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Backup

Stage Traxx stores your data in two places: audio and PDF files in the app folder, and a database containing song metadata, playlists, and settings. The backup feature captures everything into a single file that you can use to restore your library if something goes wrong, or to transfer your data between devices.

Note

iCloud Sync is not a replacement for backups. If you delete something on one device, it will be deleted on all synced devices. Regular backups protect you from accidental data loss.

While Stage Traxx is included in your device's iCloud backup, that only helps if you restore your entire device. Backup files let you restore just your Stage Traxx data at any time. On Mac, Time Machine offers another recovery option — see Restoring with Time Machine below.

Backup Types

Full Backup

A full backup contains everything: your database, all audio files, PDF files, and settings. This allows for complete restoration of your library.

The downside is file size — a full backup will be roughly as large as all your audio files combined.

Note

Create a full backup after adding new songs to your library.

Database Only Backup

A database only backup stores just the database contents: song metadata, lyrics, playlists, keywords, and settings. It does not include audio or PDF files.

These backups are very small and quick to create. However, when restoring, all your files must already be present in the correct folders. This option is ideal for quickly transferring database changes between devices that already have all the same files.

Note

Use database only backups to keep two identical iOS devices in sync when you haven't changed any audio files.

Creating a Backup

Before creating a backup, make sure you have enough free storage space on your device. A full backup requires roughly the same amount of space as all your audio files.

To create a backup:

  1. Open the More Options menu from the main view
  2. Tap Backup
  3. Select Full Backup or Database Only Backup
  4. The backup file is created with a .st4b extension and a default name — tap the name to change it
  5. Choose a location and tap Save

Note

For large backups (multiple gigabytes), save to a local folder first, then move the file to cloud storage using the Files app or Finder. Saving directly to a cloud drive can be unreliable for large files.

Tip

After creating a backup, consider copying it to a safe location such as a cloud drive, external storage, or another device via AirDrop.

Restoring a Backup

To restore a backup:

  1. Open the More Options menu from the main view
  2. Tap Backup
  3. Tap Restore Backup (the last restored backup filename appears above this option)
  4. Select your backup file

Restoring replaces all database contents. For full backups, it also deletes all files in the app folder and replaces them with files from the backup.

Note

If iCloud Sync is active, restoring a backup will delete and re-upload all data to the cloud. Disable iCloud Sync first if you don't want this behavior.

Migrating from Stage Traxx 3

Backup files provide the easiest way to migrate your data from Stage Traxx 3 to Stage Traxx 4. Simply create a full backup in Stage Traxx 3, then restore it in Stage Traxx 4.

Routing Changes

Stage Traxx 3 routed each track directly to a specific output. Stage Traxx 4 uses buses instead — tracks are routed to buses, and buses are routed to outputs. During migration, each track is automatically routed to the bus matching its track number (for example, track 3 routes to bus 3). To restore your previous routing setup, assign the appropriate outputs to each bus.

Note

Stage Traxx 2 backups cannot be restored directly in Stage Traxx 4. If you're migrating from Stage Traxx 2, follow the migration guide to migrate to Stage Traxx 3 first, then create a new backup and restore it in Stage Traxx 4.

Restoring with Time Machine

On Mac, Time Machine automatically backs up Stage Traxx and allows you to restore to a specific point in time without restoring your entire system.

To restore Stage Traxx data from Time Machine:

  1. Quit Stage Traxx if it's running
  2. Open Finder and press Cmd+Shift+G to open "Go to Folder"
  3. Enter ~/Library/Containers/ and press Return
  4. Locate the Stage Traxx 4 folder
  5. Enter Time Machine and navigate to the date you want to restore
  6. Select the Stage Traxx 4 folder and click Restore

This restores all your songs, playlists, settings, and files to the state they were in at that point in time.

Note

Time Machine is only available on Mac. For iOS devices, use Stage Traxx backup files for point-in-time recovery.