What is a Magic ID?
 

We have a drive that needed data recovery done to recover an old mix session.

I have the .ptx session files and what looks like MOST of the audio files. I am trying to open the sessions so I can determine what is missing inside the sessions.

When I open the session, I get a pro tools error message saying that it can not open the session because the Magic ID doesn't match.

I have seen this once before with someone else's project, and I don't really know if/how they fixed it on their end. But I can't seem to open these any way possible. If I attempt to import session data and select these session files, i receive the same error.

Any idea what this means? And how could I make the Magic IDs match so I can open the sessions?

Re: What is a Magic ID?
 

Each audio file in a ProTools session is stamped with an alphanumeric (random-looking) number in the file header that is matched with the data in the ProTools session file, to help ProTools deal with audio files that can end up with the same name, or get renamed by the software in order for it to live in the same folder. ie: Audio 1_01 and Audio 1_01(2)

When you open the session, ProTools is trying to relink the files, but it's only matching 2 out of 3 - file length, file name, and magic ID (unique ID, whatever).

When you get the relink window, click on the "Find Links" button, and de-select the option that requires 'Unique ID', so it only has to match 'Name' and 'File Length'. That should allow it to relink all the files, and generate new Unique ID's for each file... You would probably want to do a "Save Session Copy" once it's done it's matching (providing it finds everything)....

Re: What is a Magic ID?
 

My issue is that the session file itself seems to have a corrupted Magic ID. I do not get to the point where I even get the relink window. I open the session and it just won't open. Only the message that says the Magic ID won't match. Then when I hit OK it doesn't open anything.

Re: What is a Magic ID?
 

Unfortunately, the session is corrupt and unrecoverable when this message appears. Try the most recent sessions in the Session Files Backups folder.

Shane