Project files - Audio folder not found

[itzaStudio]

Hi everyone.

Been a long time Sonar and CbB user. 

I have a question maybe someone can sort out, concerning the file structure for projects and their content.

It seems the project file does not read from its position and downwards, but from the root and down? Has it always been like this? 

I have had this causing issues at some points lately when moving a project disk to a new computer (labeled D instead of E) or when copying projects from one computer to another.
Lately I changed the folder name for a specific album and as soon as I opened any of the songs in it, the audio files couldn't be found. Took me a while to figure out that it could be solved by just re-naming the album folder back.

I always put the relating audio files folder IN the song's folder.

So my question is, is there a setting somewhere that could change from tree/global positioning of the files, to just looking downwards from the project file itself?
(i e "..\audio" instead of "E:\projekt\artist\album\song\audio")

[mettelus]

AFAIK, the pointer is relative to where the audio is located in relation to the cwp file location, so if the audio is in the project folder itself (nested), renaming that project folder will not affect them. However, if you rename any part of the audio folder's location if it is not nested under the cwp file (i.e., the audio is actually on another drive), that pointer is no longer valid since the path no longer exists when you rename any portion of the audio path.

Two ways to rectify this:

1. (Highly preferred) Do a "Save As..." of a project you want to move (or rename) and copy audio files with the project. This is also a nice cleanup technique since only audio in use by that cwp will be copied to the the new Project/Audio folder.
2. There was a default search engine when opening projects missing audio to "locate the missing files" but I forget it it can be launched manually. That will re-assign the pointers, but again, if you rename that audio path, you can easily break them again.

[David Baay]

I coincidentally just corrected a typoed project folder name this morning and had no issue opening the project from the Existing Project browser after doing that. And I've done this many times in that past. I've also migrated 30 years worth of projects across many PCs (and different drives in the same PC) without issue. In general, CbB will always look in the local Audio folder at the same level as the .cwp file within the project folder unless the project was saved referencing audio from the Global Audio Folder specified in Preferences > File > Audio Data. I have only seen issues arise with absolute paths including drive letters when saving/opening projects to/from a network directory that was not set up as a mapped drive.

[John Vere]

+100 to using Save as to place projects in a backup drive to transfer or even just to keep safe. 
just make sure to check that copy audio box. 
Unchecking that box is a guaranteed way to make the above issue happen. 

[Max Arwood]

Only one warning about Save as - older projects might not open if their audio is not contained in the current cwp

Edited November 27, 2023 by Max Arwood
Type error

[John Vere]

3 hours ago, Max Arwood said:

Only one warning about Save as - older projects might not open if their audio is not contained in the current cwp

Not sure what you mean by this. Save as to a new location like a back up drive with the copy audio checked will save the current state of the project. 
It will write new audio files taken from the project into the new audio folder . This is the whole point of doing this. It is the reason you have to check that box. 
If you don’t check the box then yes the new save as version will be useless. Unless it’s in the original folder then it will use the same audio folder. 
A messy project that has audio scattered all over will now be neat and tidy in one folder. But check that box. 

 

[Max Arwood]

It only saves audio connected to the version you save as. If you have an earlier version of the song, the audio files of the older version is not saved unless they are part of the save as version. Same as does not copy audio from older versions. Only the audio files associated with the save as .cwp. If you are on version 20, version 5 could have missing audio clips and might not open properly from this folder. 

Edited November 27, 2023 by Max Arwood

[mettelus]

+1, in other words, the "Save As..." trick only works for the cwp that is currently open... if the project folder has numerous cwp files in it, each cwp file would need a "Save As..." cycle done to preserve the audio required by all of them.

[itzaStudio]

On 11/27/2023 at 8:43 AM, mettelus said:

+1, in other words, the "Save As..." trick only works for the cwp that is currently open... if the project folder has numerous cwp files in it, each cwp file would need a "Save As..." cycle done to preserve the audio required by all of them.

Hmm ... This could actually be the issue...? ? I haven't re used the same audio files tho from a project to the next.

I do have ALBUM\DEMO\AUDIO ... and in the demo-folder I have saved at least 25 songs sharing the same audio folder. Instead of using a template I have just used Save as... from an existing song when starting working on a new one. Still, each project file should just look downwards, not minding what I renamed the ALBUM-folder?

[Max Arwood]

Itzastudio

it would be better to make a template than to do save as.  Save as might references a bunch of audio files unless you completely empty the song out before you do the save as.  Templates and FX chains are important to learn and use. They will jump start you song creation process 

[mettelus]

2 hours ago, itzaStudio said:

Hmm ... This could actually be the issue...? ? I haven't re used the same audio files tho from a project to the next.

I do have ALBUM\DEMO\AUDIO ... and in the demo-folder I have saved at least 25 songs sharing the same audio folder. Instead of using a template I have just used Save as... from an existing song when starting working on a new one. Still, each project file should just look downwards, not minding what I renamed the ALBUM-folder?

There is a utility in this thread from the old forums called "Projectscope" that would be worth testing on your cwp files. I would verify your theory that all audio you are using is nested (in the Project/Audio subfolder). It is very possible that some of the referenced audio is not nested, so when you renamed that folder the pointers broke. If those pointers are truly absolute and not relative, then renaming the folder could break them (I have not seen this before), but @azslow3 would be a better person to answer this as he knows the cwp file structure better.