Subject:Bug in Timer recording

Posted by: AFSDMS

Date:4/6/2004 7:23:43 PM

This doesn't seem to happen every time, but. . .

I set up a recording to run for 30 minutes. I come back to the machine later in the evening and I see the recording supposedly took place but I only see a window with a flat line. Save it anyway and it is tine. Nothing there.

So I do a test to record for 1 minute a couple minutes in the future and stare at the machine. It starts recording at the correct time, records, then stops at the end. I see the data window populated with the waveform, or peaks more accurately. Then the window blinks a bit and the peaks disappear, YES before my eyes, and I have a new flat recording. It looks like something has selected all the data then deleted it.I try play and nothing happens.

Weird, but I can think weird too. I check undo to see if I can undo whatever happened. The only item is "Undo Recording" I click that and even the flat line disappears. Great. So I just go ahead and click the redo recording and (you are sitting down, right?) the data reappears and I can play what I just recorded!!!!!

Got me baffled. I'm running SF 7.0a Build 262 on Windows XP Pro. 540 GB disks with over 400 GB free and 1.256 GB RAM. (Set up for video edit and production.)

I've had a number of previous problems with timer recording. Let me know if you need any further info.

Wayne Munn

Subject:RE: Bug in Timer recording

Reply by: Sonic

Date:4/7/2004 12:27:02 PM

Wow, that sounds extraordinarily bad. Any safety buffer or pre-roll set? Do you happen to have the spectrum analysis window open? Does your temp folder reside on the same drive or a different one?

The next time you get a flat line, try zooming in all the way and see if the data re-appears. Might just be a peak generation/access issue.

Lurkers with similar issues or input please speak up.

J.

Subject:RE: Bug in Timer recording

Reply by: AFSDMS

Date:4/7/2004 1:02:52 PM

I'll get back with more info tonight, but here are some other tidbits.

I could click in the window and then play (I had closed the Record dialog) but nothing would happen. As I remember, the marker in the file would disappear. Same response as trying to Play a New blank data window.

So, it wasn't just a matter of the view of the waveforms (I was creating a 44.1 kHz/16-bit two channel file) or the peaks needing to be regenerated. When I did a save of the file it was something like 9.7k, if memory serves.

The freaky thing was when the undo and redo made the waveform come back AND the data. (Too bad I didn't give that a try when it failed the first time. I would like to have the file I lost.)

I'll check the location of the temp file. I think it and the target for the recording are to different drives. Spectrum analysis not open and buffer and pre-roll have been left (I think) at Defaults.

Also, it isn't like the workstation had been running for a long time since the last reboot. When I first had the problem I had powered the machine up, opened SF, set up the timed record and then 'Armed' it. The workstation is a Dell 4600 running a 2.8 GHz Pentium IV. Pretty plain jane Radeon video card with apparently clean drivers. Not prior issues with the workstation with other applications such as Vegas 4, CD Arch. 5, or DVD Architect.

Thanks.

Wayne

Subject:RE: Bug in Timer recording

Reply by: Sonic

Date:4/7/2004 2:26:47 PM

Hyper-threaded P4?

J.

Subject:RE: Bug in Timer recording

Reply by: AFSDMS

Date:4/8/2004 1:35:35 PM

Yes, HT P4.

BTW, set up a recording in a similar way yesterday and it failed the same way. The resulting window would not let me click anywhere, but clicking Play seemed to be a legal action. (Didn't get the "don't do that" bonk.)

The Undo and ReDo trick did not work since Undo was not available. This was a 1 hour 35 minute recording.

I set up another short test recording and it worked fine to do the recording, but the window again showed a flatline. Clicked on the scroll bar for horizontal scroll of the WIndow and as I scrolled right and came back, the waveforms appeared and I could play the file.

At a loss here.

W

Subject:RE: Bug in Timer recording

Reply by: Sonic

Date:4/13/2004 9:24:21 AM

Hmmm, so am I. I can't repro at all.

Undo was not available? All recording operations should generate an undo, so that may be a clue. Sounds like some type of failure is not being reported (or handled) correctly and it sounds like it is related to the length of the record. The peaks on/off thing may just be a benign side effect.

Can you tell me which drive Forge is installed on, which drive the temporary folder is set to, and, if you are recording into an existing file, which drive that is on? Also, how are those drives formatted and what kind of free space do they have?

In the meantime, if it happens again, check the contents of the temp folder before closing Sound Forge. Is there a *.tmp file in there that is about the right size for the length of the record?

J.