Sonic Stage Fails Again

[mrsoul]

I recorded the band Soulive at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC on my birthday, Friday 11-19-04. I got home and was uploading without dividing the show into tracks, just one large PCM recorded file. Unlike the last show, which was divided into tracks, SS had a fatal error about 87% of the way into the transfer, about 25 minutes. Having learned my lesson with my first failed transfer, I knew once I rebooted and found the track was still on the Hi-MD, not to attempt another transfer. Instead, I recorded via my Creative Audigy2 RCA analog input with the NH900 line out. Sounds really good to my ears and will have to do at this point. Of course, I could have used Total Recorder but I just don't get much difference in sound quality when I listen to samples with the TR route vs. using the RCA analog inputs through the soundcard. Just my .02 on that argument. I understand the digital vs. analog difference but if it sounds good, it sounds good. I'm just glad SS didn't eat the track.

Well, it did but that was after I made a copy on my PC, divided the tracks and burned to CD.

Here's some points I noted or learned:

1. Unlike all my other successful uploads and like the last failed upload attempt, this was a large undivided track over 500 Mb.

2. SS failed well into the transfer routine, the remote showed some message other than the ACCESS (I wasn't paying quick attention) but there was some message that flashed before the WXP blue screen of death. This was around 87% on the transfer progress bar.

3. After the restart and unhooking the Hi-MD from the USB connection, I was relieved to find the track intact and made the above-mentioned copy without any problems. It also played without problems over USB via SS.

4. The properties function on SS for that track said "Can still be uploaded to original PC." The track was NOT editable on the Hi-MD, message stated something like "Track from PC".

5. Like the last failed upload, I now have a large HMA file in the Optimized>Hi-MD folder. It won't open or convert. It's the same time as the failed upload and equal in size to the file that was on the Hi-MD.

6. Once I had a safe copy, I attempted another upload. SS quickly erased the track and that was the end of the "transfer" even though the properties stated it could be transferred back to the original PC. I guess it couldn't find the HMA file I mentioned in #5.

So, big lesson learned: if SS fails on upload and the track remains on the Hi-MD, DO NOT reattempt another upload, you will lose your data. Just play it via SS and record however you see fit from that signal,etc. (By the way, I used CD WAV editor from the soundcard to capture the playback from the Line Out.)

Also, I really think the large file size is a problem because other shows that I have recorded in Hi-SP bitrate have had no problems like the large PCM file uploads. I plan to always divide tracks when recorded in PCM and upload one track at a time. Hope this helps someone.

[dex Otaku]

You're lucky that the track was still playable. Every time SS has trashed a track on me, it was destroyed [unplayable] on the disc.