Backing up audio files.

[Mr. Hyde]

Do you convert your wav files to mp3 before making a back up?
I usually don't but I think I'm going to from now on. What bit rate should I use to retain as much of the original file as possible? Is 160 Kbps enough or should I go higher?

 

[Eddies cellmate]

For backing up master WAV files, the rule of thumb is "the higher the better". I'd suggest going as high as possible to retain as much of the original data as is possible.

I also use mp3 for backup because I just don't have enough hard drive to keep all of them in WAV. I only keep the WAVs until the final version is done. I've considered backing the WAVs up on cds, but that's a lot of work and I'm usually too busy to burn them all.

 

[rabies]

i burn all the working mix stuff straight onto CD. This includes the wav files, any of the MP3s I get from you guys for a song, their wav file expanded version (after any effects), and all the N-track or soundforge (or whatever other app) settings files for that song - all in one directory.

That way, if I ever want to go back and modify the Mix for..oh..say Hallowed, or a new singer lays down a track, I can just open all the working files from my mix and be right back where i was. Invaluable.

...and its not as much work as you think when you have everything in one directory. Just copy the whole thing up to a CD..and go watch TV or something.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

Thanks guys. I had nearly 1.5GB of stuff in my folder where I keep the files I've been working on lately. Most of it was from multiple takes of Sandman. I usually can't bring myself to delete my wav's after I do different mixes and such so I endup having various sample mixes of them and all of the in between mixes and final files. I had to go through and delete a bunch of them to get the folder small enough so I could burn it to a cd.

I'm going to start converting them to high quality mp3's as I go from now on so that I don't have to delete stuff just to get in on a cd. I mean, after all, who knows when I might want to hear that 2nd of twelve mixes of something that originally I thought wasn't any good.

 

[Eddies cellmate]