Problem with old files in 7.24 - Resolved!

[mikehalloran]

I am having a problem I've not encountered before.

I was going to try some new plugs on an old track. I opened the file up in 7.24 and it located only three audio files - the drum track and one of the rhythm tracks. I reopened the project in 5.13 and it found everything. I tried copying the project and audio files using the Save As and got the same results.

Most of the tracks have no effects or plugins. It's possible that I started this in DP 4.1 but the overdubs and editing were done in 5.13. The drum track is original to the project but the guitar track is from a later session. Like all of the tracks on this album, there is a mixture of .wav and .aif but no correlation between what works and doesn't.

Yes I can search for all the audio files, they're all into the same folder but, after all the edits, that's a lot of work.

Fortunately, my workaround is simple: redo the project in 5.13. It works in Lion and the plugs I want to try also work in 5.13.

Still, it has me scratching my head. I'd like to know I can always open old projects in DP and now I can't. Hmmmmm.....

[stubbsonic]

I wonder if you used "Save a Copy as..." and duplicated the audio if that would preserve anything. Also, I wonder if crossfades are a factor. If you can still open in an old version, I wonder if you can use "merge" to get rid of any crossfades that might be causing it.

It would be interesting to know what the deal-breaker is.

[bayswater]

IIRC, DP locates audio files with something other than the simple file name and folder, e.g., something about being able to rename a file in the Finder, and DP will still find it. Is it possible that the resource info in the lost files has been modified in some way by another audio application that makes it difficult for DP to identify them?

I hope this is not a DP issue. I have a load of projects from various versions and have always assumed I can open them with whatever version of DP I have. Would be a PITA to have to go and open and resave everything with intermediate versions, something I had to do with Cubase a lot.

[mikehalloran]

I wonder if you used "Save a Copy as..." and duplicated the audio if that would preserve anything.

It would be interesting to know what the deal-breaker is.

I did. It didn't. When I tried to open the copy in 7.24, the same three audio files were found. Opening that copy in 5.13 found everything.

My only other audio apps are Logic, QT etc. I've never opened these tracks in anything else.

There are a ton of edits and cross fades in this - unusual for me as I normally arrange tracks I produce before the record button is hit. This arrangement came to me later and now I'm revisiting it for a single release.

Ah well, perhaps a support ticket may find a solution. I haven't opened the track in 6.03 (I may have removed that from my system now that I think of it).

I do keep a G4 with OS 10.4.11 and OS 9 on it. That has come in handy a couple of times, most recently when I had to get a file from MusicNotes that still used the Sibelius Scortch plugin (c'mon Sibelius, if you want to impose a standard, you have to keep up!). I hope I don't have to keep it around for old DP projects but, if I must, I must.

BTW, the reason I am revisiting it is to try some of the new Nectar style sheets on a couple of the tracks. These are free downloads if you have Nectar. I have been playing with these and I am liking the results.

[stubbsonic]

I don't know if this qualifies as a tip, but here's a process I've used when I'm exporting tracks for someone else to mix.

If a track doesn't start on bar 1 beat one, I create a small soundbite of silence on beat one on any track. I make sure it really is silent (recording a bus with nothing bussed to it). Then I option-drag (drag-a-copy) of this silent soundbite to the beginning of any tracks that don't start on 1.

I name all the tracks so the merged audio has appropriately discernible names.

SongAbbrev.TrackAbbrev.Take#.MM.DD.YY. (or however you do it.)

Then depending on when the tracks end or whether I need to be stingy with space, I'll select each track and merge them separately, or if they all end at the same time, I'll just select the time range of the whole song for all the tracks at once.

Now merging will create continuous tracks (crossfades rendered) that can easily be exported and used in an uncooperative version of DP or another DAW.

If you aren't done editing, (i.e., you still want to drag regions around), then this process will probably have to wait.

[mikehalloran]

We're talking a couple hundred files over 24 tracks in one song. If 7.24 can't find them, I'll tweak the project in 5.13.


Update: For kicks, I reinstalled DP 6.03. Apparently, when I removed it, I never bothered the Authorization file so it reinstalled without a hitch.

I was able to open the song in DP 6.03 without a problem. Did the Save a Copy again. Although I can't open this copy in 5.13 (obviously) it opens fine in 6.0.

Once again, I get the "The following files cannot be located in Digital Performer..." when I open it in DP 7.24.

