Opening ancient DP project - any hope? - RESOLVED

[csansom]

Currently running DP11, and I'd really like to get at some of the MIDI data in a large orchestral project I recorded, originally in 2006. According to Finder's Get Info window, I last modified it in 2014 and last opened it in 2019. So I was able to open it then - I wonder what version of DP that would have been - somewhere around 8? Even if I could download a contemporaneous version of DP, I don't imagine it would run in Monterey, my current OS.

Sadly the project now appears in the Finder with that ominous icon of a black rectangle with 'exec' in green in the upper left-hand corner, implying I don't have anything that could open it now, which indeed proves to be the case.

Anyone have any ideas as to how I might be able to extract the MIDI stuff from this? (I don't care about the audio.)

[CharlzS]

Make a copy and try adding the extension .dpdoc to the project file if not already there.

[mikehalloran]

I have no problem opening files I created in DP 2.7.

There are a number of potential issues, especially if you used 3rd party plug-ins but many of us are experienced in helping with this, depending on the actual problem. There is no "one post covers all possibilities", however, so let us know what you encounter.

Do make a copy of the project folder first.

[csansom]

First of all. adding .dpdoc to the filename doesn't work. The behaviour is exactly the same as without it (this doesn't entirely surprise me because although it shows the black 'exec' box, the Finder does recognise it as a DP document in Get Info).

Here's what happens, whether I try to open it from within DP or by double-clicking in the Finder: DP launches - splash screen, loads plug-ins, dot under the icon in the Dock, then before opening any windows the dreaded SPOD (Spinning Pizza Of Death) appears... and stays there. I can slide over to a different Desktop, and if I go back the SPOD is still there. But if I click onto a different app, such as the Finder, then try to go back to DP, I can't, by command-tabbing or clicking in the Dock. No way back to DP. The dot is still there under the Dock icon, but if click-and-hold on it it tells me DP is 'not responding' and all I can do is force-quit to get out of it.

As for plug-ins, yes there would be quite a number of third party ones there, but it's way too long ago to remember what they were! And I don't care about them anyway - all I want is the MIDI notes!

[CharlzS]

Have you tried opening DP in MIDI only mode? Hold the shift key when starting DP.

[stubbsonic]

You can also try creating a new (blank) project, then use the File/Load... option to bring in chunks, one at a time. There are various checkboxes as well which when unchecked might allow you to steer around whatever is causing trouble.

[mikehalloran]

Open DP in Safe Mode on your Mac, then see if you can open the project from there. This will disable 3rd party extensions.

To open Digital Performer in Safe mode (Mac), launch the application as normal, but immediately hold down the Option key when the splash screen appears; this will bring up a Plug-In Set Selection window where you should choose "Safe" to enter Safe mode

[csansom]

First, holding the shift key to launch DP in MIDI only mode didn't help. HOWEVER...

You can also try creating a new (blank) project, then use the File/Load... option to bring in chunks, one at a time. There are various checkboxes as well which when unchecked might allow you to steer around whatever is causing trouble.

That did it! I actually left all the checkboxes unchecked, and it opened the one single chunk called 'complete'. And
so far, it's looking good. I can (I hope) now delete all the audio tracks and anything else I don't need and save out as a slimmed-down version of the whole thing, to be loaded into my main project as a reference sequence.

Thank you, stubbsonic! And everyone else for trying!

[csansom]

First, holding the shift key to launch DP in MIDI only mode didn't help...

When I wrote that I hadn't seen Mike Halloran's post about holding the option key down for safe mode - another trick I was unaware of. However, by then the problem was solved, so I didn’t get round to trying it. So thanks, Mike, and I'll try and keep that in mind for future occasions (of which, of course, I hope there are none!).

[evilpeacock]

Glad you worked it out!

Just wanted to add that whenever you see the generic document icon for a known DP project file it is almost always because it lacks a ".dpdoc" file extension. Adding that should allow it to be opened normally with whatever DP version you're running — unless you put that extension on file that isn't actually a DP project, or it's been corrupted.

At some point I realized I have a lot of un-assigned DP project files in my archives and batch appended the .dpdoc file extension to all of them. This is easy using the macOS Finder's built-in "Rename" contextual menu, or you can use a more powerful bulk naming tool like Name Mangler.

The trick is locating the project files in a search so you can do a batch re-name, which won't be easy with all the other blank document things that live in DP project folders. But it is possible to search for all documents in a given folder (type "document" in a Spotlight query for any given folder selection), then list by "type" to get a head-start on locating all your project files. A bit of search-fu is needed, but this is much quicker and less error-prone than manually digging through years of files to find projects that are missing the now necessary file extension.

