Samples / plug ins getting lost

[Max]

Hi there,

I've been using Open MPT  for quite some time now , at first with a friend and since a year on my own.

Creating my own music / tracks.

Since yesterday I've noticed two samples getting lost / disappearing and also sometimes plug ins/ effects getting lost.

Restarting the prog helps with the plugins and effects but those samples are still missing.

Turning to back ups doesn't help , those two samples still are missing , also from those backed up files.

I did NOT delete them myself. 

The name of the sample is there but it's empty / deleted.

Luckily I can create those two samples again but I am wondering if any of you have encountered the same problem and what caused it.

I was using an older MP version , that always worked fine , and have now (since an hour) installed the latest version.

PS : I did hear of simular problems when I worked with that friend , but at that time he took care of the program and I never needed to get technical / solve it. I remember he also did not know what caused it and just accepted the error and worked around it.

Help is appreciated.

Max    (The Hague , Netherlands)

(Windows 7 on high end PC)

[Saga Musix]

I cannot really imagine any reason for them to disappear, especially if you're using the latest version. Note that samples can be deleted automatically if they are associated with an instrument and you replace the instrument with a new one. Did they disappear while working on the file or just after reloading it from disk?

To get a clue what could be going on there, it would also be helpful to know which version you have been using before, and if the problem was reproducable with any module, or maybe only modules with lots of samples, only modules with plugins, etc...

[Max]

Thanks for the reply.

It happened when I was using the older version.

I am the person that keeps on using a version that works and doesn't update to a new one just because there is one.

The "If it an't broke ,  don't try to fix it" attitude.  ;-)

When I checked today , it was a version from 2012 , not sure which , but I have updated to the new one today.

I use samples only , no instruments. 

I record samples and import them into MPT to create songs.

That is the way I worked with my friend before and have done for over a year now.

I noticed the samples were gone when I did not hear them being played / used in the song.

I checked and saw they were still in the list of samples but they are empty / no sample in there anymore.

I have just openend an Autosave from yesterday and again it was reported that two plug-ins could not be found / loaded.

I closed the program and tried again , this time I first got a error message (see attachment)  I still went ahead and those plug-ins were missing again.

I closed and tried the Autosave after that  , and it loaded fine (except those missing samples).

Can those Autosaves become corrupted , or can a saved file become corrupted after having being saved many times?

I always make sure that after any change to a song I save it , so I can end up saving it a lot in one session.

Does the number of samples  / length / size of the samples have any effect?

I now have 89 samples in my latest track , and about 14 samples that are still being listed but are empty.

I now realize that those empty samples also means something is wrong...I did not "empty"them , I either keep them or delete them...

So something is going on behind my back.

I sure hope this will not continue...

Help and advice is appreciated.

[Saga Musix]

Can those Autosaves become corrupted , or can a saved file become corrupted after having being saved many times?

Maybe. I have no idea if the specific version that you used had any of such failures, since you didn't post the version number.
I can't recall any specific errors like this, but it's very well that they were there without me noticing (or maybe I just thankfully forgot about them).

Can those Autosaves become corrupted , or can a saved file become corrupted after having
I closed the program and tried again , this time I first got a error message (see attachment)  I still went ahead and those plug-ins were missing again.

Does this message appear always when trying to open this specific file, or just sometimes? If it's latter, I have no idea why it would happen (virus scanners maybe?). If it's the former, well, then the file is damaged, but unless that happened while saving it with the current version, there's little I can say about that.

Regarding the plugins, do they actually still appear in the plugin manager, or are they missing there as well?

Does the number of samples  / length / size of the samples have any effect?
I now have 89 samples in my latest track , and about 14 samples that are still being listed but are empty.

There can be a few reasons why too many samples could break stuff, for example if they are too big. How big are those modules you are working with?

[Max]

Today I have deleted all the empty samples , have replaced those I needed and have deleted samples I did not use.

The song itself is now complete and appears ok again. I do hope troubles stay away....

