How long should I expect the save time of an ALL File to a USB drive to be when I’ve got about 4GB of content on my installed flash boards?

Setup: Motif XF with two 2-GB Mutec flash cards installed, just about filled to their cumulative 4GB limit.
Action: To a 32GB USB thumb drive connected to XF via a USB hub, I performed a File>Save>ALL, FL1 with samples, FL2 with samples.

After 4 hours with the XF screen read “Now saving ...” and the progress bar at about 95% completion, I aborted the save attempt.
Canceling the action by pressing the [EXIT] key did not work, so I powered down the XF. (I gave it about 5 minutes to react to the few [EXIT] button presses.)

4 hours seemed long enough. I suppose there is the chance it needed more than 4 hours, and I just aborted the save operation prematurely.

I intend to up my Motif XF file management game to incorporating Melas Voice Editor & Total Librarian, and figured I should save an ALL File, with samples, before I inadvertently erase or duplicate waveforms and samples on the flash boards.

As such, I’m trying to save the ALL File with samples again, but with the USB thumb drive connected directly into the XF, rather than via a USB hub.

Hope you’re all well. Thanks in advance.

By the way, the Pny USB thumb drive I’m using has 31 out of it’s 32GB free. ... 

I stopped my 2nd ALL File save, both FL1 & FL2 with samples, after 1hr 45min. As the [EXIT] to cancel the didn’t take within a few seconds, I just powered down the XF.

This time, I’ve began an ALL File save, FL1 with samples, FL2 *without* samples. ... Next time I try, I’ll try a new USB drive.

My FL1 flash board has ~ 188MB free, and FL2 flash board has ~ 32MB free.

After my pair of aborted All File save (FL1 & FL2 with samples) attempts, on the XF, I deleted the visible, but incomplete All File (reading 0MB on XF). ... When confirming available space of USB drive on my Mac, I noticed there remained 2 unreadable (to Mac OS) Unix executable files with random letters in the directory I created today to house the ALL Files. ... Both of these were 2.15GB in size. I thought that was curious, and perhaps meant the XF was hanging up once it got to that point. In the Mac I deleted those from the USB drive prior to beginning ALL File save FL1 with samples, FL2 without samples. (I transferred them to my Mac beforehand in case their useful.)

dsetto - 02 July 2021 05:34 PM

… When confirming available space of USB drive on my Mac, I noticed there remained 2 unreadable (to Mac OS) Unix executable files with random letters in the directory I created today to house the ALL Files. ... Both of these were 2.15GB in size. I thought that was curious, and perhaps meant the XF was hanging up once it got to that point.

We know that the XF can have two 2GB MUTEC modules installed, and they can be filled with sample data. Based on your experience, I wonder if the XF OS can only save a maximum 2GB (plus overhead) “All” file.

 

dsetto -

In the Mac I deleted those from the USB drive prior to beginning ALL File save FL1 with samples, FL2 without samples. (I transferred them to my Mac beforehand in case their useful.)

If the XF limits the “All” file data to 2GB, then your “FL1 with samples, FL2 without samples” save might work, and if so probably an “FL1 without samples, FL2 with samples” save would as well.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

Saving the ALL file “FL1 with samples, FL2 without samples” worked! (It took somewhere between 30-75 minutes, as I was out.) And now, I’m saving an ALL file, “FL1 without samples, FL2 with samples”.

On the way home I had considered saving complementary 1 Bank Voice “with samples” as a less intensive alternative.

I suppose the answer to the principal question is infinity.

Saving a .n1.X3A file of size 1.9GB took about 30 minutes. (This was the XF ALL file, “FL1 without samples, FL2 with samples”.)

So, while I figured saving max capacities to a USB drive would be slow with the XF, 4 hours seems to be excessive, and 5pinDIN’s hypothesis seems on target.

dsetto - 02 July 2021 06:51 PM

I suppose the answer to the principal question is infinity.

That does seem to be the case.  :-)

Presuming the problem is indeed an XF OS limitation, perhaps someone could convince MUTEC to hack it.  ;-)

dsetto - 02 July 2021 07:06 PM

Saving a .n1.X3A file of size 1.9GB took about 30 minutes. (This was the XF ALL file, “FL1 without samples, FL2 with samples”.)

Great! That seems about right, based on the limitations of USB speed as Yamaha implemented it and other factors.

 

dsetto -

So, while I figured saving max capacities to a USB drive would be slow with the XF, 4 hours seems to be excessive, and 5pinDIN’s hypothesis seems on target.

Unfortunately Yamaha never said they supported the use of two 2GB modules. Still, as long as there’s a way to back up the data…

By the way, while Type “1 bank voice” supports loading, it’s not an option for saving a file.

Got it on “1 bank voice” for loading, not saving. ... I’m grateful there is a way to handle XF file management with the Mutec FMC-07 2GB module. I’ve had no issues with them, other than this easily avoidable blip. It also seems to correspond to 2GB as Mutec’s highest capacity.