[Not so] IMPORTANT: Read this if you use DP 8.07!

[Shooshie]

In DP 8.07 MOTU apparently accidentally introduced a mistake in the project creation routine. I just now became aware of it through Bayswater's thread in the other forum, and I hate to sound alarmist, but if I'd caught this any later, it would have grown into the kind of mess from which you just want to throw your hands up and stomp off muttering obscenities.

What's happening is that when you save the project for the first time, it's saving the DP file to whatever folder or root level you're in. It's not creating a project folder. This means that all audio files from ALL projects created at this level go into the same Audio Files folder. Ditto Analysis Files, Undo Files, and Autosaves. You can imagine what a mess it could be trying to unravel the files from a big collective Audio Files folder, not to mention Analysis files. At least Autosaves should have unique names.

It may be more complicated than that. I saved a project file in a project folder that I created. The next time I worked on it, it saved a level up, in the folder containing that folder. The Analysis, Audio, Undo and Autosave folders were scattered among the dozens of projects sitting in that big folder. (My "Digital Performer Files" folder) I have not figured out yet whether that's because of something that I did, or because of this "problem." Why didn't it go on saving the project in the project folder that I created? The original file is in there, and all the autosaves from August 27 are in there. But the subsequent saves and autosaves were all in the big containing folder. Again, I'll have to test this to see if this is something I did. (never did that before, though)

So... TEST YOUR FILES. Go look at where you saved them. Make sure they are in their own project folders. If not, put them there, along with their accompanying folders. If you keep recording new projects this way, you'll have a huge mess in your Audio folder and Analysis folder, especially.

If you are seeing this same problem, write MOTU and let them know. If you find a workaround, please post it here! There's also the original thread here:
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... 01#p491701
but this is so important, I wanted to be sure that everyone sees it, before they have a mess they can't unravel.

Many thanks to Bayswater for posting about this first.

Shooshie

[Dan Worley]

Will DP 8.07 create a Project Folder when a Save As is performed and "Duplicate Audio and copy shared samples to poject" is selected (checked on) in the Save As dialog? If that works like it does in all other version of DP, that might be the best way to pull together all the files of projects that are using the root folders. Then you could just throw out the other files, but first make sure they're not used in another project.

[FMiguelez]

Wow. What a potential mess!

I haven't seen it because I always start my new projects by duplicating my template folder and open them from there.

And this other VERY annoying issue must be also related to this:
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... 26&t=58414

[Shooshie]

Will DP 8.07 create a Project Folder when a Save As is performed and "Duplicate Audio and copy shared samples to poject" is selected (checked on) in the Save As dialog? If that works like it does in all other version of DP, that might be the best way to pull together all the files of projects that are using the root folders. Then you could just throw out the other files, but first make sure they're not used in another project.

Ah yes! Of COURSE! That should at least get it cleaned up in a fair amount of time. Will that also save all the analysis files and undo files? I haven't paid any attention to that in years. I guess DP will recreate the analysis files, anyway. Of course, the autosaves will have the same project name, so that part's easy.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

FWIW, I tend to create folders for projects in the Finder first, then save the new DP project in that folder. I haven't seen the behavior you're describing, Shoosh, but maybe it because I'm creating the project from the "NEW" selection on the splash screen and then selecting the folder where I want it to reside. DP 8.07 has created all folders correctly using that method.

[billf]

I am still on 8.06 because I have some unfinished projects that I wanted to complete before doing the update. But now I'll stick with it until they do a patch for it. That is a potentially very messy bug. Thanks for the warning!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Oooopps! Found a few examples of this. Thanks for pointing it out. YIKES!

[Dan Worley]

Will DP 8.07 create a Project Folder when a Save As is performed and "Duplicate Audio and copy shared samples to poject" is selected (checked on) in the Save As dialog? If that works like it does in all other version of DP, that might be the best way to pull together all the files of projects that are using the root folders. Then you could just throw out the other files, but first make sure they're not used in another project.

Ah yes! Of COURSE! That should at least get it cleaned up in a fair amount of time. Will that also save all the analysis files and undo files?

Yes, the analysis folder and files will be created after the project is closed and opened back up. The Undo History works but I don't know when it creates a new folder for it in the new project folder. In the one I'm looking at right now, it hasn't created a new folder but Undo does work. And I have saved and closed and reopened the project. Kind of weird. I'm in 8.06.

[Shooshie]

Ok, I think it's time we officially label this a bug. More than a mistake or problem, this thing can BITE!

Shooshie

[Gravity Jim]

So, are you all saying this doesn't happen when you create the project from a template? Nothing at all like this is happening on my rig, but I always create new files from a saved template file.

[bayswater]

From what I tried, it doesn't happen if you create some audio before the first save. It did happen to me with a template, but it was an entirely new template I created in DP 8.07. So maybe old templates create the correct structure for saving.

[Shooshie]

The files on which it happened in my system were created by clicking "New." I didn't have a template for what I wanted, and it was faster just to set it up and save it. I thought it saved into a Project Folder.

Usually, I create files by starting with an old file that resembles it in some way — tracks, mixes, chunks... Then I delete the data (or duplicate the track layout(s) and delete the original chunk(s), and save that as a new project. I don't use templates, because mine were all made so far back that they no longer work, and I haven't been bitten by the bug to make new templates.

I don't know the parameters of this bug. I haven't had time to go over it thoroughly and see what the limitations are, the exceptions, or whatever. But enough people have seen it now that I'm willing to call it a bug. I didn't want to say the B word at first, until I was sure it wasn't just some dislodged checkbox setting or something of that nature.

Shooshie

[Frodo]

I haven't posted a whole lot lately because I felt bad raising too many questions and just accepted that my problems were my own. No whining. Right?

But, I can confirm this issue and am once again grateful that I'm not going insane.

Thanks, Shoosh.

[MartinBaird]

Shooshie,

Do you have a Default New Template set in DP? I do and I don't think I'm seeing this problem.
In other words, I set up DP like I want it to open and then I chose "Save as Default Template" so it comes up that way each time I choose New project.

Martin

[HCMarkus]

Like others, I always open from a template, so haven't encountered, but appreciate the heads up regardless.

I must say, though, one other thing I haven't encountered since upgrading to DP8.07 and ML 8.5 is CRASHES!