So Youve Finished a Project .... then

[T on Y]

Whats the best way to archive a finished project in such a way that you can easily get get back into it in the future should you need to

 

Ideally  it would be good to get rid of unused takes etc

[Bristol_Jonesey]

Depends on how far you want to go with this. As a minimum, I would do this:

• Do a "save as" to a new location with a new name. This will only copy the audio actually used in the project
• Render all soft synths down to pure audio. This negates the possibility of a plugin not working or being available in the future
• You could do the the same with Fx plugins. Either render the Fx or freeze the tracks
• Make multiple backup copies and save to unique locations, including removable drives for storage, preferably offsite

 

 

 

[Bass Guitar]

The future proofing of  any Daw’s output involves a few easy steps. 

First is even if your project doesn’t contain any midi you should still save as midi type 1 file. 
This not only future proofs any midi tracks, it will save the tempo map of the song. 
Midi files can easily be opened in any Daw past and probably way into the future. 

Next is to export everything as a high quality wave file or what people call Stems. I use 48/32. 
Sonars export system is very good because it allows lots of different options. 
I first export using Tracks through entire mix in stereo including all midi instruments. This will include all automation and effects. 
 

These alone will make it possible to do a remix of your music. 
 

Then I do a second export choosing only the audio tracks. Then using Tracks No effects or Automation and choose Follows source for audio stereo/ mono . This gives me the raw audio and mono tracks remaining mono. Stereo tracks are stereo. 
 

That now gives you everything to rebuild any project in any Daw. 
Lastly you will need to take screenshots of any effects and instruments you used. That’s the hardest part if you’re a crazy effects person. 
 

I also have been saving as the CXF format so I can open in Next. If I switched to a Mac Im covered. And that is also covered as follows. 
 

Long time Sonar user @azslow3 has a tool on his website that allows you to convert CWP files into both Studio one and Reaper files. So that’s an awesome backup system because now I’m covered by 3 good Daw’s. It’s doubtful all 3 would disappear in 20 years. And Studio one is also available on a Mac. 
 

And worth mentioning is to always keep your old computer as a Time Machine. Example having a complete set up on W7 using Sonars Legacy versions will allow access to everything in the off chance the current version disappears from the face of the earth. 
 

I spent a couple of months backing up all my important projects and Im glad I did. 
 

 

Edited Thursday at 05:18 PM by Bass Guitar