[Yodasdad]

Since I first started writing songs back in 2013, everything I've created has been stored on a portable hard drive.

When I say everything, I mean everything. Every time I've saved a song in logic, or GarageBand when I started, it's been under a new file name. This means that for some songs there are up to 200 versions of it, at progressively different stages of completion.

I originally decided to keep all my saves for a few reasons:

So that if I made a mistake I could always go back to whatever point I wanted and correct things.

The same if I wanted to change things.

And lastly, because when I started I was a bit paranoid about people nicking my stuff (I'm not now) and thought that this would help prove that not only had I written something but I had every step to prove it.

What this amounts to is that I've now almost filled a 500gb hard drive, I've got 20gb left.

My options are delete most of the old saves (i had to delete a little bit the other day just to continue) or buy a new hard drive and keep going.

I think I know what I'm going to do but just wondered, what would you do?

Yodasdad

[Boydie]

I would buy a new hard drive and keep what you have

Not for "copyright" reasons but you can be sure that one day (perhaps 10 years from now) you will be kicking yourself for deleting something

Large capacity hard drives are relatively cheap, even the physically small ones, so if it were me I would get a 4tb 2.5inch external drive to use as a backup and create a folder to archive your old stuff that you would have deleted

I would then create another folder on the 4tb drive called "working backup"

Then delete the everything from the 500gb drive you were going to delete (knowing it is backed up on the 4tb drive) and start again - but this time regularly back up the 500gb drive to the "working backup" folder on the larger drive

This will not only give you space to store archive recordings but also give you a backup of current projects (which is ESSENTIAL if you don't already)

This solution is better than nothing but remember, data isn't considered "safe" unless it is in at least 3 places

I can't wait for the price of cloud storage to plummet - it is still a little on the expensive side for mass storage IMHO but I am sure someone will enter the market with a really cheap solution soon

[CaliaMoko]

I had an answer all written but, by the time I went to post it, Boydie had posted his, and I like it better--it's more comprehensive. So I'll just agree with him. 

[adamfarr]

Potential downside of deletion: self-kicking as Boydie says.
Potential downside of keeping: a few $$ for more storage (which I think you'll soon need anyway...)

I hoard everything, tangible and intangible (much to the anoyance of Mrs Farr but sometimes I am proved right...)

[PaulAds]

Ha ha  

I delete almost everything once I'm done (meaning once i'm sure i've done the best i can....maybe after 6 months or so) and am usually glad to see the back of it.

I think I'd be happier doing new versions anyway...in the very unlikely event that it ever became necessary.

I've kicked myself so many times over the years...I can now easily dodge my own kicks.

Sorry...that's no help whatsoever  

[PopTodd]

I would buy a new hard drive and keep what you have

Not for "copyright" reasons but you can be sure that one day (perhaps 10 years from now) you will be kicking yourself for deleting something

Large capacity hard drives are relatively cheap, even the physically small ones, so if it were me I would get a 4tb 2.5inch external drive to use as a backup and create a folder to archive your old stuff that you would have deleted

I would then create another folder on the 4tb drive called "working backup"

Then delete the everything from the 500gb drive you were going to delete (knowing it is backed up on the 4tb drive) and start again - but this time regularly back up the 500gb drive to the "working backup" folder on the larger drive

This will not only give you space to store archive recordings but also give you a backup of current projects (which is ESSENTIAL if you don't already)

This solution is better than nothing but remember, data isn't considered "safe" unless it is in at least 3 places

I can't wait for the price of cloud storage to plummet - it is still a little on the expensive side for mass storage IMHO but I am sure someone will enter the market with a really cheap solution soon

Totally this.

[Skub]

What is this backup of which you speak? 

[Mike67]

I'd play on the side of caution.  Why delete when you can just buy a new drive?  Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Mike

[Yodasdad]

Thanks for the input people, yes, looks like a new hard drives the way to go.

Interestingly I asked the family if they could club together and get me one for Christmas. I was told that present was too boring. I got a new iPad instead. It's still in the box. Not that I'm ungrateful or anything but I know I'm not going to be able to wedge it in my usb port!

Adam, sounds like me and you share the same wife. I'm a bit of a hoarder too as you can probably tell.

Just one question. If I transfer stuff across to a new drive, is it going to cause problems opening from there? I know in the past if I have changed a folder name or moved something from one location to another, logic hasn't been able to find parts of the file.

Thanks

Yodasdad

[Boydie]

Hopefully someone with experience of LOGIC will help

I would expect there to be some kind of option to save/export your projects WITH the associated audio files copied to the project folder - similar to the iTunes "consolidate library" or SONAR's "save audio files per project" option

[diademgrove]

I had a similar problem. In the end, after much procrastination I just deleted the files. I decided I wasn't going back to work on them, the past is past. I still have the finished song/instrumental so why keep them.

I use Cubase and keeping them would have been a pain in the backside. I'd have to have saved each project into an empty folder. Some songs had 4 or 5 projects. My life isn't long enough to be doing all that archiving.

I'm sure this may not help but, hopefully, it gives a different perspective.

Keith

[Yodasdad]

I've just checked and it's not a 500gb drive I've filled up, it's 1tb. Balls!

Looks like I better go for as large as possible.

Not sure I'm as brave as you Diadem.

Yodasdad