I've also had issues opening deprecated SD2 audio files that lacked an ".sd2" file extension whenever I needed to source something from an old project file that hadn't been properly converted. It's rare, but that can come up when using other audio software. Same basic rule of adding an ".sd2" to those files will let non-MOTU apps such as Adobe Audition see and open them properly.

Otherwise just wanted to add that the Load method is probably the most effective with migrating or updating old projects, especially if you have any corrupted files. It just seems to take longe as it will likely convert everything, reanalyze all the audio assets, etc.

I've had one or two old projects that appeared intact, but had one or two corrupted audio files I didn't realize were an issue until I imported/loaded different clips into a fresh project as that helps flag things that would otherwise cause DP to crash. Fortunately most of my audio file sources are backed up and I can usually fix corrupted assets pretty easily.

[csansom]

Thanks for this helpful advice! Although in my case adding the .dpdoc extension didn't help, but using the Load command certainly did.

[mikehalloran]

Glad to see RESOLVED.

I'm happy not to revisit certain transition issues caused by DP 7.21 made worse by DP 7.24.

[Yerm]

I'd like to jump in on this if I may.

I am having the same issue (trying to open DP 2.72 and 3.1 project files with 11.3).

I tried all the original poster's initial efforts before I found this thread (adding/changing file extension, etc). I DID try loading chunks into a new project, as suggested. This seemed hopeful, but I got the big finger again after all. Then I started up in MIDI only mode. This allowed me to open the project intact, with the console routings, the plug-ins, the MIDI-tracks (which is what prompted my situation as well, though I do have a bunch of audio-only things I want to revisit).

I could play this back just fine, without any plug-ins operative. By that I mean the AUDIO played out fine. I don't have destination for the MIDI at the moment, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. The project offered a new MIDI routing option (which only involves my MCU's, so not an option, but "ok" at this point works for everything else). I saved this into a new project, copying the audio data, AFTER I removed the Ionizer plug-in that isn't made anymore (anyone?). All the other plug-ins were native DP plug-ins-dynamics, MW Limiters, para eq's.

I successfully re-open this newly saved project and listened to the audio, still in MIDI only mode. (So I guess it's not really ONLY MIDI...). However, when I quit DP and launched it again by opening my new project entire, (in normal audio mode), It opened and displayed all windows (which had not happened before I did the save in MIDI only mode), but beach-balled for many long minutes before telling me DP was not responding and offering Force Quit.

All of the audio files are SDII. Could that be an issue? If so, If I open in MIDI-only mode and convert all the files to .aiff or .wav files would that dodge the issue? I'd imagine I'd have to pull all the SDII's out of the soundbites window to see....

I'm hoping for insight before wasting time, if at all possible.

Thanks!

[Yerm]

Also:

Opening in MIDI-only, WAS, in fact, MIDI only. But opening in SAFE mode allowed me to listen to the project w/the SDII files. But I was unable to launch the same project without it spinning out. I just found that I was also using Waves Mondo Mod on a buss and removed that. I'll see what happens. Should be all DP plugs now.

And I'm back to beach-balling (with Activity Monitor telling me DP is using 100% of the CPU), and wondering about the SDII thing. Haven't tried it yet, because the first time I tried a conversion, it changed all the file sampling rates from 48k to 44.1k despite that checkbox being very obviously UN-checked.

Ok. Conversion from SDII to AIFF, replacing and trashing the old soundbites, has me beach-balling again. An attempt to save the tracks as a clipping while in safe mode crashed the program. Trying to load chunks from my file-converted project folder has me beach-balling.

[Yerm]

Ok.

What IS working, if this happens to anyone else, is this process:

Open DP in Safe mode (option key upon startup). Make note of the tempo. Copy the tracks you want (show only the ones you want, then select all).
Close the offending project.

Open a new project, set the tempo to the one from the offending project.
insert the number of tracks matching those you copied. Select the empty space in those tracks, just a couple measures, so the selection starts at 1/1/000. Paste from the clipboard.

I did this in incomplete batches at a time: 2 MIDI tracks together pasted into 2 MIDI tracks, three guitar tracks together into 3 audio tracks. I could have probably done it all at once, but you have to make sure it's a 1:1 pasting scenario, that all the tracks match type and number so the pasting lines up with the original.

Now I can close that new project, quit DP in safe mode, relaunch as normal and enable audio plug-ins.

I have to go do the buss routing, plug-in assignments, and re-mixing from scratch, because I can't figure out how else to have it work with all that stuff in place.

So, if anyone has any insight at this point, that would be awesome.

Thanks!