Backing up BR600 data

[Black Mary]

Hi, my 1gig card was getting a bit full and I thought it was time to backup everything I've done so far, so I could free up a bit space. I use XP and it took over 30mins to upload all the data (753mb) to my pc. Is this normal? Am I being stupid? Does my pc processor dictate how fast the data can be transferred? I transferred the same data from my pc to my external HD in a fraction of the time. Is the BR600 slow at uploading up the data? Sorry for being stupid. I'm still a Commodore 64 man at heart lol.
John

[64Guitars]

As far as I know, all of the BRs have USB 1.1* which has a maximum bandwidth of 12 Mbit/s (megabits per second). This is quite slow compared to USB 2.0 which has a maximum bandwidth of 480 Mbit/s (40x faster than USB 1.1). Most new computers now include USB 3.0 which has a maximum bandwidth of 5.0 Gbit/s (10x faster than USB 2.0 and 416x faster than USB 1.1).

For faster backups, remove the CompactFlash memory card from your BR-600 and insert it into a USB 2.0 memory card reader connected to your computer. Usage is exactly the same. In fact, your computer sees the BR-600 as a USB 1.1 card reader. So everything works the same with a USB 2.0 card reader except it's faster. Even software such as the BR Wave Converter, BR Rhythm Editor, and BR Explorer will work (it thinks your USB 2.0 card reader is a very fast BR).


* Actually, I've never been able to confirm that the BRs use USB 1.1. Roland has never said which version they use. But I'm convinced that it's 1.1 for two reasons:

• If it were USB 2.0, I'd expect the Roland marketing people to make a point of mentioning it, but they don't. All of the literature says only "USB".
• File transfers are much faster using a USB 2.0 card reader. The only reason I can think of that would explain the difference in speed is that the BRs use USB 1.1.

Everything I've seen so far about the BR-800 says only that it has "USB" (no version specified). This suggests to me that it too will be USB 1.1. That's a shame. Such a new product should have full USB 3.0 support for fast backups and file transfers; especially since it supports memory cards up to 32GB. If you think it takes a long time to backup a 1GB memory card, just wait until you have to backup 32GB!

[SteveB]

BMY - It is a pain in the a*se, ain't it!? I'm presuming that the card slot in the 600 is the same as the one in the 864 & 900? Given that (and given the now scarcity of 1gb cards), why not get some 2gb cards and use 1gb of them. In that way you can leave your 'work cards' unmolested. Er, backing-up your work is of course also recommended 

[Black Mary]

Thanks. I've found that very useful. Glad it wasn't something to do with my pc. Great advice about using a card reader. I've got one. I'll try that next time. Thanks again
BM

[cuthbert]

The Micro BR also has USB 1.1 connection - I don't have an a USB 2.0 reader, but the transfer time using BRWC doesn't seem too bad (especially compared to import/export on the MBR, which is truly molasses-slow).