Recover corrupt session (session backups or importing session data not working)
 

Hi,

Pro Tools (2018.10) crashes when trying to open a session that I worked on yesterday and none of the usual workarounds seem to work. No error messages appear other than "The application Pro Tools has quit unexpectedly" and the crash happens before any of the "restoring tracks" or loading screens etc. appear.

I've tried:
- restarting the system (computer, audio interface etc)
- opening every single session file backup - same result
- creating a new session and importing session data. Tried importing one track at a time but it crashes every time (also when not selecting any tracks to import or when choosing only to import Clips and Media under Track Data to Import)
- trashing all Prefs using PT Prefs
- opening the session in safe mode (of course it didn't make any difference since there's not a single plugin in the session)
- copying the session and opening from another disk
- disabling video engine
- changing playback engine as well as buffer size
- opening the session with a previous version of Pro Tools (12.8.3)
- uninstalling Pro Tools and updating to 2018.12

There's no problem with any other sessions. I usually use Carbon Copy Cloner to do backups but unfortunately didn't do it last night. I run the session from an external hard drive which I've never had a problem with even with heavy sessions.


Macbook Pro Retina (mid 2014)
OSX Sierra 10.12.6
Pro Tools 2018.10

I'm mixing a feature film and have a deadline in a few days. Needed to edit some extra stuff for a few scenes yesterday but I was working from home where I don't have Pro Tools Ultimate. So I just created a new session with a few audio tracks and the video so I could import it in the studio tomorrow. But I suspect that it won't open the session there either.

Not sure what went wrong since it's a pretty simple session.
Any ideas?

EDIT:
Here's the crashlog with the project title censored. Looks like it could be some kind of access violation error?

Crashlog:
5926.812755,00307,0d02: Performing TCommand: TODocCommand - "XXXXXX.ptx"
5927.113055,00307,0e0c: PtSess_RunTime::GetDocumentInfo - major version: 6, minor version: 5
5927.113061,00307,0e0c: this build of Pro Tools supports up to major version: 6, minor version: 10
5927.117595,00307,0033: SMgr_DSPCache::FreeMixer - (0x618000664b80), pluginType: Native, inNumInputsUsed: 2, inNumOutputsUsed: 2, name: "Mon 1-2"
5927.117899,00307,0033: SMgr_DSPCache::FreeMixer - (0x618000e79240), pluginType: Native, inNumInputsUsed: 16, inNumOutputsUsed: 2, name: "Private Audition Bus"
5927.120812,00307,0033: SMgr_DSPCache::FreePlugIn - pluginType: Native, name: "AudioInjection PlugIn", track "Audition Track"
5927.123380,00307,0033: SMgr_DSPCache::FreePlugIn - pluginType: Elastic, name: "Polyphonic", track "Audition Track"
5927.279916,00307,0e0c: mApplicationCreatorUID: Sys_Umid::NoID() - set to default
5927.384439,00307,0e0c: mApplicationCreatorUID: Sys_Umid::NoID() - set to default
5927.384460,00307,0e0c: Setting max session sample to 4147200000
5927.388340,00307,0e0e: TProToolsApp::OpenOld about to delete non IO stems
5927.388346,00307,0e0e: TProToolsApp::DeleteAllNonIOStems()
5927.400753,00307,000f: CSynchronizer::Stop
5927.561872,13207,0034: [catch_exception_raise] got mach exception: 1
5927.561904,13207,0e0f: Access Violation:
Stacktrace:
0x120ec7947 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x120f1bc59 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x120f2edd6 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x11f130d24 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x10fce8d2b : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x10fce9bfe : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x11f131ace : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x11f019284 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x10fd14731 : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x10fcdb034 : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x10fcd2f21 : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x10fcd2e80 : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x10fe7ecfe : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x7fffbc564427 : - (AppKit @ 0x7fffbc529000)
0x10fe819b7 : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x10fcd3524 : - (DFW @ 0x10fc9d000)
0x1200287b5 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x12002cab1 : - (Pro Tools @ 0x11d992000)
0x10f53e79a : - (Pro Tools @ 0x10f53b000)
0x7fffd426d235 : - (libdyld.dylib @ 0x7fffd4268000)

-----------------------------10D63AF160B7ACD9--


UPDATE:
After reinstalling Pro Tools again and deleting all plugins and prefs again, the "Restoring audio engine settings..." box now appears before crashing... Maybe some audio or I/O settings got corrupted?

Re: Recover corrupt session (session backups or importing session data not working)
 

Nothing?

Re: Recover corrupt session (session backups or importing session data not working)
 

Nobody is going to have a silver bullet for your problem.

If it’s just this session...

Does it open with all third party plugins removed? (move all .aaxplugin files out of their directory, trash prefs and restart). Then try opening that session. Tgat’s Looking for something funky tripping up some plugin...

Or more likely... it’s a corrupt session. If none of the automatic backups work then try doing an import into a new session. If that does not work it’s likely not worth your time messing around and you need to redo the work.

...but you tried that to be clear. Do that with all third party plugins removed and a fresh prefs trashed. Don’t do anything else, and truly the session import, if that does not work then trash prefs again and try just importing the audio content.

I would be paranoid and looking through the system for any other issues in the console log, full partitions etc.

Darryl

Re: Recover corrupt session (session backups or importing session data not working)
 

And just to be paranoid, make double sure you are really running the session and content from the drive you think you are, you did not for example move it in a USB stick and still running it from there.

Re: Recover corrupt session (session backups or importing session data not working)
 

Thanks. Yeah, I removed all plugins, trashed prefs, restarted, reinstalled and so on. The automatic backups doesn't work and neither does importing session data. The session is running from the correct external drive.

Avid is looking at the crashlogs now so hopefully they'll find something.

The worst part is not knowing what caused it and if it'll happen again.

Re: Recover corrupt session (session backups or importing session data not working)
 

Hello, I am having this exact same issue....

How did you fix it in the end please?

Thank you.