Yes this is what is confusing me.
sicijk, are you certain saving a project backs up everything, including sounds on the +drive?
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WHOLE PROJECT is your answer =)
keep in mind that the A4 would need something like 10 min to perform this backup…if i remember that my “waiting” correctly…
Anyway, nerdly and paranoidly speaking: it is wise to perform also the other backups…like: i backup WHOLE PROJECT and ALL SOUNDS - ALL KITS - ALL PATTERNS too, indipendently.
Just to have big pieces of that PROJECT to be safe.
Also, if you’re backing up a really important Project, it is good practice also to check that backup…just offering 10 more mins to the inverse process can save yourself from a vale of tears.
Whole Project is specified about what it will involve in the backup.
Also you can have four GLOBAL slots (not Projects…that are in the number of 128 for one machine)
Each Project holds four Globals.
But maybe i just misunderstood what you wrote
128 projects.
‘Whole project’ Will backup the currently open project.
There is not a backup function that will backup the entire A4.
to do that you will have to:
- load each project then use the ‘Whole Project’ option.
- use All - Sounds but that only saves 128 sounds in the sound pool.
All songs,patterns, kits,sounds will backup all songs,patterns,kits,sounds in the currently open project NOT the entire +Drive.
You can Save entire Banks from the +Drive.
- Go to Sound Manager (Function + Sound) then press a trig to select a bank.
- Press the right arrow to bring up the menu.
- Scroll down and choose ‘Select All’
- Scroll down to bottom of same menu and choose send sysex.
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128 projects.
‘Whole project’ Will backup the currently open project.
There is not a backup function that will backup the entire A4.
to do that you will have to:
- load each project then use the ‘Whole Project’ option.
- use All - Sounds but that only saves 128 sounds in the sound pool.
All songs,patterns, kits,sounds will backup all songs,patterns,kits,sounds in the currently open project NOT the entire +Drive.
You can Save entire Banks from the +Drive.
- Go to Sound Manager (Function + Sound) then press a trig to select a bank.
- Press the right arrow to bring up the menu.
- Scroll down and choose ‘Select All’
- Scroll down to bottom of same menu and choose send sysex.
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Excellent, that the answer I was looking for. Thanks.
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Screen on my AK is nearly dead and needs to go back to Juno asap. Need to back up EVERYTHING just in case.
I have around 15 projects on AK, each with a lot of banks/patterns etc. And around 150 custom patches on the +drive. As far as I remember I don’t have any sounds in projects that I haven’t saved to +drive.
I’ve only used sysex a couple of times before but don’t forsee any problems, hopefully… But is there a quicker way via overbridge? Haven’t checked overbridge out yet but wondering if I can get some modern day ‘drag’n’drop’ action if I use it?
Is it possible to now backup stuff via Overbridge instead of SYSEX? I assume that using SYSEX means using C6 (which I just realized sounds like sysex… good lord)?
Hey guys, don’t know if any of you have had luck in restoring your projects after doing a backup. I am having problems.
On the a4mk1 i did a sysex dump to c6 of the whole project. I then do a sysex receive (receive anything) on a4mk2 and it registers some sounds and some patterns. but it doesn’t restore my project in the way i thought. I had hoped that doing a sysex receive on the a4mk2 would be like loading a project. I can’t find my sounds as they are not loaded to the tracks, and i can’t find the pattern as it is not loaded as a default pattern.
To add some further clarification around my workflow:
Each new song/track/arrangement is a new a4 project for me. I don’t save kits and sounds and patterns i just leave it up to the a4 project to handle all that. I suspect that this is what’s causing the problem?
Any help or guidance will be appreciated.
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Yeah this forum thread has bitten me on the ass. DON’T DO A BACKUP OF WHOLE PROJECT AND EXPECT IT TO SAVE YOUR SOUNDS. The only thing I needed it to back up were the sounds in my C drive which is where I stored my presets for my live show, and doing a ‘whole project’ backup didn’t save them.
The below post should be pinned at the top of this page to save idiots like me who didn’t read beyond the first few people agreeing with each other…
"
‘Whole project’ Will backup the currently open project.
There is not a backup function that will backup the entire A4.
to do that you will have to:
- load each project then use the ‘Whole Project’ option.
- use All - Sounds but that only saves 128 sounds in the sound pool.
All songs,patterns, kits,sounds will backup all songs,patterns,kits,sounds in the currently open project NOT the entire +Drive.
You can Save entire Banks from the +Drive.
- Go to Sound Manager (Function + Sound) then press a trig to select a bank.
- Press the right arrow to bring up the menu.
- Scroll down and choose ‘Select All’
- Scroll down to bottom of same menu and choose send sysex.
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Also, i solved my situation, by first saving the kit before exporting as project. Kind of unintuitive since kits should be contained in a project. this was the only way to get the track sounds to be contained in the export.
This also increased the file size of the .syx from around 600kb to a flat 2.2 mb for all .syx files.
I did it with C6 and wondering where the sysex file has been saved?
omg you’re right 
Hi there,
i just got a Analog Four MK2, and I am trying to back up all data before starting to work. I like to sort out the workflow before everything.
As with Octatrack the back up is simply via the usb connection and a file explorer on the PC, I am new to the sysex world. After browsing the forum I couldn’t manage by myself and I wonder if it is really that complicated.
-
If I send sysex data from the sound manageer, I always receive a filelist.c6 file with 16 byte [sic!], nevermind if it is just one sound or 2830 selected sounds. What size of a data package should I suspect to receive?
-
If I send the “whole project” through the global sysex menu, it takes ages and and when saving, the same 16 byte filelist.c6 is saved.
I truely believe it is not working, but can’t figure out why.
