Saving a copy creates extra wav files

[sean72]

On my current project I have it saved to a default location where I open it and work on it from. Every so often I will save a copy to an external drive. 

Right now there is about 4GB of audio data in the folder, but the backup copy had ballooned up to over 40GB before I deleted it and saved a new copy. 

I want the audio from the project to be saved with the backup copy so I have been instructing Cakewalk to save all audio for the project, but it seems to have been creating duplicate wav files instead of overwriting ones that already exist. 

This is a pretty recent thing, before it used to ask me if I wanted to overwrite the files but it stopped doing that. So I must have turned some setting on or off without realizing it? 

[John Vere]

It might be due to the recording mode you are using.   Every time you record any audio Cakewalk creates a new file and gives that file a new name. Open your audio folder on a second monitor while your working on a project and watch the action.  One audio track where you keep redoing parts will grow into dozens of audio files. 

In Overdub mode all this stays there until you Save/ close Cakewalk even if you overwrite a part because it needs to be available for UNDO.  If you are using Comping mode I think they get kept even after you save and close Cakewalk. I don't use comping so cannot verify this but I think comping mode keeps everything so you can go back even after save and close.  Add this to using a higher resolution like 96kHz and your hard drive will quickly fill up. 

If you use Save As , check the copy audio box and place that in a new location this is supposed to clean things up but I cannot verify what comping mode does,  you can test it yourself. For me,  an Overdub guy,  the audio folder contains only  files relevant to the projects audio.  

Edited January 31, 2023 by John Vere

[sean72]

Thanks John, I will look into this. I don't know what mode I am recording in, should be the default. What you've outlined definitely sounds like a possibility though because I have been doing a lot of performance takes with long stretches between closing the file down, so it could be saving all of the temp takes to the copy file. Good suggestion, thanks again! 

Edited January 31, 2023 by sean72