Sharing the Same DAW Project Files Between Two Macs; Cloud Storage?

A

astokesmusic

Member
Hello. I own a m1 Mac mini and a MacBook Pro and I'm wondering if there is a way for me to share the same DAW Project files between the two computers? I'm mainly wanting this because when I travel I'd like to be able to access the same files and folders on my MacBook Pro that I typically would at home on my desktop Mac mini setup. I typically just run the DAW Project folders/files from an external drive at home, but I have another external drive for travel and I tend to copy only currently needed projects to this one from my home external drive. This external hard drive relationship is fine, but I've wondered if it would be more effective to have some sort of cloud storage set up with the projects from the home external drive on it, so that I can easily access the files and pick up from where I left off whether I'm at home on my Mac mini or traveling with my MacBook Pro. This would help me avoid having to copy updated files back to one external drive or the other. Would working from some sort of online storage be advised or possible, or should I stick to the external hard drive system?
 
Setup a nas (network attached storage) drive on your network so you can use it as a personal cloud/ftp server.

Easy to setup these days. Plug to your router, run setup cd and setup your login password.

Save your daws on to it and access it from anywhere in the world.

Something like
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These days there are lots, you can of course pay a fortune for a multiple drive bay and ssd etc but a good one for home use $120-250 would do just fine.
 
pip2012! said:
These days there are lots, you can of course pay a fortune for a multiple drive bay and ssd etc but a good one for home use $120-250 would do just fine.
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Oh great to know! I appreciate your help. Do you have any favorite brands as far as reputable and affordable Cloud NAS drives?
 
You can even get portable wireless ones but really 2-6tb one from either brand would be fine. Really easy to setup i had for for my old Mac mini but my son knocked a glass of juice over it and killed it. It wasn’t an issues as it came with cloud backup of the backup. Mind was western digital but i’ve heard good things for synology too. Probably worth looking at some review mine was a few years ago
 
pip2012! said:
You can even get portable wireless ones but really 2-6tb one from either brand would be fine. Really easy to setup i had for for my old Mac mini but my son knocked a glass of juice over it and killed it. It wasn’t an issues as it came with cloud backup of the backup. Mind was western digital but i’ve heard good things for synology too. Probably worth looking at some review mine was a few years ago
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Ohh goodness! Glad you had a cloud backup lol. Yeah I think I’ll check out the synology one. That will probably be my next investment because I’m currently using normal external drives for my work. I just need to pay off my Komplete Kontrol S61 Mk2 keyboard first. Those things are expensive but such wonderful MIDI controllers lol.
 
astokesmusic said:
Ohh goodness! Glad you had a cloud backup lol. Yeah I think I’ll check out the synology one. That will probably be my next investment because I’m currently using normal external drives for my work. I just need to pay off my Komplete Kontrol S61 Mk2 keyboard first. Those things are expensive but such wonderful MIDI controllers lol.
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Lol always something to purchase :) sounds like a nice one, i just googled it, wow nice 😊 i’m a novice on midi hence joining here for some advice on setting up some vintage gear i would like to experiment on.

Computers i’m good with, midi is new to me.
 
pip2012! said:
Lol always something to purchase :) sounds like a nice one, i just googled it, wow nice 😊 i’m a novice on midi hence joining here for some advice on setting up some vintage gear i would like to experiment on.

Computers i’m good with, midi is new to me.
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So true! There is always something else you gotta have lol... Wow that's nice! I love computers and working digital, but I'm also trying to expand myself in the world of vintage gear.
 
i’ve always wanted to try my hand at making tracks but life always got in the way and with covid lockdowns I managed to get my old computers working and i had a midi box i got with some ebay bits i got in a job lot whilst repairing it so it seemed the perfect use for it. Otherwise what else can you do with a 35 year old b&w mac, not a lot lol i searched out the roland module as something I wanted as a teen but couldn’t afford and a cheap roland controller keyboard hey presto a home studio of sorts. it would make more sense to use a new computer and modern daw as i do have a modern laptop but i thought the challenge would make it even more fun but i could be wrong!!! Especially looking your setups like yours.

Neal
 
I have a NAS at home and the cubase computer and the graphics one use it live as storage - works really well on a high speed network. The computers in the office automatically back up from the NAS over the net. So I record on a identically named folder on either of those, and by the time I get home, the files are on the NAS and I can access them. Home broadband is fibre and office is copper and a bit slower, but the four computers all access the same files. The only issue I have is that not all the main audio computer's samples are on the office one due to licensing issues - so a particular drum kit or weird synth might bring up and error message from time to time when that sample isn't on the local drive.
 
rob aylestone said:
I have a NAS at home and the cubase computer and the graphics one use it live as storage - works really well on a high speed network. The computers in the office automatically back up from the NAS over the net. So I record on a identically named folder on either of those, and by the time I get home, the files are on the NAS and I can access them. Home broadband is fibre and office is copper and a bit slower, but the four computers all access the same files. The only issue I have is that not all the main audio computer's samples are on the office one due to licensing issues - so a particular drum kit or weird synth might bring up and error message from time to time when that sample isn't on the local drive.
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Odd issue but i can understand why it occurs, not the NAS’s fault but a consideration. overall i think NAS does seem the best solution and they’re so much easier to setup these days.
 
The licencing is the problem - the Cubase 10 in the office has the samples on the drive, but only some work - you get the warning on the others.
 
astokesmusic said:
Hello. I own a m1 Mac mini and a MacBook Pro and I'm wondering if there is a way for me to share the same DAW Project files between the two computers? I'm mainly wanting this because when I travel I'd like to be able to access the same files and folders on my MacBook Pro that I typically would at home on my desktop Mac mini setup. I typically just run the DAW Project folders/files from an external drive at home, but I have another external drive for travel and I tend to copy only currently needed projects to this one from my home external drive. This external hard drive relationship is fine, but I've wondered if it would be more effective to have some sort of cloud storage set up with the projects from the home external drive on it, so that I can easily access the files and pick up from where I left off whether I'm at home on my Mac mini or traveling with my MacBook Pro. This would help me avoid having to copy updated files back to one external drive or the other. Would working from some sort of online storage be advised or possible, or should I stick to the external hard drive system?
Click to expand...
It also opens the door for it also opens door it also opens it also I record everything onto an external US BC Drive, which I then upload to my iCloud so that is accessible wherever I am. While there are many apps and services claiming that you can do cloudbase recording and mixing mama I wouldn't recommended. It's going to take away resources from your computer and not exactly the most reliable. I would just simply download the session from your cloud to an external hard drive to open on the other machine. Or, you can simply take the same portable external hard drive with you. while cloud collaboration and even real-time editing and recording from a cloud is technically possible now, I think it's a waste of computer resources. It also opens the door for a potential world of problem and glitches in your recording and mixing. It does take longer to upload and then download again, but in the end it's much safer and more stable.
 
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