I just recently received my new Acronis True Image 2014 (upon recommendation from my PC Builder, see signature).
 
It is quite the program, and I need to dig in to determine what is the best route for me, with regards to an entire "disaster recovery" plan, as Acronis calls it.
For project work...I create a master folder with a date and description. I place any relevant projects in that folder based on what was tracked on that date. Basically, if I know I am going to be tracking, I create a master folder, then I create sub-folders for however many projects I might be tracking. There are some times where my band will have an "idea" session, where we bring ideas to rehearsal and bounce them back and fourth, and I will track all of that, and create sub-folders for each idea, and then place them into the master folder...etc. etc. I then back up the entire "Cakewalk Projects" folder from the system's internal HD onto three different external HDs, one Glyph, one Lacie, and one Seagate.
 
I am sure there is a better way, as I am new to this, but it works for now.

TremoJem,

All that sounds fine. I use Acronis as well. I back up everything on my whole set of internal hard drives at least once a week, each week I rotate which external 4TB external hard drive I'm backing to. I always keep one external hard drive off premise in a separate location. It's like a couple clicks to kick off the back up job. Nothing to it.

I've had numerous occasions, at least 12, where I've needed to restore from a recent Acronis backup. That has saved me from crushing heartache each time. Just a couple clicks and the restore process puts it all back, system, applications and all, restores everything to what it looked like before the problem event occurred.

I want to point out one thing. In just one of my 12 or so restores I had an issue with the most recent Acronis back up file at that time so it wasn't able to restore. However, since I back up fairly frequently, meaning weekly, I was able to go to the previous week's backup and everything restored as expected. That scenario underscored to me the importance of backing up to more than one external drive, and to not putting all your backup eggs in one backup basket.

I am too lazy to type this post again, but for backups I default to using xcopy as it is "quick and clean." If the file path is too long, it is possible to get xcopy to choke (this is rare, but depends on directory structure), so robocopy is an alternative method in that case (but I still prefer xcopy for its speed).
 
I believe all ARA data from Melodyne stores itself in the "C:\Users\[default user]\Documents\Celemony\Separations" path by default.

lawajava
Regarding the Melodyne files and where they live....

I was just reviewing through the Melodyne tutorial from Groove3. The Melodyne files get saved in a couple Melodyne specific folders unless you change a setting.

While in Melodyne, under the Settings menu in the top left there's a selection for File Manager. Select that. That brings up a dialog called Project Path for Transfers. in that dialog at the far right at the top there are three dots like browse dots. Use that to browse to your Sonar song/project folder and you can create a Melodyne sub folder in there for this path.

If the question hadn't been asked I might not have noticed that little tidbit.

Regarding the back-up of Melodyne files, within the Sonar "per-project" back-up system, this really got me thinking whether I am really getting a "complete" back-up of my projects that use Melodyne.
 
To add to this conversation . . . I found the following on page 84 of my Celemony PDF manual mentions that the ARA integration of Melodyne into Sonar includes this data . . .
 
along with the Sonar project.
 
Inside my Sonar project, if I go into Melodyne . . . Settings - - Preferences . . . there is an "Audio Cache" with a 10GB limit pointing to this folder: C:\Users\<MyComputerName>\Documents\Celemony\Separations
The files here are 1 month old, 1 GB worth . . . though I am working and saving Melodyne editing tonight, they don't show up here in this audio cache.
 
Is it safe to delete these files ? . . . after a back-up of course.
 
 
 

For band sessions I do what Trem Jam does. I make a master folder, Then inside  I put each Song ( projects) If I know what songs are going to be recorded I name them as such. Otherwise its numbers.  I make a template for the way the session will go down input wise,  as well as pre meditated future tracks needed, exf buss etc. And "save as" each one re naming into each of those folders. 
 
Then at the session I open all of them,,, might be 26 projects open, This way you do not have to think about Sonar while recording the songs. I'm ready to hit the Big R before the band can reach for beers. Re takes can either be erased ( overwritten)  or be re named afterwards with "Save as." ( Take 2)  I always ask first for votes of consensus. Did that just suck as much as I thought it did? Ya zap it..  
 
This is all recorded to a laptop. Then it's only a matter of drag and drop the main folder to a back up drive and then into my main DAW for further editing and overdubs. 
The originals will still exist on the laptop and the back up drive. Date the folders... 
I see no need of fancy pants back up software. I don't understand what it can do that I cannot do a better job of manually.  
 
And I also don't understand anyone obsessing over hard drive space anymore.. That was back when. Or might be some fool using 96hz. :) sorry just had to add... 

noynekker
Is it safe to delete these files ? . . . after a back-up of course.

I just tested this out of curiosity. My directory had 4.72GB in it, so I opened a project, applied region FX to an entire track, changed scale, snapped it to scale, then saved the project with a new name. I closed X3 and then deleted out the contents of the "C:\Users\[default user]\Documents\Celemony\Separations" folder and reopened SONAR. It took longer for the project to load than normal, but it loaded with the Region FX in place, and scale set as I had adjusted it. Perhaps the delay in loading was the "recreation" of the Region FX.
 
Edit: I just verified that it did recreate the Region FX (all 155Mb of it) as the project opened. (That cwp file also jumped from 1603KB to 3384KB by leaving the Region FX in it active (which I don't think I have ever done intentionally), so I think deleting Melodyne's audio cache is safe per the note in the above post.)

^Now I can go on and delete that gigantic folder. Thanks to you.

Dang... and who claims searching old posts is fruitless?
 
FWIW, Melodyne also has an option under "Preferences" to put that separations folder wherever you choose. If your C drive in an SSD, it may be better to move that folder to a secondary HDD (if you have one available). It tends to grow fairly quickly and is not an obvious source to check as your C drive begins filling up.