How many copies you need and when a card is safe to format
A card is safe to format when it has two verified copies on different drives. A cloud folder and a second copy on the same drive do not count. MultiSyncer Studio keeps track of this and shows “Safe to format”, and makes a third copy for the editor or for storage from a verified copy, without the cards.
The rule: two verified copies on different drives
One copy is not enough: a drive can fail on the way back from the shoot. So MultiSyncer shows “Safe to format” only when a card has two verified copies on different drives. Until then the card shows “DO NOT format”.
| What you have | Safe to format? |
|---|---|
| One verified copy | No |
| Two copies on one drive | No |
| A copy on a drive and a copy in a cloud folder | No: the cloud does not count as a copy for formatting |
| Two copies on different drives, the check still running | No, wait for the check |
| Two verified copies on different drives | Yes: the app shows “Safe to format” |
The app never deletes anything from cards and never formats them. “Safe to format” is a hint for you: you format the card yourself, in the camera.
How you see it in the app
The card
During the copy you see how many copies are already verified, for example “verified copies: 1 of 2”. When both are verified, “Safe to format” appears.
The “Today” strip
Each camera has icons for its cards. A red icon means the card is not yet safe to format.
Check the copies later
In the day panel each card has “Check copies”: the app reads all the copies again and checks them against the checksums (MHL).
Copying 0% 2 cards at once
The cards are free in 4 min · all copies in 9 min
AA003 · Sony FX6 · A · wideSafe to format
- To RAID Studio
- Check
- To Backup SSD
- Picture, sound
SS002 · Sound Devices 888 · SoundSafe to format
- To RAID Studio
- Check
- To Backup SSD
- Sound
RAID Studio · copy 1 Backup SSD · copy 2 xxh128 + ASC MHL
A third copy and a drive for the editor: “Copy to a new drive”
Sometimes you need one more drive: for the editor, the lab, the client, or a backup for storage. The cards are no longer needed for that: the “To a new drive…” button copies the chosen days from a verified copy. It sits at the bottom of the “Offload” page, next to “Day report” and “Wrap the day”, once the project has a day and no copy is running. It also appears in the line about a drive that was disconnected during the copy: you can use it to finish the copy to another drive.
- From: a drive that already holds a verified copy;
- What to copy: originals, proxies, the edit project, reports, by day;
- To and Who the drive is for: “Editor”, “Lab”, “Client” or “Backup”;
- Where the drive will be kept: recorded in the project.
Every file is checked by checksum. The edit project on the new drive links to the footage on that drive.
Where the drives are. On “Wrap the day” the app asks where each drive will be kept: a shelf, a box, with whom. This is recorded in the project.