Path to missing audio files?

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flextone
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Path to missing audio files?

Post by flextone »

Hi guys,

I'm revisiting 5 year old project files and some of the audio files are missing. I know they exist somewhere on my external HD because I haven't changed it since then, but I did change computers and gave that HD a different name. Anyway I could find some of the files from memory, but others with default names like "audio 03-02" escape me and they're not in the project's audio files folder.

The indexing on my external audio HD is turned off so I can't search for them, but in the dialog box that opens when DP8 notifies me that some files are missing it shows me a shortened version of the path. Is there a way to see the full path DP thinks the files are in? Any other ideas about how to solve this?

Thanks,
Ronny.
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bayswater
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by bayswater »

Do the file paths show up in the Soundbites window?
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flextone
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by flextone »

bayswater wrote:Do the file paths show up in the Soundbites window?
You mean Soundfile Information? No, it just says "last seen as soundfile called Audio 01-03 on disk Scratch", scratch was the name of the HD in the past.
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bayswater
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by bayswater »

Oops.

I know DP has, or had, a dialog asking you if you want it to search for files that had been moved. It also used some sort of file ID in addition to file names to location files. I don't know if it still does that. But it was pretty good at finding the correct files when it did.
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mikehalloran
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by mikehalloran »

flextone wrote: The indexing on my external audio HD is turned off so I can't search for them... Any other ideas about how to solve this?

Thanks,
Ronny.
Yes. Let Spotlight index the drive so that you can search it. Yea, it takes awhile the first time you run it but what choice do you have?

I doubt that DP can search for non-indexed files either.
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flextone
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by flextone »

I guess there's no other way... off to index the HD!

could the files have been erased somehow? I see the regions in the project, I would never delete them just like that. how can files disappear? ok I'll index and search, hope they're somewhere in there.

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frankf
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Path to missing audio files?

Post by frankf »

I'm pretty sure volumes have to be mounted to search them with Spotlight. Spotlight does not help with the 20 or so archive HDs I have stored. I use Disk Catalog Maker which scans mounted volumes and creates a single searchable database on your Mac. After you scan external drives, you can eject them and store them. Search for Project X and you will see all location of the project and can drill down to the audio files to find elusive files, then mount the specified volumes and retrieves the files :) or lament that the drive failed 2 years ago :( I used Disktracker also for a long time but I like DiskCatalog Maker better.


Frank Ferrucci
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leigh
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by leigh »

If you are comfortable in the Terminal, the find command might help you avoid indexing:

$> find /Volumes/AudioHD | grep file

**Leigh
-----
$> man find

NAME
find -- walk a file hierarchy

SYNOPSIS
find [-H | -L | -P] [-EXdsx] [-f path] path ... [expression]
find [-H | -L | -P] [-EXdsx] -f path [path ...] [expression]

DESCRIPTION
The find utility recursively descends the directory tree for each path listed, evaluating an expression (composed of the
``primaries'' and ``operands'' listed below) in terms of each file in the tree.

. . .
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mikehalloran
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by mikehalloran »

You can run Find from the Finder without Terminal. It's not intuitive and the drives do have to be mounted.

I have experienced this exact issue. Once you find those audio files, place copies back into the Audio Files folder of your project and you'll be good to go.
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leigh
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by leigh »

mikehalloran wrote:You can run Find from the Finder without Terminal. It's not intuitive and the drives do have to be mounted.
I learn something new every day!

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Shooshie
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by Shooshie »

frankf wrote:I'm pretty sure volumes have to be mounted to search them with Spotlight. Spotlight does not help with the 20 or so archive HDs I have stored. I use Disk Catalog Maker which scans mounted volumes and creates a single searchable database on your Mac. After you scan external drives, you can eject them and store them. Search for Project X and you will see all location of the project and can drill down to the audio files to find elusive files, then mount the specified volumes and retrieves the files :) or lament that the drive failed 2 years ago :( I used Disktracker also for a long time but I like DiskCatalog Maker better.


Frank Ferrucci
Ha! I'm a DiskTracker user, too, but it's getting a little long in the tooth. If you think that Disk Catalog Maker is better, I'm certainly willing to try it out. I always admired the speed of DiskTracker, and the no-frills approach to finding a file quickly. It's not like I want to be coddled with a nice interface; I just want to find my files. Nowadays, I'm thinking I could use something that at least makes a preview or gives some clue as to the contents of files I forgot 15 years ago. Surprisingly, most of my DVDs from about 2002 are still functional. That's where I used to archive things, before we started counting GB like potato chips. I need to transfer all those to HD. I've been archiving on WD MyStudio Firewire hard drives, which are relatively cheap, very capacious, and extremely convenient.

I'll give Disk Catalog Maker a try.

Shoosh
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frankf
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Re: Path to missing audio files?

Post by frankf »

Previews would be a nice add. I'd like to see Finder Comments and Tags also, but the db is pretty large as it is. Let me (us) know how you like DCM.


Frank Ferrucci
Frank Ferrucci
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