Two backup questions

[andrew...@gmail.com]

Having just completed a new back-up run for my B2 and BB1 I have a couple of questions:

1) Are the mirrored MP3 files created during Flac+MP3 compression written to the back-up and can they be restored? I can't find these files on my back-up disk even when searching for hidden system files.

2) It looks as though the BB1 backup creates a top folder called B2export. Am I correct in this and if so could this be changed to prevent possible confusion?

[Daniel Taylor]

1) I don't think the mirrored MP3 files are intended to be included in the Export.  There is a separate command - Export MP3s (Playlist menu) - that allows you to copy the MP3 files to a USB disk.

2) The situation with the B2Export folder having the same name for both BB1 and B2 cuts both ways.  With it having the same name, you can use the same folder to transfer files from one to the other without renaming.  OTOH, if you want separate backups on the same disk, you have to rename the first one done so that the second one will not be combined with the first.  One or the other situation will require a workaround.  But it's not complicated.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Andrew,

1.  The 'mirror'ed mp3 files are not written to the 'Export' backup.  Therefore they cannot be restored.   I use NAS and a M/Soft backup utility called 'robocopy' to copy ALL folders and files (including the mirror files) to my main backup server.  This means that I can restore the 'mirror' content but not throhgh a Brennan utility.

2.  The BB1 and the B2 both create a top folder called 'b2Export'.  You can rename this to any name of your choosing.  For example I have 'b2Export', 'b2Export_02012021' and 'b2Export_02022021' folders on one of my USB backup devices at the moment.

You need to be aware that if you leave these additional Export folders on the USB device and then run an 'Import' the Import process will find ALL Export folders so it will attempt to restore them all during the 'Import'.

Regards,

Peter.

[andrew...@gmail.com]

Thank you both for your information and ideas. The only problem with the Export MP3 solution would be that if I ever had to restore my B2 I could copy back the mp3's but I would lose the relationship between the mirrored mp3 files and the playlists. Of course I could regenerate these again using the Flac+mp3 compression but when I did this initially this process took more than 4 weeks (!) of more or less continuously running the B2. Something I would be loathe to repeat.

My preference would be for a 1-to-1 restore option which if needed would restore the B2 exactly 'as was'. Perhaps one for the wish list.

Op maandag 8 februari 2021 om 17:04:18 UTC+1 schreef peter....@gmail.com:

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Andrew,

Yes, I agree with you.  Perhaps an additional 'USB Menu' option 'Export All to C' and then an 'Import All from C' could be provided in the future.  The 'mirror' file structure is really good and I use it for generating music on USB sticks which I use for road trips and travelling mainly (although I'm not doing any of that now!).

In the meantime, here is a process that I have put together which uses the 'mirror' file structure but does NOT use the 'flac+mp3' compression setting.  My B2 is set tp 'flac' compression.  Steps 1 & 2 are one-off activities and dBpoweramp remembers your settings, so the whole operation for me is done in about six clicks.

1.  Set up NAS between your PC/Mac and your B2 (and BB1)  

2.  Procure and install 'dBpoweramp' software (about £30 but free trial for 21 days).  This is a very powerful music compression and conversion tool which is very configurable.

3.  Select the 'Batch Converter' option

4.  Select your entire music collection

5.  Select the 'Encoding' type and compession rate (I use .mp3 @ 256Kb/s)

6.  Set 'Ouput Field' to 'Source Drive:\Source Path\mirror\TrackNum - Title' 

7.  Click on 'Convert' button

That's it.  This will generate your entire 'mirror' structure.  On my server (PC), it takes about 20 hours to run (my rate is about 1 music track every 6 seconds).  This compares with 21 days when I previously used the 'flac+mp3' option.

I hope that this is of some use to you.

Regards,

Peter.

[PMB]

Hi Andrew,

Mirror MP3's are copies of existing (FLAC) tracks - why are you adding Mirror MP3 tracks to Playlists rather than the original FLAC?

Paul

Brennan Support.

[andrew...@gmail.com]

Hi Paul,

The reason I do this is so that I can easily download playlists to a USB stick (using the Export mp3 function) to play on my car audio which doesn't support FLAC. Nothing very sophisticated but for me extremely convenient and yet another added benefit of the Brennan.

I use playlists a lot and am constantly adding to/changing them which is why I find the mirrored mp3's such a bonus.

Cheers,

Andrew

Op vrijdag 12 februari 2021 om 09:24:16 UTC+1 schreef PMB: