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While I may not need an external, I like having the ability to move my music at will to whatever system I need it to be on. As my performance machines do not see the Internet, upgrading my library consists of plugging in a drive and updating it one time vs moving it to a jump drive, then to target machine(s).
 
While I may not need an external, I like having the ability to move my music at will to whatever system I need it to be on. As my performance machines do not see the Internet, upgrading my library consists of plugging in a drive and updating it one time vs moving it to a jump drive, then to target machine(s).

I use the external USB drives for storing backups, and I keep one in my laptop bag too. When I need to sync computer hard dives and external USB’s, I can connect all of them to my home LAN, and copy content from my main media server. However, having the external USB drive with me at all my events gives me added piece of mind, and the cost is so minuscule.[emoji4]
 
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You have to login to each machine and then copy the data to each of them (one way or another). I can plug the drive(s) into one machine and copy the updates to them. Same idea, just a different way of doing it - not that one is right or wrong. I choose to keep the machine / OS separated from the music - and thus far, it's worked fine. ;)
 
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Like you guys, I use an external USB drive to copy my library from the primary machine to the secondary. Whenever I'm doing show prep, I always use the primary to download any tracks (usually from amazon) needed. After I've finished downloads and have reindexed the player database, I stick an external on and use robocopy (I have an icon on my desktop that fires off the script) to differential copy anything new from the primary. I then plug that drive into the 2nd unit and use robocopy to pull updated tracks from the external to the 2nd unit. I then reindex on that machine, which brings both machine in sync. Just before the gig, I put all of the special event songs at the top of the playlist on both machines. On the 2nd unit I then add one dance song and one dinner song. During the special events I'll fire off #1, then fire off the same song on #2 (and sync). During dinner or dance sets I'll loop the dance/dinner song on the 2nd machine. Kinda overkill but if/when something dies on machine #1, back in business is only as far as turning up the volume on channel #2.
 
Like you guys, I use an external USB drive to copy my library from the primary machine to the secondary. Whenever I'm doing show prep, I always use the primary to download any tracks (usually from amazon) needed. After I've finished downloads and have reindexed the player database, I stick an external on and use robocopy (I have an icon on my desktop that fires off the script) to differential copy anything new from the primary. I then plug that drive into the 2nd unit and use robocopy to pull updated tracks from the external to the 2nd unit. I then reindex on that machine, which brings both machine in sync. Just before the gig, I put all of the special event songs at the top of the playlist on both machines. On the 2nd unit I then add one dance song and one dinner song. During the special events I'll fire off #1, then fire off the same song on #2 (and sync). During dinner or dance sets I'll loop the dance/dinner song on the 2nd machine. Kinda overkill but if/when something dies on machine #1, back in business is only as far as turning up the volume on channel #2.
This is truly excellent, but is a lot more than what I would consider a "backup", more like a "clone". Are the DJ's who work for you expected to have two laptops running in sync as well?
 
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This is truly excellent, but is a lot more than what I would consider a "backup", more like a "clone". Are the DJ's who work for you expected to have two laptops running in sync as well?

I've gone back to single-op and have only booked 1 gig on another DJ this year. As for what we did with multi, no, I let them decide what was best. To my knowledge, they all carried just a single laptop. Fortunately, I don't know of any situations where they had a machine die. As for my own experience, I had a memory chip go bad in one laptop and I got bit a couple of times on gigs before figuring it out. That's when I started setting up 2 laptops and syncing them on playback. BTW, on ceremony, I only use a single unit.
 
This is truly excellent, but is a lot more than what I would consider a "backup", more like a "clone". Are the DJ's who work for you expected to have two laptops running in sync as well?
IMO, this is a hot standby - ready to go NOW.
 
As for music, I have two mirrored external HD's. Usually I download new songs onto a thumb drive (another backup), give them proper tags...and then then copy them to all of my sources.

Mike, I do the exact same thing! But one of my backup external HD's is kept at work.

When you say "mirrored", what does that mean? Do you keep all HD's updated manually or is there a better method?
 
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As for music, I have two mirrored external HD's.
Plus my laptop and my 2TB master HD at home.

Usually I download new songs onto a thumb drive (another backup)
Give them proper tags...
and then then copy them to all of my sources.
Mike, I do the exact same thing! But one of my backup external HD's is kept at work.

When you say "mirrored", what does that mean? Do you keep all HD's updated manually or is there a better method?

I do this too - though I don't use a thumb/jump drive. I eliminate the middle man. Source, target, done. :)
 
When you say "mirrored", what does that mean? Do you keep all HD's updated manually or is there a better method?
I just mean that I put the same songs on both drives. (manually)

I do this too - though I don't use a thumb/jump drive. I eliminate the middle man. Source, target, done. :)
I like having the thumb drive as an additional backup..
but mainly it's so I have a place to "park" the new songs after I download them...
until I get the chance to fix the tags.
Then I can just drag and drop onto their final resting place.
 
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I like having the thumb drive as an additional backup.. but mainly it's so I have a place to "park" the new songs after I download them... until I get the chance to fix the tags. Then I can just drag and drop onto their final resting place.
I get it - I do similar - minus the jump drive. Download, make corrections, copy to library.
 
Yup...me too. Just thought there'd be an easier (better technology) way to do this....:sqfrown:

Robocopy is a standard, windows tool that will copy only changed or different files. It makes it a breeze to sync up song libraries between 2 machines.