Introduction to MIDI and Computer Music: Backup Files

Keeping backup versions of your files

Digital Performer has an autosave feature that will help you if the program crashes before you have a chance to save your file. Make sure this is turned on in Digital Performer > Preferences, General > Document > Auto Save: Save the project automatically. (This is a global preference that applies to all sequence files you open.) Every few minutes, DP will update a copy of your sequence file, giving it the ".autosave" suffix.

But this doesn't help you if your file gets corrupted by the program, or if you make changes to your sequence that end up not sounding right, and you want to go back to an earlier version of your sequence.

Below is a procedure you can use to address this problem.

Let's say your sequence file is called "mytune," just for illustration here. In the Finder (the Desktop area of the Mac), select "mytune." Choose File > Duplicate. This creates a file called "mytune copy." It's fine for this copy to stay in the same project folder with the original sequence file.
Continue working with "mytune", NOT "mytune copy"! Save frequently.
Now and then, switch out of your program to the Finder; select "mytune"; and choose Duplicate. After a while, the contents of your project folder will look like this:
"mytune"
"mytune copy"
"mytune copy 2"
"mytune copy 3"
[etc...]
"mytune" is the current version; "mytune copy" is the oldest version; "mytune copy 2" is the next to oldest version; "mytune copy 3" is more recent; and so on.

So you always work with the file called "mytune," not with any of the "copy" versions. As you work, you duplicate "mytune" to capture it at different stages. The Finder automatically assigns the appropriate Arabic numeral.

Before leaving the computer, be sure to copy the latest version of your project folder, including the intermediate sequence file versions, to the Music Server. To be really safe, keep a second backup copy, on different media, such as a USB flash drive.

When starting to work, always copy your project from the server to the Desktop, and then disconnect from the server (drag the server disk icon to the trash can). This becomes especially important when you work with audio files in Digital Performer. Failing to do so is the root cause of about 50% of the problems people have with Digital Performer audio.