Accessing projects from two different PCs?

[molotov256]

Hey there, this may be a bad idea all the way around based on what I've been reading but figured I'd run it up the flagpole and see if anybody has ever tried... Basically, I want to be able to work on a project from two different computers in the same house.

I have one PC downstairs in the basement I use to record my band and anything else with live instruments, and a PC upstairs in a nice comfy room for editing and electronica and stuff. Since the physical setup in the basement functional but not super comfortable, I usually end up using my regular (and nicer) PC upstairs in the home office for editing things we record downstairs.

In order to bring projects back and forth between the computers, I've been either working directly off of a USB2.0 HD or transferring projects back and forth from internal drives to the external one. It's messy and inconvenient, and between the 2 machines and the external drive, I end up having 3 different copies of the same project in various states if I'm not adequately anal about my file management.

The PCs are networked (ran 5e all thru the house a few years back, which I had cat6 now!), but I can't imagine a Workgroup share or NAS being fast enough for a DAW based on what I've read in other threads. Has anybody ever met with success keeping DAW projects in some sort of central location and accessing them from multiple machines?

 

[somegeezer]

I don't understand why you have 3 different saves of projects? I can understand whilst you're recording and mixin, just in case one of the copies dies, you can go to the previous saved point... But once you're finished, you can delete all old files. I'm pretty sure you're doing it fine otherwise.

You could possibly put up a network server... But for 2 computers, that seems like it just wouldn't be worth the money, just to move some files around.

 

[phriq]

Since you have your systems on the network. If you put the files from your downstairs computer into a shared folder, you can access them from your upstairs computer. However, you are correct as simply loading the files to PT from the network share will be extremely slow. You would want to copy them from your downstairs computer and work the files being directly on your upstairs computer.

SO if you wanted to, you could use your LAN to copy the files over, but transferring over your network will take probably about as long as transferring via USB (maybe a little faster). Are you systems hardwired together or connected wirelessly?

Regardless, trying to edit from one system while the files are on another system will be way to slow to be efficient.

 

[Emerson Maningo]

....Has anybody ever met with success keeping DAW projects in some sort of central location and accessing them from multiple machines?

I have tried this before and it works for me. First, I would make sure that my networked computers are using similar OS (such as Windows XP or Windows 7). Second, I make sure that they belong to the same network. I simply run the command in DOS:

ipconfig /all

Then get the ip address of both computers. If the IP address falls in the same subnet, e.g.

192.168.2.101
192.168.2.100

Then they can easily communicate each other and share files.

However if they fall into different subnets:
192.168.1.101
192.168.2.100

Then its much more difficult to network.

Now assuming your computers fall into the same subnet and using similar OS. Simply place your audio files in the Shared folder of your computers (this folder is shared so that other users in the network can access). You can assign rights to the folder so that it can be shared. In Windows 7 this can be done by right clicking on the folder and configure "sharing".

Once you have a shared folders in both of your computer and you have the IP address of them; you can go to Start -- Run in Windows and type this:

\\192.168.xxx.xxx

where 192.168.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the computer you are trying to communicate. If that computer is in the network and it has a shared folder, it won't give an error and you can access to it.

 

[Bobbsy]

I work with two machines but just by having my DAW software installed on both but keeping all the associated wave files and what Audition calls the "Session" file (other DAWS would have different terminology) on the external HDD in a dedicated folder. I have no problems with multiple copies.

 

[Steenamaroo]

I think you're right. Using a nas or a shared resource probably wouldn't be up to speed for this.

I don't understand the problem though
I think you're making it complicated by copying the sessions to your internal drive, which generally isn't recommended anyway.

I have the same situation as you, and just do the following:

Use the external hard drive as you were.

Open the session straight from the drive.
Save it when you're done.
Take it with you to the other computer.
Rinse and repeat.

 

[molotov256]

Cool, thanks for all the replies!

I do have regular Win 7 file sharing going over my 10/100 network. My machines can see projects in shared folders, but Ableton doesn't seem to like opening projects from network locations. I can browse to the file and tell it to open, but it eventually gives an error that it can't open whatever the first sample file is. I can play mp3 files and wav files and stuff individually from the share, so it's probably an Ableton issue of some sort.

Since Ableton doesn't seem to like trying to open files from shared locations anyhow, and since a NAS would be too slow for optimal DAW performance, I'll just keep working off the USB HD and get into the habit of backing it up to one of the local machines (sounds kinda backwards, but I don't trust a HD I carry around to live a long and prosperous life!) It doesn't seem like the most ideal way to work, but I feel better about doing it this way knowing I'm not the only one

Thanks again for the input!