The update of the OS worked fine on first try. But the PC does not receive any data.
In the C6 config, the A4 is selected for sending and receiving.
Any help? Thank you very much!
I wonder why this aspect of the machine is so weak compared to the rest of features of elektron gear. In my point of view back upping of a digital piece of equipment has to be the most basic activity, so:
- Does Overbridge offer a more intuitive and stable option to back up my gear?
My set up: OS 1.35B, C6 1.51, MAC 10.12.6
Here is a screenshot of the C6 settings, maybe here’s something wrong.
Please read the manual
Files have .syx when saving!
-
I don’t know, to give you an indication, my DN project 1 with the presets = 2970kb
my DN bank C around 50sounds I have made = 16kb
my DN one pattern = 23kb -
Just copy the project and you need to set your machine to usb only in the settings menu then sysex dump goes pretty fast! rtfm
-
I think OB does not work with the mk2’s (yet)?
Dear Olibol,
thanks for your answer!
- really helps to get a feeling
- checked, A4 is usb only
- ok
Don’t know what I am doing wrong.
Will try more when I have time, if anybody else had this problem and found a solution, I am thankful!
By the way, i did read the manual and searched the forum.
this is such a faff… why cant we have transfer for the a4?
worst thing about the a4 so far.
moan over. back to endless sysex dumps…
PS > THE KEY IS TO MAKE SURE ALL SOUNDS ARE IN THE POOL BEFORE DUMPING. OTHERWISE THEY’LL BE MISSING WHEN YOU SEND IT BACK. SAVE YOUR KIT(S) TOO. MAKE SURE MIDI IS SET TO USB ONLY FOR SPEED.
I did accept the same challenge and tried to backup all my projects. And yes it’s true. You have to do it one by one.
Nevertheless the keyword ‘WHOLE PROJECT’ in the SysEx menu fools you easily like the above posts have already mentioned. If you wanna be sure to be able to fully restore the whole project with all its sounds, kits and patterns you need at least:
- Move your custom sounds and those from the +Drive you have edited to the sound pool (sound/soundmanager/ left browse -> select a sound slot -> right browse -> SAVE TRK SOUND). Repeat this for each track you have sound on
- Save a kit (Kit/SAVE KIT -> select a Kit slot)
- Save your patterns (Pattern/SAVE PATTERN)
- Save the project (Project/SAVE PROJECT -> Select a project slot)
- … if you have further Song settings do the same with them.
In the next step you can send the Project to your SysEx manager. Important thing to understand:
-
Send all of the above objects to the SysEx (not only the Project)
-
If you wanna have a full backup of your project and not single pieces of each object, perform the backup in one transaction to create only one backup file. How?
-
Change to the SysEx menu on the A4 (Project/SYSEX DUMP/SYSEX SEND -> ALL)
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Open the C6 SysEx Manager on your PC and press the Receive button
-
Now back on your A4 start the send process one by one (WHOLE PROJECT, ALL SOUNDS, ALL KITS, ALL PATTERNS (ALL SONGS if you have) ). Let them all pass through and don’t interrupt the process by clicking ‘Stop!’ in C6.
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If everything is transferred, press ‘stop!’ in the C6. Highlight the newly created file in the C6 browser and the ‘File Info’ frame displays your backup summary. In my case: Normal Globals: 4 Kits: 256 Sounds: 256 Patterns: 256 Songs: 16 Settings: 1
-
Save the file to your local machine
Restore
- In the C6 manager select the backup file form your PC
- On the A4 create a new project or select an existing one (gets overwritten).
- Go to the SysEx menu (Project/SYSEX DUMP/SYSEX RECEIVE -> RECEIVE ANY). An object type screen opens which is going to display the incoming file screen from your PC
- Select ‘Send’ in your C6 manager and restore the data
Repeat this for all your projects 
How much music we could compose during this time. Incredible!
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Thank you for putting together such a detailed post. This is very informative. It’s unfortunate that Elektron hasn’t streamlined what should be such a simple and basic task.
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To backup all plus drive sound banks ,
what you need to do is 
Go in to Sound Manager, Function Sound , View the plus drive Hit left, press right right, do select all ,
do send sysex .
that transmits all the patches / sounds , 2462 patches in my A4…
Note: Sending loading back, dont sent it twice by mistake, if you did not see any change in the interface, you may end up loading your stuff twice doubling the used patch slots because it chucks them anywhere. after transmit , come right out , go back in and check if your sound manager reflects your patch count.
note:
when I done the All sounds send from sysex dump , it only sent 50 patches, or what is set loaded in the current patterns or projects sound pool, the 128 project sounds / kit sounds still not 100% clear.
Edit
to prove full “plus drive sounds”, saving and loading works for all patches , on my second A4 I formated the plus drive, no sounds in the A4 plus drive, at all. All gone.
Then , I set the A4 in sysex dump recv mode , select “plus drive sound” anywhere. then transmit the snd manger dump we made before , 2000+ sound as made above . after sent press , yes no . then go snd manager and view plus drive , right , select all , you should see the complete dump loaded in correct order. to check I looked at first and last patchs on both my a4s. and it is correct now. both are fully loaded the same patch data, in the same order. if this helped you, please sub my channel on YT .
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Why would this be necessary since “Whole Project includes the kits”? Unless I’m mistaken.
Anyway, I’m trying to figure this out now but to combine smaller projects into one nig main one for a live set. I’m importing the patterns into different pattern slots, e.g. patterns I created on A1-16 that I need to import into B1-16 in the main project.
I’m stuck because if I import the kits to where they were before they will override the kits already in that project, or if I import the kits to new slots they won’t be linked to the patterns I import!
I’m just seeking info and tips before I create a question post myself on this.