Why does Maschine duplicate user samples on my hard drive?

b_en

Hi all –

new Maschine user here.

I'm currently slicing some samples from a recording of my old band. While exporting single slices, I've noticed that Maschine seems to create a copy of the original sample (which is quite big in file size). If I than truncate the sample, yet another file is created. Smaller in file size this time – but the "old" copy is not deleted. This is clogging up my hard drive space. Why is that so? Why the need to make a copy of the same sample? Maschine could just reference the original?

I want to stick with single slices, as this provides more editing options as compared to exporting it to a single sound (keyboard).

Could someone explain? What are the strategies to remedy this?

cgm6066

This could be due to "non destructive editing" and/or keeping a copy of the sample included in your project file. Although I'm not using Maschine in particular, I encounter this in my DAWs (Reason, currently). Non-destructive editing allows for Undo and file history for restoration. If you over-edit a sample, and then save it with destructive editing, you cannot undo the action. Non-destructive editing saves a copy of the sample with a set of instructions for the DAW to reference.

My strategy (with each type of DAW or sampler) is to keep all original samples on an external drive, copy them to my computer as needed AND include the sample with the project file. Then, knowing that I have the original file safe and offline, make series of chops or edits to the sample, and then delete the original first copy.

In short: non-destructive editing and undo/redo history!

I hope that this helps!

cgm6066

This could be due to "non destructive editing" and/or keeping a copy of the sample included in your project file. Although I'm not using Maschine in particular, I encounter this in my DAWs (Reason, currently). Non-destructive editing allows for Undo and file history for restoration. If you over-edit a sample, and then save it with destructive editing, you cannot undo the action. Non-destructive editing saves a copy of the sample with a set of instructions for the DAW to reference.

My strategy (with each type of DAW or sampler) is to keep all original samples on an external drive, copy them to my computer as needed AND include the sample with the project file. Then, knowing that I have the original file safe and offline, make series of chops or edits to the sample, and then delete the original first copy.

In short: non-destructive editing and undo/redo history!

I hope that this helps!

D-One

Every destructive edit is saved with a number in the end, if edits end up not used in any pad then Maschine deletes them when you save (save with 'delete unused files' ticked).

To avoid clutter on your HD you can use "save with samples", this way wall your used samples get copied to a sub folder where the project is and you can delete the files that are elsewhere (the place where you had the samples initially.)

Do some tests and proceed with caution.

hoserjose

this confounds me as well, and desperately looking to clear up clutter. I've saved proj with samples forever, yet when I go into docs/m2, I will see a samples folder that matches the project, with only a few of the samples in the project. the rest are in the impossibly thick recordings folder, with the 20 digit (seems like) name tag. what am I missing?

to be clear, when I load a project everything is there, it's just I can't grasp the file saving system.

D-One

@hoserjose

with the 20 digit (seems like) name tag.

The long number is the date/time: year, month, day and time. the last two digits idk, but probably seconds.

If you don't like it you can change the name in the SW Sampler Editing Menu, IMO this is a must to not end with a folder filled a tons of huge numbers. It much better to see descriptive thing listed in the browser, just make sure not to change the name if other projects already use the same reference sample.

it's just I can't grasp the file saving system.

If you Sample something (record) the wav goes into :

~/Documents/Native Instruments/Maschine 2/Recordings

Then when you Save with samples it copies that sample into the project sub-folder but leaves the original in the Recordings folder, not sure why it leaves it there to clutter things...

After the project is saved with Samples any further Recordings will go directly to the project Sub-Folder if you have enable this on then preferences:

Different things like loading from the browser or drag-and-drog can have other behaviours, to know just test... Do things, Save then on the Sampling click the waveform and select open in Finder/Explorer to see where your audio files are.