My A4 does not have the Full Backup option only the sysex send Whole Project is available as an option. I have about 22 projects on my a4 so far. do i have to sysex dump each project to my Mac to achieve a full back up? Is the Full back up option available on other OS versions? What is the latest OS Version and will i lose my projects if i update the OS to the latest OS without backing up my list of 22 projects to my Mac via sysex send?
Is a Project is a song for you or a collection of song ? just to know if you can’t organize yourself differently… But YES Whole Project is the higher in the hierarchy in the Analog Four organization. So you will have to save 22 projects one by one… You can’t Save the +drive as a backup drive root level (unless someone told you the opposite… and i missing something)
The way i organize myself is Kit is a SONG (elements) for me and 1 Project is a LIVE… where i organize my KITS (song) so i don’t have to backup so much projects one by one…
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Same here!
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A trick is recommended before to make OS update is create a blank project loaded and update then after… but i never had problem for now. OS currently is OS 1.23C
Thanks guys
good info so far.
is OS 1.23C the most up to date version of A4 OS? Is that the one that runs Overbridge?
I thought the Full Backup option came as part of a later OS than I have currently, which is 1.1D
YES : Analog Keys/Four OS 1.23C
Compatible with Overbridge 1.10.1
If you are on 1.1D there 19 OS version between yours and the last one…
(1.11, 1.11B, 1.12, 1.12B, 1.12C, 1.12D, 1.12E, 1.20, 1.20B, 1.20B, 1.20C, 1.20D, 1.21, 1.21B, 1.21C, 1.22, 1.23, 1.23B and the last one 1.23C)
As you are very OLD SYSTEM you seriously need to update BUT follow everything said in the PDF OS UPGRADE recommendations on how to do the upgrade exactly… and don’t be afraid.
Also it’s mention :
List of changes from Analog Four OS 1.06 to 1.1
In the SysEx send menu there’s now an option to send all project sound slots. Note that +Drive sounds are not included in the dump. In the SysEx send menu there’s now an option to send all project settings. This contains all settings that are not included in the project globals. Examples are track mutes, song/chain modes, pattern change mode etc. 21 The FULL BACKUP SysEx option has been renamed to WHOLE PROJECT, to emphasize that no +Drive contents are included in the backup. Only the data belonging to the loaded project will be included in the backup.
To me WHOLE PROJECT is THE ENTIRE PROJECT slot
• WHOLE PROJECT will send all kits, Sounds, patterns, songs and global slots to the
receiving device. I.e. THE complete project.
IT’s NOT WHOLE +DRIVE
BUT generally speaking SAVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT CONTACT ELEKTRON SUPPORT TO ASK THEM… I WOULD NOT WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE IN ANY LOSS BUDDY
Cheers
Read THAT too :
So WHOLE Project… one by one
thank you so much
this is enough to get me started down the right path
I will run a few trials before I do anything permanent and look at changing my approach to saving work once I have the new OS and Overbridge.
I do not save any songs, I just write patterns per track and customise or make new sounds for each track,fx…I don’t even save the new sounds I make, they just sit there in the track under their original names or blanks
I use these to jam live with my friend and if im happy with the settings I save it all as a project under a new title.
Probably not the ideal approach for elektron gear but as close as I could get to what I can understand. so glad I joined the forum
thanks again
When i say SONG it’s just a meaning picture not a SONG like SONG Mode… just to tell you the elements you use for a particular song or track are generally a KIT rather than Project (which is more a LIVE act or an Album if you prefer the studio way of speaking)
As a Project as 128 KITS you no need to expend so much on projects just an advise each one organise himself as it suit better, or as he find easier…
U Welcome @justifiedandancient
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One last after thought,
if I update my OS to the most current OS1.23C, do I have to update all 19 other OS versions one by one first?
in other words incrementally?
or
If I just update straight from 1.1D to 1.23C it will contain all the updates that came on all 19 previous OS versions.
Yes, it will. That approach should be just fine, however, there was one instance where (for one of the analog boxes) there was a documented issue relating to upgrading in a particular way (it would be mentioned in the os update release notes, check with support if you are concerned, but I believe it related to upgrading through the early startup menu only)
Don’t worry @justifiedandancient : all will be ok
@avantronica : but I believe it related to upgrading through the early startup menu only
YES you right i read that too and i think it’s in the read me file. i think it’s concerned the one who are on OS before 1.1D and to confirm as wrote in the readme file : Upgrading using the Early Startup Menu is broken in all OSes before OS 1.1 and may leave you
without a working operating system, do not do this!
But anyway i never upgrade differently but :
Upgrading from within the OS
- Select OS UPGRADE in the GLOBAL MENU
- Send the SysEx firmware file to the Analog Four either using the MIDI In Port or the USB MIDI
In Port in C6 - When the update is done the unit will restart itself.
- After some upgrades the bootstrap is also be upgraded, this upgrade is performed right after restarting the Analog Four, do not turn the power off during the upgrade.
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I’m quite new to elektron stuff and never had to deal with dumping sysex files before…
I think I almost understand what dumping a sysex file means, but I would appreciate if anyone here can confirm my simplified thoughts on dumping a sysex file…
When I dump a sysex file (in my case a Digitone project with 12 patterns) to a computer, it’s like backing it up, right?
so theoretically when i’ve made a sysex-file-back-up and I make a factory reset to the digitone, I could send the sysex-file back from the computer to the Digitone and the project will be like it was untouched??
something like saving an ableton project file to a external hard drive and deleting it from the computer, but it’s still save on the external hard drive? 
Can anyone confirm??
Sorry, I guess my thoughts are not that simplified, haha, but I still hope you know what I mean And have mercy, wasted german guy on the keys here 
Yes.
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Thanks, Peter 
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