Why isnt there a Github style versioning with DAW project files?

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by Plainview, Feb 10, 2022.

  1. Plainview

    Plainview Rock Star

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2020
    Messages:
    468
    Likes Received:
    479
    I recently had to learn github for my job , and to me it just seems like they figured out the perfect way to backup and deal with multiple versions of project files , ability to branch and revert to previous versions and share projects , especially for me I tend to always have like 10+ versions of the same project and it gets confusing really fast , its a mystery to me why no company thought of doing something similar
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
    • List
  2.  
  3. Backtired

    Backtired Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Messages:
    958
    Likes Received:
    644
    hey this might be off topic, im not a programmer and im not the "smartest tool in the shed" but i fucking hate when a program says "hey last branch available on our github, you just have to compile, learn python, make sure to download the right package, read some obscure documentation, ecc"

    dude i just wanna download some pr0n!
     
    • Funny Funny x 3
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • List
  4. Plainview

    Plainview Rock Star

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2020
    Messages:
    468
    Likes Received:
    479
    I can feel the pain , I had to give up eventually and learn how to do it
     
  5. Olaf

    Olaf Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2011
    Messages:
    549
    Likes Received:
    231
    Because you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Git is already there. Just like software developers, producers can use Git (not necessarily GitHub) to track changes in projects. However, the difficulties with non-linear workflows which are due to the nature of binary project files can only be overcome with some kind of a human-readable format (e.g. XML). But then again, music production is much less modular than software development. In most cases it's not very practical to have one person work on the bass track, another person on the strings and then merge them at the end.
     
    • Winner Winner x 2
    • Interesting Interesting x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • List
  6. xorome

    xorome Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2021
    Messages:
    687
    Likes Received:
    551
    I think most people just want run-in-the-background super simple versioned backup. Cloud backup solutions like Dropbox work well enough for most non-tech savvy people.
     
  7. kooper

    kooper Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2011
    Messages:
    563
    Likes Received:
    173
    I am working with some collaborators on an original tune. We actually have a running history of the work that has been done on it. I can show you this if you DM me.
     
    • Interesting Interesting x 1
    • List
  8. Plainview

    Plainview Rock Star

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2020
    Messages:
    468
    Likes Received:
    479
  9. thomas78

    thomas78 Kapellmeister

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2020
    Messages:
    203
    Likes Received:
    70
    nice! but how you have achieved the history? that was the op's question!
     
  10. kooper

    kooper Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2011
    Messages:
    563
    Likes Received:
    173
    It's like anything. It's not that hard once you know how it's done. This is what I am showing plainview. I have tried to show all you guys this stuff here in this forum, but have had almost no interest. I just quietly use it.
     
    • Creative Creative x 3
    • Dislike Dislike x 1
    • Interesting Interesting x 1
    • List
  11. kooper

    kooper Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2011
    Messages:
    563
    Likes Received:
    173
    In this forum we get hecklers and people messing with me/us, so I m not going to put myself out there to be a target for assholes. If you want to know how to do this DM me.
     
  12. kooper

    kooper Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2011
    Messages:
    563
    Likes Received:
    173
    Now that you've seen it in action, I think you'll agree it's quite a system google has given us for free.
     
  13. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2011
    Messages:
    7,132
    Likes Received:
    3,436
    Location:
    AudioSexPro
    Well code can be managed maybe more easier than project files of a daw? The project files allow for no direct difference comparision. But maybe this can be overcome by actually finding out how the project was changed?

    There are these online collab projects, which lets you work together on something. It goes into the right direction, but i would like something offline like git.
    I mean i had projects with 100+ steps saved, i would be cool to simply go back a few steps and then try out different version via branching?
     
  14. Plainview

    Plainview Rock Star

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2020
    Messages:
    468
    Likes Received:
    479
    @kooper figured an amazing collaborative system of sharing project files and tracking progress, he made a complete network that allow you to host your own stuff and easily share it , its honestly really smart i am enjoying it till now and I want to thank him for spending alot of time setting it up and teaching me how to use it
     
  15. Plainview

    Plainview Rock Star

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2020
    Messages:
    468
    Likes Received:
    479
    I saw alot of people attempting to do it with xml files and git like @Olaf said but they always face a problem they cant solve
    but also https://jukeblocks.io/convert/ figured a way to convert projects so there is way
    but handling media files will be challenge also
    this is exactly what i mean , sometimes I make a new version of a project and I completely change the song to a new direction but I still want to continue on the previous versions , something like a git branch would be amazing to track everychange and revert to exactly the point you wanted without having ton of project files + you can have an entire map to your track and the levels it went throught till you finished it which is really interesting
     
  16. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2011
    Messages:
    7,132
    Likes Received:
    3,436
    Location:
    AudioSexPro
    Yeah actual i forgot about jukeblocks (havnt used it even - shame on me). But maybe this could be a solution. The problem is the actions you can do in DAW project are quite complex - like for example add a new audio track. If one could pinpoint these action and make them visible in a git-like system this would lead to such a system? But again i am no programmer and its very difficult to estimate the amount of complexity being hidden in this thought.

    The media files are an even different story, i mean they could be saved in a folder, but what a bit edited versions? duplicates could be find easily.

    @kooper this is google based? Wow.
     
  17. Moonlight

    Moonlight Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2011
    Messages:
    2,470
    Likes Received:
    760
    Location:
    Earth
    Some DAWs alreay support multiple versions of one song
     
  18. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2011
    Messages:
    7,132
    Likes Received:
    3,436
    Location:
    AudioSexPro
    Which ones?

    I remember Ableton saves after X mins a copy of the Project file into a folder. Not sure if this is useful.
     
  19. kooper

    kooper Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2011
    Messages:
    563
    Likes Received:
    173
    Yes it is done through google drive. They have given us a new "kit" for this. @Plainview now has this new kit and really likes it. If you look at the video I shared you see an actual history of the different mixes that I posted during this project. You can indeed look back. As for reverting to earlier saves, just do non destructive saves. You will have a bunch of saves with different names which in itself is a history.
     
  20. scrappy

    scrappy Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2016
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    231
    Location:
    bowels of the skullery at the court of king boris
    number project versions. my scheme goes something like:

    00 orig.xxx
    01 add bass.xxx
    02 etc.
    and keep em in a folder that has the project name.
    has worked for me for years.
    and keep a text file with the names of the plugins you've used in the folder too.
    backup is as simple as copying the folder to wherever you want it.

    good luck.
     
  21. naitguy

    naitguy Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2017
    Messages:
    732
    Likes Received:
    512
    Location:
    Canada
    Reaper will save automatically (gotta turn that on, I think, but I have it on). It also has a "save new version" in the menu, which.. Gasp.. Saves with an incremented number on the end.

    Maybe my projects are way different than others, but I'm with @scrappy... I just save with a number on the end. Every time I make a fairly major change, I save with a new number... 0001 on up to whatever it takes.. And all projects are in their own folders with all the versions and files required like samples. I typically name the folder with a description of the song to make me know what it is quicker/easier.
     
Loading...
Loading...