restoring older projects

[Jim]

I've been restoring projects I recorded between 2000 and 2002. Almost all were recorded using the SD2 audio file format. I had the dumb luck that I had backed up all my projects to data CDs and later DVDs. I still have a 2012 MacPro5,1 with a DVD drive in which I installed a single 12TB drive to copy my files onto.

I learned the hard way that copying SD2 files to a RAID borks their file structure, and renders them useless on the destination RAID, hence the single disk configuration above.

Once I have my projects copied, I open them with DP9 or 10. They link to the SD2 files beautifully.

I've tried various settings to get the File Conversion to Wave to commence automatically, which I've found isn't consistent. Some times, I have to jump start the "automatic conversions.

Once the files are converted to WAV, I can safely copy my project and files to the RAID on my "big" computer over my network, and then remix or do whatever after the successful restore.

I guess I have a question: Is there a method or trick that will get Automatic Conversions to start automatically? I've gotten a message when I invoked the Convert Files command that the files are being converted which I will interrupt, but that's a big fat lie.

It's almost magic that DP can open a 20 year old project, and more importantly, convert the files to a different format. Nice forward thinking by MOTU.

I recorded many projects with six to eight audio tracks for a while to Iomega Zip and Jaz drives, and never lost data. That's another almost magic miracle.

[HCMarkus]

Not sure I can help with your question, but just wanted to drop by and say "congrats!" on getting ye olde projects rolling.

I've hd really good luck with that, too, especially lately. I seem to recall changes being made in DP10 that supported older files better.

[mikehalloran]

Automatic Conversion works for me every time. I don't know how you are doing this but it takes me a couple minutes, If your 5.1 has a mechanical HDD, this can take awhile. On old projects or those created in other studios, I prefer to convert manually which, likewise, is quick and easy.

The SD2, sd2, sdII bug was fixed in DP 9.52 and was a capitalization issue. DP 10 & 11 do not have a problem with old Sound Designer 2 audio files.

I've tried various settings to get the File Conversion to Wave to commence automatically, which I've found isn't consistent

Depends on how. I can post screen shots on doing all at once manually..

Once I have my projects copied, I open them with DP9 or 10

Do you have both 9.52 and 10 on the same System drive? If so, that's a likely source of your problem. Whatever you installed last overwrites shared resources and messes with the other version.

The only way around that is to install each in its own Partition or drive (non-APFS) or Volume or drive (APFS) each with its own MacOS. You Option Boot between the two.