Topic: archiving steps for noob

[panther65]

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't screwing something up in my steps to archive my master files.
1. Tascam HD-P2 firewire to laptop
2. Open up files in Audacity-join files and add gain, pan etc.
3. Export as WAVE
4. Open up files in CD Wave and track
5. Save from CDWave
A. Save as Direct Wave
B. Save as FLAC
C. Save as 16/44.1
* I guess this way, there isn't a 16/44.1 flac. Probably should downsample in Audacity?
6. Make DVD-V with Lplex and 24/96 files
7. Archive save as DATA
A. Unedited master wave files
B. Joined unedited wave files
C. Tracked edited 24/96 Flac files
D. Tracked edited 16/44.1 wave files
E. DVD .iso file

Am I being redundant in saving all of the above files?
Also, I'm still a little confused with ffp-is this a flac fingerprint? What is the purpose of this file?

[Brian Skalinder]

Am I being redundant in saving all of the above files?

I think so.  I'd save:

<1>  the unedited master WAV file (assuming 24-bit since you have the HD-P2)
It's the unedited master, so...you gotta keep it - it's the recording to which you will always go back if you have a problem with any subsequent files.

<2>  cue sheet
This simply allows you to re-track very easily with minimal effort.

<3>  the Audacity Project used to manipulate the file
This allows you to re-derive from the master (see <1>) any of the subsequent files you make for listening - resampled, dithered, normalized, compressed, etc.

<4>  a "finished" copy (whatever your listening format is)
No real reason to do this since you can re-create using <1-3>, but I usually save a "finished" copy in my preferred listening format (was 16/44, now 24/48) for easy recovery without having to re-derive the files.

IMO, that's all you really need.  Oh, and ideally, store 'em in 3 different places, at least one of which is off-site.

I'm sure others have different preferences, corrections, suggestions, etc., but that's what I'd do.

[panther65]

Thanks once again Brian.
Is it ok to downsample a 24/96 file to 16/44.1 flacs and wavs in CDWave?  I've been doing that and it's been quite easy. Then I take the 16 bit wave files and decode them to flacs in flacfrontend so they are seedable.

[Brian Skalinder]

Is it ok to downsample a 24/96 file to 16/44.1 flacs and wavs in CDWave?  I've been doing that and it's been quite easy. Then I take the 16 bit wave files and decode them to flacs in flacfrontend so they are seedable.

Is it okay?  Sure, your choice.    Are there better tools for dithering / resampling than CD-Wave?  Yup:  Audacity (free), R8Brain (free), Samplitude ($), WaveLab ($$$$), Audition ($$$), etc.