Files get copied when editing

[sinbad]

Apparently this issue has been raised before but a quick scan of the threads didn't reveal anything, so here it is again.
When I edit a file, for example I highlight a section of a track and then move it left or right, the file gets copied and for every edit I have a file with a name like "original_name_edit8CJ8LI.edit" and the same size as the original. As you can imagine, after correcting some timing errors in a track, and having moved about 20 bits around my disc is starting to sag under the weight.
Obviously I am doing something wrong. Any suggestions?

[Mac]

Paging user SAZ, Paging user SAZ, man needs help with time shifting tracks!

[Saz]

Paging user SAZ, Paging user SAZ, man needs help with time shifting tracks!

I thought I heard a call.

...after correcting some timing errors in a track, and having moved about 20 bits around my disc is starting to sag under the weight.
Obviously I am doing something wrong. Any suggestions?

I don't think you're doing anything wrong - MTS just doesn't like to throw anything out. I kinda like that, but it can create a lot of extra files. Best way to do housecleaning on .edit files is to use the "Find Unused Files" tool, from the song menu.

After you save your project - use this tool to show all those .edit files you "may" no longer wish to keep. Just highlight and delete them within the tool's window.

As for time shifting(which will always create .edit files) it sounds like you've got a handle on it. If not, Mac's got my pager #

[Support]

When I edit a file, for example I highlight a section of a track and then move it left or right, the file gets copied and for every edit I have a file with a name like "original_name_edit8CJ8LI.edit" and the same size as the original.

As long as you edit small parts of a track the .edit files will be small. The "problem" starts when you edit the whole track. From then on, even editing a small part will generate .edit files just as large as the track itself.

The large .edit files can be avoided if you don't edit large parts of a track. If you're in the habit of normalizing all tracks, or removing the silent intro parts of all tracks then change your habits

[sinbad]

Thanks for the input fellas, and Mac thanks for the pager . Some more questions on the topic.
In ntrack, when you have finished editing and save a song, then the track files are updated and the undo function is removed. This means that the wav file in question is the latest version.
In mts it would seem that the original wav file stays in the old version and all the editing done is contained in the edit files. Is this the case? and if so, how do I update the original wav file? and can I access the data?
Normaly this wouldn't be an issue, but if I want to work on the file in another programme I need the latest version. Do I have to render to a new file or what? Methinks that there is room for improvement in this operation for a new version of mts. I like the fact that you don't lose any information, but there could be a function ( I don't like to call them features) that gives you the option of "render edits to file", or "overwrite original track" on a particular track, which would update the file and remove all related edits.
The "Find Unused Files" tool unfortunately returns all the edits in a song, suggesting that they are all surplus to requirement. If I delete them all then I delete all my work, correct? I have to check the time stamps manually to see which one not to delete. The last edits shouldn't be in that list imo.

[Support]

Find Unused Files only shows the .edit files which aren't used by .lst files, not the ones that are still required.

You can't save the edits to the original .wav file, but you can save them to a new .wav file. Either use the track's Save As option (use the button below the file name box), or select the whole track and click the editor's Export button.

[sinbad]

We're getting there slowly, please bear with me Giel
The following situation:
I have a file Angel1_voc06.wav (37MB) which is my original. After editing I have the following files in windows explorer:
Angel1_voc06.wav (37MB)
Angel1_voc06.~lst (1 Kb)
Angel1_voc06.edit MKUYX2.edit (41MB )
Angel1_voc06.edit 1VWPHG.edit (41MB )
Angel1_voc06.edit 3NYUWD.edit (41MB )
Angel1_voc06.edit N2V8WG.edit (41MB )
When I select "Find unused Files" the ALL of the above files are shown in the list. This includes the original, the .lst file, and the last edited file. Surely they are used by the .~lst file to define the last edited file. I am not going to delete anything at the moment, but I find it a bit confusing as I suspect that at least "Angel1_voc06.wav, Angel1_voc06.~lst", and the last edit file, in this case "Angel1_voc06.edit 3NYUWD.edit" are still used.

Can you follow me? It looks like if I select "Find unused Files" and simply delete what is in the list, then my song is gone. I read the manual and couldn't find the answer.

[Support]

We're getting there slowly

Mmm, I'm not sure yet

Is this really all there is in Windows Explorer? There isn't even a .lst file (the .~lst is a backup copy of the .lst file).

Note that Find Unused Files finds files which are not used by a song (ie. it's in a .hdr file in the current song's folder, or it's currently loaded in a track). Is your .lst file "used" this way?

Are we talking about a song you've recorded with MultitrackStudio, and you saved the .hdr file etc.? Or did you just load the .lst file in a track to find the unused files?

[sinbad]

As I said Giel, we're getting there SLOWLY
Murphy's law, the filename I used is a file from ntrack, duh. On another track, which was made in mts there is a file called -

"Angel2_mixdownvoc1 1KB Edited Audiofile"
as well as the -
"Angel2_mixdownvoc1.~lst 1KB ~LST-DATEI"

I assume that the first one is the original LST File ?

So to recap, If I use files from another programme they will show up in the "Find Unused Files" list. So I have to beware when deleting them
Thanks again for your time and for the info, I can live with that now that I know what to look for.

[Support]

"Angel2_mixdownvoc1 1KB Edited Audiofile"
as well as the -
"Angel2_mixdownvoc1.~lst 1KB ~LST-DATEI"

I assume that the first one is the original LST File ?

Yes

So to recap, If I use files from another programme they will show up in the "Find Unused Files" list.

No. All .wav files are created equal. The reason I asked this is that a song recorded with MultitrackStudio is likely to have all files in one folder. Find Unused Files more or less expects this. If you load audio files from different folders in a song it becomes rather messy, but even then I can't make Find Usused Files report list files which are used by a song.

By the way: Find Unused Files deletes the files to the Windows Recycle Bin, so you can get them back if necessary.

By the way 2: If you click the button below the track's file name box and select Properties you can see which .edit files are used by the .lst file.

[Mac]

There is a possibility that if you did all the XPtweaks for audio, and thus turned off XP file indexing, you may have problems here, dunno.

More and more I'm finding that audio/DAW tweaks before the fact aren't as necessary as they were with older OS than with XP, matter of fact now I recommend just installing proggies and hardware and finding out if there are any problems at all anywhere and then only doing one tweak that addresses any particular issue, leave all else alone seems to be working better, at least for me.

Not sure how the XP indexing issue might affect this particular problem and am loathe to turn mine off just to see at this point, though.

Just a thought,


--Mac

[sinbad]

Many thanks for your patience. It seems there is much much more to this programme than meets the eye. I must say I like the "highlight and drag" function for correcting timing. It is so much cleaner and simpler to do than the "cut and splice" approach of n-track
Now that I know a bit more about the file structure things are clearer. Btw1 it's reassuring to know that I can retrieve my files
and btw2 is a good tip.
Thanks again for your help.

[sinbad]

Sorry Mac, our posts got crossed there, when I posted yours wasn't there. I don't know if I switched it off, I'll have to check. Not being a pc geek I tend to do the same as you, "if it works, don't fix it"

I have but one last bitch on this thread however, as my file names are sometimes rather long they don't show up in full in the "Find unused Files" window because it is so small. Ergo; even though I know how it works, I still don't know which files to delete.

[Support]

because it is so small

Do I smell a request here?

[sinbad]