Loads of folks on here worry about loosing their data. I don’t recall ever reading of a plus drive failing, maybe once or twice in four years, maybe I’m not sure. Sure it’s good practice, but I haven’t ever backed up my 4 1/3 year old AR… I’m not even worried about it. I also don’t care if I loose everything, it’d be inspiring to start fresh… 
2 Likes
Would be a silly worry except… Elektron really don’t make total backup of the device easy.
In fact, I’ve been wondering if there’s a way to backup the Sounds on the Digitakt? Not sure I’ve seen this discussed. Maybe with C6 somehow? C6 though is a pretty unuser-friendly way of backing up in 2019. Does not exactly feel reassuring whenever I use it…
I get that… but that doesn’t work for those of us that use the devices for paid projects and often need to be able to recall (without worry that maybe we can’t!).
Sounds can be backed up through sysex. It’s explained in page 63 of the digitakt manual, so there isn’t really a whole lot to discuss. C6 is not the only program that can be used to make sysex backups, there are quite a few. C6 is actually a good simple sysex transfer application. Moog has even recommended its usage as sysex tool, which I think is supposed to mean something for some people.
Full backups of the dt are not streamlined (projects, patterns, sounds w/C6 & samples w/transfer) but they are far from difficult. I’ve backed up and restored projects and samples many times successfully. There is nothing unfriendly about the interface.
5 Likes
We’ll have to beg to differ - there’s plenty unfriendly about dealing with sysex and C6. It’s archaic and effectively back to pre-UI DOS days! You might be ok with it, and I can certainly deal with it even if I don’t think it’s ideal, but I think plenty of newbies for sure would not be alright with it. There’s lots of “quirks” (bugs) when backing up and restoring sysex on the Digitakt; I’ve read about them here on this forum and experienced them.
A good backup solution would have this all abstracted from the user by a friendly UI that didn’t look like 1995. Elektron Transfer is a very good example of an easy back-up solution. They should roll all back-up into that. Frankly, they should roll it all into Overbridge; users shouldn’t be dealing with multiple applications, all of which handle different aspects of the device. It’s a bit of a mess.
1 Like
I’m in no way encouraging you not to backup, but in case it makes you feel a little better about reliability, here’s straight from 
employee:
2 Likes
I do it routinely to clone my digitakt to another digitakt. First sync your +drive and then export your projects.
Thing is, as I mentioned, you don’t need to use c6 to sysex backup your machine. There are many programs to deal with sysex. C6 is of course free others may not be.
There really aren’t any bugs that I can think of dealing with backups on the DT. A lot of the issues discussed on the board are misunderstandings or user error. As I stated I regularly backup and restore the sample and projects on my digitakt and have had not issues.
As much as I would love backups to be streamlined, and done entirely in transfer, it is far from an unusable mess. I also don’t find the need for a flashy UI for a simple utility, aesthetics is ultimately subjective.
Anyway, agree to disagree I guess.
3 Likes
There’s more to discuss than I’d like - I’d much prefer it if this stuff was straight-forward (and appreciate that you think it is) but backup in 2019 should not need be nearly so involved from the user’s point of view. I’m no more interested in flashy interfaces as you are - I’m talking about clear and straight-forward functionality. People want to simply be able to back up the machine with one application and have faith that their data is there and safe.
When it comes to C6/sysex you have to use both the device and the PC and make sure each is doing the right thing to the other. Plenty of opportunities for mishaps. And then you have to make sure you’ve backed up the samples for the sysex you’ve backed up, and vice-versa. It’s really backwards to be having to think about this stuff on a USB class-compliant device which is having sophisticated DAW software written for it. This is 80s early MIDI-era stuff. It’s just
To your point about Sounds, you sound pretty sure there but what I need to do either isn’t explained in the manual - which is why I asked - or it’s not possible, which would be pretty poor. I want to backup ALL the Sounds on my +Drive. I obviously don’t want to go through every project to make sure I have everything used, and that would discount unused Sounds saved for a future project etc.
So, your manual reference tells us about backing up Projects (including their Sounds) and Patterns but nothing about backing up Sounds themselves. If I’ve missed the part about “how to backup all Sounds” that’s great, but I really can’t see it there.
(Perhaps one of the problems is a manual littered with anomalies, vagueness and errors - ie it says “15.4.1 SYSEX SEND Here projects, patterns, and Sounds can be sent to an external device.”… and then goes on to not tell you how to do the latter - only Sounds within projects).
Sounds good. How do you just backup all Sounds?
I should also add that I’ve had a number of crashes when trying to restore from sysex and just had one now trying to test the backing-up of Sounds.
Again there’s omissions in the manual - eg how the device will start to receive sysex even when not in those settings.
I’ve no idea the cause of the crash on receiving a project but unfortunately it underlines my points above. It really doesn’t inspire confidence. Either I’m doing something wrong (I don’t think I am but if so it also makes my point) or the current beta OS has borked sysex backups. Anyone actually tried doing this stuff on the latest OS?
You do have a point there.
Currently the only Elektron device that is super straightforward to back up is the Octatrack. Being able to directly access the file system via USB is awesome, and I wonder why a similar system wasn’t implemented on all devices following it.
Having said that though, I don’t really have a problem with plugging my Digitone in and doing a full sysex dump every few months. To each their own.
Looking at the manual it seems you go to Sysex Send/Sounds which sends the selected bank, do that for each bank you’ve filled…
1 Like
Using the transfer app (drag/drop whole +drive to/from your computer drive).
For the projects you need to use C6 (make sure you setup the digitakt to usb mode only so the transfer is much much faster)
2 Likes
All well and good, but still doesn’t explain how I can backup all the Sounds on my +Drive. Lots of people here saying you can do it, but no one telling me how. Whisper it - I don’t think you can!
Hey Mike. Thanks but looking at the machine, not the manual, that option simply ain’t there. I don’t even see that in the latest manual.
(If you want more confusion (yes please!) the manuals obviously differ as OS versions change, but good luck working out which version of the manual you’re reading. Elektron neither label the PDF properly, nor do they put the version number in the manual… )
Open Sound Manager (make sure all sounds are visible in the list) -> SELECT ALL -> SEND SYSEX
And it is in the manual. Chapter 9.3 Sound Manager. On the Digitakt itself you need to scroll down on the command page (where SELECT ALL etc. are located) to see the “SEND SYSEX” command.
The manual accessible online on the Elektron website always matches the latest (officially released) OS.
Additionally @acidhouseforall explained another method how you can backup all sounds (with the transfer app) three postings above.
5 Likes
Big thanks tnussb!
I was looking at the Sysex section of the manual, where I’d expect to find this detailed (where Sounds are mentioned but not explained), and also where @jefones pointed me to above. Also been looking in the sysex section of the machine where you would also expect to see it. Fine that it’s elsewhere, but in that cause there should then be duplication, of functionality in the sysex menu, and of explanation in the manual.
Man, I love the Digitakt but the more you dig in, the more you find frustrating stuff like this. Inconsistencies all over the shop.
Everything I’ve learned about using the DT, I’ve learned from a ridiculous amount of rereading the manual over and over, and usage of the machine. The way the manuals are written it sometimes takes connecting concepts across sections. I forgot that and should have point you to the sounds section after the sysex section.
Edit: This thread has been pulled way off topic. Maybe a mod should merge some of this with one of the dt sysex backup threads.
2 Likes
I’m seeing what @tnussb pointed out and also this, sending entire banks without having to select the sounds, latest manual:
3 Likes