# Digital Loss Syndrome



## YaniDee (Aug 8, 2018)

I term (I think) I've made up for anxiety caused by a fear of loosing your digital assets via hard drive failure, etc. It leads to buying a lot of external Hard drives, endless archiving, backup, cataloguing, etc. It's a given that all original content (I'm also a photographer) should be backed up (in several places) but I also find myself backing up libraries, software installations, etc. Of course any "non digital" assets can also go up in smoke, but digital assets seem so volatile.
The end result is that becomes a waste of time (and HD space)) that can be used to better ends! Anyone else experienced this, and is there a remedy?


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## ka00 (Aug 8, 2018)

This just sounds smart to me. I’d say you can’t think of what you spend as a loss or waste of HD space. It’s insurance against misfortune. If and when you end up needing to restore from a backup (ie file a digital loss “claim”) is when this usually becomes clear.


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## MA-Simon (Aug 8, 2018)

Actually, this reminds me. Need to back up some Assets tomorrow.


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## ptram (Aug 8, 2018)

I back up my original sound libraries into separate drives, that I then put away. Then, I have a Time Machine backup that I alternate into two drives, stored in different places. Works made for others are also backed up in the client's own backup system.

In any case, a virus, a programming bug or an operator's mistake can erase all my original data and backup systems. And after my departure, my drives could be deleted and resold or trashed away. These data will not be preserved forever.

Paolo


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## Alex Fraser (Aug 8, 2018)

I think perhaps the OP wants a bit of help here instead of descriptions of everyone's backups?
I'm sure there are other folks better qualified than me to talk about this. @YaniDee - does stuff like this happen in other parts of your life? Or is it specifically linked to the studio?

FWIW, I find myself obsessively removing software and libraries in order to achieve some sort of "minimalist utopia." That's my quirk.


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## YaniDee (Aug 8, 2018)

Alex Fraser said:


> does stuff like this happen in other parts of your life?


To an extent...yes..I do seem to want to have doubles of things and extra "replacement" parts, and stuff. They do come in handy, when needed, but it also clutters my small place..Besides that, I'm a very easy going and fun loving person..Maybe the whole thing is a middle age crisis, awareness of mortality and dissapearing forever thing. Or partly a procrastination, avoid the "blank canvas" thing?
Are u a psychiatrist? In any case, thanks for asking!


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## pmcrockett (Aug 8, 2018)

I try to avoid owning things that _aren't_ digital both because I live in a small apartment and because I'm acutely aware that I'll have to transport everything when I eventually move out. It doesn't necessarily solve the problem of anxiety about data backups, but it does at least help me avoid comparing that data and the number of hard drives I'm using unfavorably with physical possessions by keeping the problems with physical possessions at the front of my mind.


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## Greg (Aug 8, 2018)

Well it only takes one bad experience to kick start that paranoia and I bet every professional working with digital has a horror story. Honestly as long as the music is finished and released with stems I don't worry too much. My only big concern is losing a work in progress, which has happened and it was dreadful. But I realized I always have the ability to re write something and make it even better.


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## MatFluor (Aug 8, 2018)

Try a reality check - how often did data loss happen? What were the causes? What did you lose?

Backups are always a good idea, 3-2-1 rule - that's all you need. Don't get crazy about it. Hard drives have excellent run times meanwhile, failures are less like than earlier.

Plus, since I worked with hundreds of Terabytes of data in uni and now (machine learning, statistical modelling of language etc), I simply now that I can't backup everything. So when I was in charge of the servers and the whole SysAdmin stuff of the institute, where people generated hundreds of Gigabytes of Data each day, and Backup space simply is limited, I divided stuff into a little matrix:






That helps me keeping my head cool and decide. As practical example - let's say you write a lot of Notation. You have the Sibelius files, but because of some paranoia, you bounce it to Audio, create a PDF and export the MIDI - just to be safe, right? According to the Matrix above, you can easily see what is needed to backup - only the Sibelius file - the rest es recreateable, open up Sibelius and export what you need. If e.g. the MIDI files are very important and at this time Mission critical for a project, you backup that too, since you have an immediate need for it.
Same goes for Software and VIs - I don't back most of this stuff up - settings files and some custom stuff, but the whole rest is downloadable again - so I'd rather save the links and serials. Ok, I take a day or more instead of a half a day to recreate my setup from 0 - but I don't need to keep TB worth of redundant data around. Like e.g. Komplete or Spitfire's stuff - simple downloader and you're done - you might have to wait a bit, but it's not like "HDD crash and it's gone forever!", it is highly recreateable.

Same goes for spare parts and redundancy as a whole:




By "Cost of replacement" I also mean the cost apart from the part itself - e.g. not being able to work, losing income etc.

I hope that helps you keeping your head cool - if you Backup plan is ok, you have in sight what you backup and what you don't, and have spare parts or redundant element where needed, you can rest your mind a bit


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## brek (Aug 8, 2018)

MatFluor said:


> You have the Sibelius files, but because of some paranoia, you bounce it to Audio, create a PDF and export the MIDI - just to be safe, right? According to the Matrix above, you can easily see what is needed to backup - only the Sibelius file - the rest es recreateable, open up Sibelius and export what you need.




As a slight word of caution to this... All of the music I made in _MusicTime Deluxe _20 years ago is gone because I don't have a program that can open those files, and I didn't export any audio or midi.


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## MatFluor (Aug 9, 2018)

brek said:


> As a slight word of caution to this... All of the music I made in _MusicTime Deluxe _20 years ago is gone because I don't have a program that can open those files, and I didn't export any audio or midi.



Good point! That of course weighs into the equation. Work-wise I do my work with open data forfata which are not bound to proprietary stuff, and then all my self-programmed scripts. But that then goes I to recreatability


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## Saxer (Aug 9, 2018)

You guys probably can't remember the time of 32 track tape reels. Each for the price of a todays SSD and long enough to record three pop songs. And no possibility to make a backup (without quality loss). Tape damage = project damage. So be glad about any possibility to spent your time and money with backups! Or live with the risk! Rock'n'Roll! Yeah!


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## jcrosby (Aug 9, 2018)

Back That Asset Up


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## Vardaro (Aug 11, 2018)

brek said:


> As a slight word of caution to this... All of the music I made in _MusicTime Deluxe _20 years ago is gone because I don't have a program that can open those files, and I didn't export any audio or midi.


I was able to open my MusicTime and Encore .mus files in Finale, and export musicxml to Sibelius 6, which I still use. So find a chum with Finale...


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## Desire Inspires (Aug 11, 2018)

It’s just easier to create new music than it is to waste time and money saving and re-saving old data. You have to learn how to let go of the past and move forward. 

The sounds and software get better day after day. I don’t think I even use any sounds older than 5 years old now. I just trash the older stuff or just give the PC away to the Goodwill and buy a new one every few years.


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