DP7.24 MacOS error: Unexpected end of file (-39)

[mskalandunas]

Hello Everyone,

I have one particular project that is very important and will not open, giving me this error. I can open other projects with no problem, and have tried the suggestions in other posts about this error.

Last night I closed this project, no problems. Today I reopened it, and added a crossfade to an audio file. I also uploaded some things to soundcloud from the Delivery folder.

I can no longer open this file, and I'm getting this error.

That's pretty much the sequence of events leading up to the error. I know the soundcloud bit may be arbitrary, but I included just to include everything.

Since finding the error, I have tried opening a duplication and tried all of the steps in two other topics on the motunation forums.

I appreciate any help!

Mike

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Try moving all your audio out of the audio folder and loading the project. DP should report the error and you can direct it to the new location. That might load it. Otherwise, you might have to rebuild the headers of the audio files (I think Soundhack and a few other utilities will do this).

This error will sometimes occur when the header of an audio file gets corrupted. I'm pretty sure that's what's happening unless the DP file itself is to blame. In my experience it (the DP file) isn't usually to blame in -39 errors.

[mskalandunas]

Thank you for the reply! I removed the audio files from their home and tried to open to no avail. Now I'd like to try the header business. I have a lot of audio files in this project. Is there a way to tell which is corrupted? Maybe which file I added the crossfade to? I feel like adding that xfade could be the only thing that did this.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I wonder if you import the audio into a new project if that might also do it? Again, it could be the DP project itself. That's why I always run TimeMachine whenever I'm in a session.

[mskalandunas]

Thanks, and this has definitely taught me a lesson in frequent back ups. I'm going to give the importing a try.

[mskalandunas]

Nothing seems to be working. Is there really no way around this error?

[mskalandunas]

Is there possibly a way to return to a previous state without a time machine back up?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

You might try using the LOAD feature. Otherwise I think it may be a dead project. Could you import the audio into a new project? Can you see and play the soundbites in the audio window in another program at all?

[mskalandunas]

I did important the audio and I could not play some of the soundbites. Most of my audio stems from my first chunk were for whatever reason unusable... do you think I can salvage from that?

Also, I have tried the load function, but it didn't work.

[mskalandunas]

Also, I have the preferences set to autobackup in a new location every 2 minutes... but I can't seem to find that location and I don't think that exists. Do I need to have the auto save when not playing feature checked off, or is there something I'm missing here?

[mikehalloran]

If you have QuickTime Pro, try converting the audio files to another format such as .wav to .aif. This writes new header files. If the file now plays in QT or iTunes, it should import into DP. BTW, if you need to be on the original format, you can always convert it back.

This has saved my butt too many times to count when I accept files created by other studios.

There are other programs that can do this but not as quickly. Before I discovered that QT 7.6.6 worked when installed in the Utilities folder, I was not happy that QT 10 did not have this functionality.

[FMiguelez]

Also, I have the preferences set to autobackup in a new location every 2 minutes... but I can't seem to find that location and I don't think that exists. Do I need to have the auto save when not playing feature checked off, or is there something I'm missing here?

The Autosaved files must be right next to the normal DP file (where ever your project folder is).

You must check the preference where DP saves a copy of the project, so it doesn't do it over the original file (that's why I think you can't see them). Autosaved files have an "autosave" extension in the title of the file (xxxxx.autosave).

Just set how often you want DP to autosave, and leave it alone. Autosaving every 2 minutes, like you are, might be a little excessive, BTW (depending on how busy is your section, of course).

Make sure Time Machine saves your DP project files too.

[ccrane]

My experience has been that the DP session file is usually ok, and the problem lies in a corrupted audio file. You did do the test where you move your audio files out of the audio folder and see if the sequence loads, and unfortunately it still would not. I find it interesting though that when you imported some of your audio files into a clean sequence that some of them seem to be corrupted- that seems to indicate that the problem at the very least lies in corrupted audio files. One question that comes to mind is - when you moved the audio files from your original session audio folder -where did you move them to? I ask this because I just did a test, and unless I remove the files from the actual drive that they were originally on, DP still can find the file. Just to be certain that the sequence file is indeed corrupt I would, if you haven't already, copy the contents of your audio folder to a new drive and then delete those original files, and maybe for extra measure empty the trash, and then try to open the sequence again.

[mskalandunas]

Thank you so much everyone for the suggestions... it seems that this file is a lost cause.

I ended up sending the project folder with no audio files to a friend, and he couldn't open it.

I then tried to open up the chunks in a separate sessions, and that didn't work either. I think I'm going to just move on with what I can salvage from the session.

[ccrane]

Sorry about that dude. You may want to send the file to MOTU. Maybe they can analyze it and prevent something like this from happening again.