Perfect. Thanks !
Truth.
If you are using only one project (this is my case), then you don’t have to save the parts. I will be saved with the project. Or at least, it will stay. I’ve been using my octatrack for a long time, never lost anything.
Asked Elektron support i asked: If i save project do all the parts save as well or do i need to save the parts seperatly?
they said:
Hi,
You need to save the parts, always.
Regards,
Simon M
3 Likes
Surely true if you use several Parts, but I think you don’t have to save Parts if you use only one Part. It should be saved with the Bank when you save the Project.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I have no Project saving problems when I use only one Part, wich I don’t save.
Tests needed! 
1 Like
OK I tested and this is what I worked out:
When you power down - your parts (all of them) will be as you left them.
When you change to another project and change back again - your parts will be as you left them.
When you start actively saving projects and parts things get a little more complicated.
If you actively SAVE your project you then have TWO states in stored in OT memory:
1- The SAVED project. (Which is like a snapshot of how your project was when you saved it, including parts)
2- The CURRENT state of your project, which includes any changes made after the save.
If you then also actively SAVE YOUR PARTS you will have THREE states stored in OT memory:
1- The SAVED PROJECT, including the parts
2- The SAVED PARTS, which can be different to the parts saved with the project
3- The CURRENT STATE of the project, including any changes to the parts since the last save
Any time you actively RELOAD using PROJECT > RELOAD or PART > RELOAD (which is different to just turning power on, or changing projects) you will OVERWRITE the CURRENT STATE of your project or part with the saved version.
Counterintuitively, saving parts actually makes your parts both safer AND more vulnerable. This is because the key combination (FUNCTION + CUE) to RELOAD a previously saved part, and overwrite your current part settings, is very easy to make by accident. This can’t happen if you have never saved the part (You just see “SAVE PART FIRST!” message and your part stays intact).
Merlin’s guide details a nice ‘back to base’ creative use for this quick parts reload function, and I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just that it can be more or less useful depending on how you use the OT. Reloading a project, on the other hand, requires a menu dive. I find it useful as a snapshot backup, but of course I still get into saving parts because it’s good to have them recallable independently from the project.
Another backup method, which is easier to keep track of, is saving renamed versions of your project as you go.
But in answer to your original question - YES, saving a project saves the parts.
There are still loads of ways to mess up (!) but YES, saving a project saves the parts.
20 Likes
parts as wind
UP please <3
Thanks for the tests.
I save with renamed projects too.
This is such an amusing post.
Reminded me how to save all pars which is what I was looking for so thank you!
If this is correct, some product/systems developer has failed miserably.
Saving safely should be obvious.
…still, I love my Octatrack 
Why?
My golden rule:
- if i use multiple parts in a project or going to reload a part: save parts -> save project
- if i only use one part and no need to reload it: just save project.
5 Likes
I just save the project. But I’m using several banks, hence different parts. Most of the time 1 part per song.
I’d save parts only for live reload purpose. Sometimes I copy the part to another one as backup.
2 Likes
I think that if you can have three states at one time you will make mistakes.
1 Like
Normally no mistakes if you don’t save parts.
i’m going to cross post this as it seems relevant to this topic, but does anyone ever have to reload their project after shutting down? it seems like no matter what, i always have to reload my project to get back to the project i was working before shutting down.
Does it happen with all projects?
Did you try with a new project?
Normally, after power cycle, even if you didn’t save anything, the project should be loaded as it was before.
The OT loads the current state of the project, not the saved state.
I was about to quote that topic!
Saving the project save the parts?
i only have one project, so i haven’t tried creating another project. the behavior happen intermittently. i can shutdown and my project is good…but every so often this ghost project gets loaded and i have to reload my project to get back to where i was.
i did try copying the project, loading from that one instead, and then syncing my compact flash, but the behavior never went away.
Is there a way to mess about with my first part and then save it to the second part? It seems to me that I have to copy my original part to another part then mess about.
To me it’s more natural to make edits to what I am doing and once I am really happy to save that to a new location.
“Save to” is what I need rather than “save”