Corrupted project in 12.4 unable to import WAVs

[noiseboyuk]

This feels like a new variant on an old bug some of us have enjoyed over the years, where you can't drag and drop new files from the OS into PT. In the good ol days of PT11 and earlier versions of PT12, this seemed to be activated when switching off and on "copy files on import" in the preferences, and once you had it in a given project, getting rid of it was a nightmare. Typically you'd drag a new WAV in, the correct length would be displayed on the timeline either highlighted or a greyed out file, but an older file you dragged in would actually get placed. Dragging from Workspace worked normally, and the same project behaved normally if opened in PT10. It seemed to be cross-platform - Mac colleagues had the same thing. I did report it to Avid, but it was never fixed.

Now in 12.4 it seems even more stubborn. I don't know how the bug started this time, but I haven't touched the "copy files on import" button in 12 (I'm still too terrified to go near the thing - it stays on at all times). The symptoms are the similar - most WAVs cannot be dragged in, although curiously the odd few can and AIFFs are fine. There's no obvious prediction of what might work - I have an audience library made over the years all on the same machine in the same file format, some work and some don't. However, for added fun, this time dragging from the Workspace doesn't work on the affected files either. Sometimes stereo files will drag in and somehow manage to split into unequal lengths L and R, it's all very odd. Thankfully PT10 carries on unafffected, so I've finished this ep in PT10.

I spent a few hours sleuthing today. If I create a blank project, all WAVs import as normal. However if I then import all tracks from the corrupted project, the bug imports with it. I can import some tracks fine, but there are at least 2 - I haven't tracked down any others but I think there is more - which contain media that trips the bug. In one case, Workspace had no record of the file of the location where it was, so I updated the index. I thought this was a promising lead, but sadly this didn't restore the project to health.

All in all, it feels like there's some databases that have corrupted. What's the procedure here in 12? I can't even find where the database is, only the preferences folder. Any other ideas of thing to try gratefully received - I'll submit a ticket to Avid, but this has all the hallmarks of a case that will go on for months without a resolution, as so often seems to happen, so I thought I'd try leaning on the wisdom of the crowd. Thanks in advance for any help.

[reichman]

I'm on Mac, but when this happens to me, I run this and it clears up right away:

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...411#delete_pro

[JuanPC]

PTHD12.4 not good.

PTHD12.3.1 ok...
But the corrupted files, probably is because you don't have ECC memory...
Also probably because you have a noisy power supply,
Or a noisy RFI environment.
or bad cables...
Or a bad HDD.
Or bad ground in the wall.
Or Too much vibration, subwoofers or bass shakers, near spinning HDD's.

Never seen corrupted files.
PTHD12.3.1 now, I was using PTHD9.0.6
Windows7


Since PTHD10.3 cache setting uses Ram to store the working project, Ram is 3x times faster than 6Gbps SSD but very susceptible to failure, if get's too hot, or if there is a strong RadioFrequencyInterference, or if the Ozone layer is getting bigger. Or if there is strong aurora boreal.
The PSU and the CPU can generate enough switching interference to block Digital TV signals a few meters away. TDT-2

In the bios there is a setting in most CPUs, Spreadspectrum, limits the CPU, and avoids creating large EMI/RFI peaks.
But PC will become slow.

Only server boards have ECC memory support.
And Mac Pros, not sure about imac's.

Also 64GB of Ram needs to be Registered, Servers don't go up to 64GB of ram unbuffered.
Unbuffered means the CPU is giving all the power to move the 1's & 0's in & out of the memory.
Registered means each memory has it's own buffer, powered from the board, that helps the CPU moving bits in & out.
64GB needs too much current, the CPU memory controller can't give.

64GB unbuffered without ECC is asking for trouble.

You have a gaming PC.


My advise, remove memory from your PC, leave 12Gb. Turned -off of course.
Test memory.
Latest MemoryTest+ v4. Live DVD.
Switch ON spread spectrum in the Bios.
Look for reviews about the noise generated by your PSU PowerSupply of your PC, exact brand/model.
Ask someone's that knows about electricity to test the noise of your AC wall, and the Ground, ask to make a closer better ground connections, and separate all the phases in your home/studio, leave the best cleanest AC phase for your Studio...
Try to avoid compact fluorescent lights with high frequency switching ballasts in that same AC Phase line. Minibars with AC motors in the cooler, etc...
Buy a power cleaner, voltage regulator, and actually measure the output of the regulator with a true rms digital multi meter.
Cheap UPS's are very noisy, unless it's true Sine, true measured with an oscilloscope.

http://www.memtest86.com/

Windows Memory Diagnostic is not good enough to detect strange memory bugs.

If your have a smaller cache setting in PTHD, it will need a faster SSD 6Gbps, for system and another for the Audio files, not in the same Sata controller. Gaming PC's usually have 2 different SATA controllers.

If using 2x 6Gbps in the same Sata controller with pcie x1, will slow the SSD 50%.

Use HDTune to test the SSD speed, PTHD12 Needs ~500MB/s for system drive, if you have a small Ram Cache setting in ProToolsHD.

All case fans should blow to the inside if you want best cooling performance...
Measure temps with HWMonitor from cpuid.com

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by reichman

I'm on Mac, but when this happens to me, I run this and it clears up right away:

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...411#delete_pro

Thanks Nathaniel. I looked earlier in that location, but it just seemed to be a small number of preference files. Prior to PT11, there used to be a massive database that got corrupted occasionally - I got it up to 8gb easily - and trashing that solved problems for me. But I don't see an equivalent here - that folder is around 50mb I think, difficult to see how mis-indexed files could be fixed by transhing that.

Juan, those ideas look even less likely. The files open fine in PT10 - this is clearly a problem specific to PT11+.

[noiseboyuk]

Lil bump for this - just happened in a different project. All symptoms as before. Project working fine in PT10.

[noiseboyuk]

And another bump. Avid are looking into the issue, but no solution so far. With each passing week, more projects are getting corrupted for me, resulting in a one way trip back to PT10 which is still working fine. (This has put the kibosh on my Windows 10 upgrade thoughts for the moment - even when finally PT12 is W10 compliant, its unlikely PT10 ever will be eh? And I'd have been completely stuffed these past weeks without it).

It does seem to be a new variation of the Copy Files On Import bug seen in these old threads -

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?p=2222884

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=363295

Which seemed to affect a lot of users, and never got resolved. Surprised I'm the only one seemingly affected this time.

[noiseboyuk]

...and another bump. I now have three different corrupted projects across three different series. While Avid are confirming that the projects are referencing the wrong files, they can't reproduce the error on my dummy corrupted project on their system, so it's something system-specific. Again, all the corrupted projects are working normally in PT10.

[noiseboyuk]

Ah, back at my one-man thread again. One day a google-searcher will thank me...

A mini breakthrough today. While neither Avid or I have found a fix, I have found a workaround for when a project gets corrupted that's not too painful. Simply copy the corrupted project - anywhere will do, including on the same parent folder. And that's it! The new copy I've found is bug-free. Of course you can then delete the corrupted original and rename the new copy to its correct name.

Cutting and pasting to another location won't work, neither will just renaming the project or deleting the wave cache (or any of the other preferences or databases used by PT). It's still a mystery why a simple project copy works, but thankful that it does.