Sample sizes vary , from 10 to 100 MB , I never had trouble with sizes / samples before.


Regarding the plugins that are missing ; as soon as I got that message I did not check to see if they were still listed , I started another one and I did not get the message.


Tonight I ran into another / different problem :


I always listen to my finished / almost finished tracks on my JVC audio set that handles .wav files. 

So I 've just exported my latest track as a .wav file , copied it to a USB stick and plugged it into the set......but now my JVC does not play it!

It says "No support".

All other .wav files I created (with previous MPT versions) still play without problem.

I noticed the export menu has changed , has a lot more options.

Should I now perhaps tick any boxes if a want a "normal".wav file , like I always got?

P.s. The exported .wav I created tonight plays well on my PC , but not on the JVC set.

You mention Anti Virus scanners , how could they influence MPT in a bad way?

[FreezeFlame(Alchemy)]

Im not an developer, but there are multiple factors in WAV export.

Do you exported the WAV file with the right bit rate (most players of WAV files support an bit rate of 16 bit)?
Is maybe the sample rate the issue (most audio players these days support an sample rate of 44100 Hz)?

[Saga Musix]

Please, you have to be a lot more specific with your bug reports or we won't be able to help you. As FreezeFlame suggested, there are many things that could make a less compliant WAV player fail. For example, a bit depth greater than 16 bit. Or if you choose to embed cue points or tags. OpenMPT definitely writes WAV files that are compliant with the RIFF specs, it's another question whether other players (especially hardware players) implement the complete RIFF specs, though.

You mention Anti Virus scanners , how could they influence MPT in a bad way?

While scanning, they can prevent any procress from opening a file. It was just a random guess regarding OpenMPT's notice that it can't open the file you wanted to open, because I couldn't make any better guess from the little information.

[Max]

Thanks for the replies.


Please bear in mind that I am a user and I am running into problems I personally had not encountered before and try to solve them.

Excuse me for not being able to explain into (technical) detail the problems I experience.

Details you require and want , but not always are so obvious and clear to a user.


Now when I suddenly am not able to play my .wav files on my JVC set like I used to , I tell you of it , also that that never was the case before , with previous MPT versions.


I am now suddenly confronted with a problem and a changed menu , so I ask you what could be the case.

Therefore I ask if I should tick extra options. 

Options I did not have to tick before.

I have just done what FreezeFlame suggested : 16 bit , 44100 Hz and it plays fine. 

That "floating point" option needed to be set.

Thank you for those two simple , yet excellent tips.


I have always enjoyed using MPT and I hope I will in the future.  It's easy to use and straightforward.  I like that.



P.s. Here's some of the work I did with it :

http://www.youtube.com/user/DIEWELTMusicChannel

[FreezeFlame(Alchemy)]

I have just did what FreezeFlame suggested : 16 bit , 44100 Hz and it plays fine. 

That "floating point" option needed to be set.

Thank you for those two simple , yet excellent tips.

Great that my sugested settings worked .

But i do have to agree with something. That whenever the export window shows up, that it always starts with floaty points.
It does bug me sometimes when stuff has to be done fast.

[Max]

I have just did what FreezeFlame suggested : 16 bit , 44100 Hz and it plays fine. 

That "floating point" option needed to be set.

Thank you for those two simple , yet excellent tips.

Great that my sugested settings worked .

But i do have to agree with something. That whenever the export window shows up, that it always starts with floaty points.
It does bug me sometimes when stuff has to be done fast.

Now that I know what to do that won't bother me too much.   

[Saga Musix]

Please bear in mind that I am a user and I am running into problems I personally had not encountered before and try to solve them.

Excuse me for not being able to explain into (technical) detail the problems I experience.

A screenshot or list with selected settings, or comparing for yourself how the new and old settings differ would already have helped.

Anyway, I'm glad that you could figure out the problem. OpenMPT will remember the previously used export settings in the upcoming version, so that you don't have to change the format every time.