]

<<<it is a few years old.>>>

The project? Just kidding.

In fuzzy generalities, you can move a Project by putting the AUP file and the associated _DATA folder into one folder and move that. People have posted simple projects for us to view by doing that.

However...

If you used music files in your show, it's more involved. Did you?

Koz

[steve]

If you used music files in your show, it's more involved

yes it can be quite tricky with Audacity 1.2

I would highly recommend upgrading to Audacity 1.3.12. In this version there is an option in the File menu to "Check Dependencies", which, if necessary, offers to copy any external data used by the project into the _data folder. This ensures that the project is self contained.

To backup a project requires good file management. The procedure that I use is:

1) Before starting a new project, create an empty folder and give it a suitable name.
2) Start the project and then Save the project inside that folder - this will create an AUP file and a _data folder. Both are required.
3) When ready to back up, Save the project, then click "File menu > Check Dependencies" and if prompted to copy files say "yes".
4) Copy the entire folder (created in step 1) to a CD.

Note, the CD will not "play" on CD players or computers. To use the back-up, the project folder must be copied back to the hard drive, then the AUP file (with its associated data) may be opened in Audacity.

Note2: Audacity Projects are not a good way to back-up. Audacity Projects backed up in this way will work, provided that the backup copy is perfect. There is no "fault tolerance" so if there is even a tiny failure in the backup CD, the entire project can be lost. A much safer way to backup important recordings is to Export the tracks as WAV files. For multi-track projects that means Exporting each individual track as a file using "Export As". This does not back-up the structure of a project, but it provides a much more robust backup of the tracks.

[kozikowski]

<<<Export the tracks as WAV files.>>>

That's not a fluffy choice of words. WAV files are perfect quality and acceptable on all three computer platforms and can be used for post production and editing.

MP3 files are small, convenient and play anywhere, but can't be used for post production because of MP3 compression damage.

Koz

[billw58]

Audacity Projects backed up in this way will work, provided that the backup copy is perfect. There is no "fault tolerance" so if there is even a tiny failure in the backup CD, the entire project can be lost. A much safer way to backup important recordings is to Export the tracks as WAV files. For multi-track projects that means Exporting each individual track as a file using "Export As". This does not back-up the structure of a project, but it provides a much more robust backup of the tracks.

But if the CD fails then the WAV files backed up on the CD will be damaged. Yes, perhaps only one WAV file, but the project is still just as dead. That is, you may be able to recover 7 of the 8 tracks that you saved as WAV files, but if that 8th track is the "perfect vocal", then you're just as screwed.

-- Bill

[waxcylinder]

Audacity Projects backed up in this way will work, provided that the backup copy is perfect. There is no "fault tolerance" so if there is even a tiny failure in the backup CD, the entire project can be lost. A much safer way to backup important recordings is to Export the tracks as WAV files. For multi-track projects that means Exporting each individual track as a file using "Export As". This does not back-up the structure of a project, but it provides a much more robust backup of the tracks.

But if the CD fails then the WAV files backed up on the CD will be damaged. Yes, perhaps only one WAV file, but the project is still just as dead. That is, you may be able to recover 7 of the 8 tracks that you saved as WAV files, but if that 8th track is the "perfect vocal", then you're just as screwed.

-- Bill

To extend Steve's suggestion - Export each track as a separate WAV and then backup at least two copies of each WAV on two separate external disks (I use two 1TB USB disks - relatively cheap these days). If one of those backup disks fails (as one of mine did last year ) then it's a quick scamper down to the shops to buy a new one so that you can remake the second backup disk from the one remaining. Even more cautious people will make additional off-site copies (my son in London gets reasonably regular updates of my WAV files).

As Bill alludes to - CD-Rs are not reliable long-term backup devices. Unlike commercial CDs which are pressed, the CD-Rs that you record onto with your PC use a photochemical process to store the digibits - and like older photographs they can fade particularly in strong sunlight (as an experiment take a blank CD-R and place a strip of masking tape over it - leave on a sunny window-ledge for a few days - then take the tape off and examine the disk).

WC