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Uploading Products

Best practices for organising, uploading, and managing your digital products on Continuata.

Preparing Your Files

Proper file organisation before upload ensures your customers have the best experience.

epic-drum-kit-v1/
├── README.txt
├── samples/
│   ├── kicks/
│   │   ├── kick_01.wav
│   │   └── kick_02.wav
│   └── snares/
│       ├── snare_01.wav
│       └── snare_02.wav
├── loops/
│   └── full_beat.wav
└── license.txt

Upload Methods

Dashboard Upload (Recommended)

API Upload

Programmatic uploads follow the same pipeline the dashboard uses:

// 1. Open an upload session — returns already-stored pack hashes for dedupe
POST /api/upload-session            { productId, version }

// 2. Get presigned PUT URLs for the packs that are actually new, then upload
POST /api/upload-urls               { hashes: ["sha256_pack1", ...] }
PUT  {presignedUrl}                 [raw ~8MB pack bytes]

// 3. Request a presigned manifest URL, then PUT the manifest JSON to it
POST /api/manifest-url              { productId, version }
PUT  {uploadUrl}                    { "v": 3, "packs": [...], "files": [...] }

// 4. Record the version (appears in Version History as Ready)
POST /api/products/{productId}/versions

The dashboard uploader remains the recommended path — it handles packing, dedupe, resume, and verification for you.

Version Management

Each product can have multiple versions with different activation states:

The Versions tab lists versions read-only; everything you can do to one version lives on its detail page — Test download, Invite beta testers, Send rehearsal, Replace contents, Undo, and Delete, plus editing the version number and release notes (Draft versions only — once a version has ever been live, its number is frozen; notes stay editable).

Updating an Existing Product

To update a product (replace samples, fix instruments, add content), you upload a new version — you never edit a live version in place, and you never zip anything. Point Continuata at your whole product folder and it works out what changed.

Pick a new version number

Always enter a version number you haven't used before (e.g. 1.0.0 → 1.1.0). Version numbers are permanent identifiers and cannot be re-used.

The two upload modes

The mode toggle appears above the folder picker once a product has an active version (a brand-new product always does a full first upload):

How "changed" is decided: a file is inherited only if its path and its content (SHA-256) match the current version. Same name, different bytes = replaced. Not in the current version = added. Missing from your folder = removed from the new version (its data stays in cloud storage so you can roll back). Moving a file counts as remove + add — a big folder reorganisation behaves like a full upload.

The review screen

Nothing uploads until you click Upload. After scanning, Continuata shows the counts (added / replaced / removed / inherited), how much will transfer ("N new packs"), the changed-file list, and the resulting file tree. If the summary claims far more than you actually changed, click Cancel and start the upload again — if the comparison against your current version fails, the uploader falls back to a full re-upload and tells you so in a banner.

Overwriting files on customer disks

If your upload replaces files customers already have (same path, different content), updating customers will see those files overwritten on disk — which can break projects that reference the old content. Where it makes sense, rename the changed file (e.g. Piano.nki → Piano v2.nki) so old and new coexist. You'll be asked to confirm the overwrite again when you Set Active.

What customers see

The moment a version goes live, every existing download link serves it. Customers who re-download into their existing product folder fetch only the changed files, and their customer portal flips that purchase to "Update available" with the version delta. When publishing, you choose whether to email everyone who owns the product — the wizard shows the exact recipient count, or you can publish silently. Full details in Updates & Emails.

Rolling back

Removed and replaced files keep their data in cloud storage, so you can Set Active on an earlier version at any time without re-uploading it.

File Processing

The upload flow runs five stages in order. Each one shows live progress in the dashboard.

Storage Optimization

Automatic Deduplication

Packs are deduplicated across versions. Before uploading, Continuata checks which packs already exist in storage — only packs containing changed or new files need to be transferred:

Storage Efficiency Tips

• Use consistent sample rates and bit depths across your library
• Normalise audio levels before uploading to maximise deduplication
• Keep common files (READMEs, licenses) identical across products
• Use lossless formats for master files when possible

Pause & Resume

Uploads can be paused and resumed at any point during the uploading stage. Use the Pause button that appears once the upload begins. Current speed (MB/s) and estimated time remaining are shown throughout.

Because packs are content-addressed, a resumed upload picks up exactly where it left off — any packs already confirmed in storage are not re-transferred.

Troubleshooting Uploads