TECHiONE
05-Jul-02, 12:56pm
For a long time I've been burning back-up CD's of all my sounds, samples, data, sequences, songs, programs, performances, patches etc... from/for my sampler, synths, effects, and Cubase.
I do this as often as I can, usually every few weeks, and before every live performance. Sure I end up with a pile of CD's that may not ever be needed... but last week... my most recent burnt back-up CD's saved me... big time!
The Seagate 4.5 gig SCSI hard-disc in an external box, I've been using with my sampler (and PC) for the last 4 years, which was full of all my 'TECHiONE' sounds, and live set data... started making very nasty sounds on save/load, I found it wasn't successfully saving/loading at all, then one of the 3 partitions ceased to exist, the one I was using at the time (always the way!). Things got worse when the hard-disc started to cause what ever it was connected to (sampler or PC) to lock up/crash on any save/load attempts to the SCSI hard-disc... So, yes, I think it's very dead.
I needed some form of read/write SCSI storage quickly! I was in the middle of putting together a new live set, and new tracks (for Swarm Sequence actually)... Luckily, I found a SCSI 100mb Iomega Zip drive for sale in the Trading Post, cheap too, and only a couple of suburbs away from where I live. I Picked it up, bought the SCSI cable I needed (typical SCSI where there is no one standard interface/format) from David Reid Electronics (Sydney), who always have everything that Dic.k Smith, Tandy, and various computer places never do! Picked up some 100mb Zip discs, and continued on...
I connected up the SCSI Zip drive to my PC, loaded up the stuff from the back-up CD's I needed, transfered the sounds/data from them, and some of the recent loops/sounds I'd created in software on the PC, all to a Zip disc. Also happy in the knowledege that everything else that was on the SCSI hard-disc, is backed up on burnt CD's.
I connected up the Zip drive to the sampler, loaded all the sounds, data up, and I was back in action...
Quite impressed with the speed/ease of use with the Zip drive, and discs too. I'd never used one before.
Had it not been for my back-up CD's, I would have lost a huge collection of my samples, sounds, loops and data.
Yes, it can happen to you, it happened to me...
I actually should have got a Zip drive, and been backing up my samplers sounds, data for live gigs to Zip discs as well, a long time ago. Because if I arrived at a live gig, and found my SCSI hard-disc had had this problem, I wouldn't be able to play!
I will replace my SCSI hard-disc when I have some $ and from now on will certainly be bringing the Zip drive and backed up Zip discs along too, just incase this happens again, worse case at a live gig.
A couple of other tips... when you back-up your data, send copy/s to another location regularly as well! Be prepared for the worse! eg: fire, theft, flood etc.
I also have MIDI file back-up's of all my synths, effects, patches, programs, performances as well. Just save the sysex data from your synth, effect into Cubase, and save it as a MIDI file, you never know when you might need it as well.
And... if you travel interstate with your music gear, via planes, get your external hard-drive, and/or Zip discs hand inspected, don't put them in your luggage, carry them with you, don't walk through the metal detector with them! and don't put them through the X-Ray machine, no matter how much the airport security people ask you to, and assure you it will have no effect (which it probably doesn't) but don't take the chance, because they won't be held responsible if it does, and you won't be very happy!
Hope this helps someone!
Cheers Dave TECHiONE
I do this as often as I can, usually every few weeks, and before every live performance. Sure I end up with a pile of CD's that may not ever be needed... but last week... my most recent burnt back-up CD's saved me... big time!
The Seagate 4.5 gig SCSI hard-disc in an external box, I've been using with my sampler (and PC) for the last 4 years, which was full of all my 'TECHiONE' sounds, and live set data... started making very nasty sounds on save/load, I found it wasn't successfully saving/loading at all, then one of the 3 partitions ceased to exist, the one I was using at the time (always the way!). Things got worse when the hard-disc started to cause what ever it was connected to (sampler or PC) to lock up/crash on any save/load attempts to the SCSI hard-disc... So, yes, I think it's very dead.
I needed some form of read/write SCSI storage quickly! I was in the middle of putting together a new live set, and new tracks (for Swarm Sequence actually)... Luckily, I found a SCSI 100mb Iomega Zip drive for sale in the Trading Post, cheap too, and only a couple of suburbs away from where I live. I Picked it up, bought the SCSI cable I needed (typical SCSI where there is no one standard interface/format) from David Reid Electronics (Sydney), who always have everything that Dic.k Smith, Tandy, and various computer places never do! Picked up some 100mb Zip discs, and continued on...
I connected up the SCSI Zip drive to my PC, loaded up the stuff from the back-up CD's I needed, transfered the sounds/data from them, and some of the recent loops/sounds I'd created in software on the PC, all to a Zip disc. Also happy in the knowledege that everything else that was on the SCSI hard-disc, is backed up on burnt CD's.
I connected up the Zip drive to the sampler, loaded all the sounds, data up, and I was back in action...
Quite impressed with the speed/ease of use with the Zip drive, and discs too. I'd never used one before.
Had it not been for my back-up CD's, I would have lost a huge collection of my samples, sounds, loops and data.
Yes, it can happen to you, it happened to me...
I actually should have got a Zip drive, and been backing up my samplers sounds, data for live gigs to Zip discs as well, a long time ago. Because if I arrived at a live gig, and found my SCSI hard-disc had had this problem, I wouldn't be able to play!
I will replace my SCSI hard-disc when I have some $ and from now on will certainly be bringing the Zip drive and backed up Zip discs along too, just incase this happens again, worse case at a live gig.
A couple of other tips... when you back-up your data, send copy/s to another location regularly as well! Be prepared for the worse! eg: fire, theft, flood etc.
I also have MIDI file back-up's of all my synths, effects, patches, programs, performances as well. Just save the sysex data from your synth, effect into Cubase, and save it as a MIDI file, you never know when you might need it as well.
And... if you travel interstate with your music gear, via planes, get your external hard-drive, and/or Zip discs hand inspected, don't put them in your luggage, carry them with you, don't walk through the metal detector with them! and don't put them through the X-Ray machine, no matter how much the airport security people ask you to, and assure you it will have no effect (which it probably doesn't) but don't take the chance, because they won't be held responsible if it does, and you won't be very happy!
Hope this helps someone!
Cheers Dave TECHiONE