I haven't installed DP 7 on my G4 and, frankly, I am not interested in doing so. Hmmmmmm

[mikehalloran]

I am working with Support on this. I can't say we've made progress but we have found the problem.

DP 7.24 can't load the problem sound files because they are greyed out in the directory. I can see them but can't make them load.

DP 5.13 and 6.03 (which normally, I never use) open the projects fine and load all of my sound bites.

Some or all of these projects were begun in DP 4.1.

[Klaus]

We're talking a couple hundred files over 24 tracks in one song. If 7.24 can't find them, I'll tweak the project in 5.13.


Update: For kicks, I reinstalled DP 6.03. Apparently, when I removed it, I never bothered the Authorization file so it reinstalled without a hitch.

I was able to open the song in DP 6.03 without a problem. Did the Save a Copy again. Although I can't open this copy in 5.13 (obviously) it opens fine in 6.0.

Once again, I get the "The following files cannot be located in Digital Performer..." when I open it in DP 7.24.

I haven't installed DP 7 on my G4 and, frankly, I am not interested in doing so. Hmmmmmm

Hi mikehalloran
I have DP 7.24 just working fine here on a G4...2 x 1.2
I discovered the opposite problem lately with SD2 files going from G4 to Intel, the Intel not playing them... ( LAConvolver wouldn't load them, also not Audiofinder ) except QT 7
and when exported from QT7 to another format they played...
May be Coreaudio has changed... regarding SD2 ?
BTW my solution suggested from Tobias Lernval ( LAConvolver ) was to rename the ending to
*.sd2*
and then reload into LAConvolver
Worth a try to locate in DP 7.24 after renaming ?

Best luck

Klaus

[mikehalloran]

The missing files are greyed out in DP7. When I open the Audio Files folder, they cannot be found. Showing all invisible files with Terminal does not make these appear.

They were .wav to begin with.

I have tried changing them to .aiff in DP 6 preferences and doing a Save As - I now have four different test projects. All with the same problem.

It is as if my only access to these files is in DP 5.13 or 6.03.

I have no idea how much time Magic Dave and crew have spent on this but we are in regular communication.

[Klaus]

Are you saying doing a 'save as incl. audio' , you can't find the files on your disk ?

Klaus

[mikehalloran]

Are you saying doing a 'save as incl. audio' , you can't find the files on your disk ?
Klaus

Yes. The only place where I can see them is greyed out when I ask DP 7 to find the files.

Tomorrow I will throw everything onto an old G4 running 10.4.11 and see what happens.

[mikehalloran]

This has been in Tech Support for quite awhile.

Short answer: I did a Get Info on the project folder, gave Read and Write permissions to every user including staff, fetch and nobody, then clicked on Apply to enclosed items.

The long version:

I found and fixed the problem.

I installed OS 10.6.4 from the Restore DVD onto a new hard drive, repaired permissions etc., installed DP 5.13 and copied my project folder over. I did not install anything else including any 3rd party plugins. After it opened up, I decided to install 7.01, 7.12 and 7.24 and that is when things got interesting.

The project opened and played in 7.01 with no problem.

7.12 displayed an empty Background Processing box and would not draw the wave forms in the Sound Bites windows - it did play the audio, however.

7.24 crashed every time I tried to open the file. I installed, uninstalled, reinstalled, ran Disk Warrior. No difference.

I then updated the OS to Lion. 5.13, 7.01 and 7.12 behaved as before. 7.24 had the same behavior as my original complaint - couldn't find the basic files.

I went back to 7.12 and that it didn't draw the wave forms and that empty Background Processing box. I found the advanced preferences and when I asked to show the Analysis processes, saw that there was a red error message for each of the problem files with Error... access denied (-5000).

I did a Get Info on the project folder and saw that, while "everybody" had read and write privileges, "fetch", "staff" and "nobody" were read only. I changed them to read and write and applied to all files in the folder.

It now drew the wave forms in 7.12 and no longer gave me the Background Processing report.

Crossing my fingers, I then opened it in 7.24. Success. Re-booting back into my main drive, the file opened up again.

With the symptoms as described, I just didn't think that corrupt files or a bad hard drive were the issue.

[HCMarkus]

This one gets filed in the dark recesses of my mind for (hopeful) recall if I ever run into an issue like you describe. Thanks Mike!

PS: Any updated insight on a new Mac Pro release?

[mikehalloran]

I have not heard a word about the MacPro. I will ask around.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I'm sure Apple employees are trained to leak reliable, competitive info out to music websites just for the asking. Can't wait!