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Old 06-28-2014, 04:07 AM   #1
saila
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Default Reaper didnt record my vocals because my HDD was full

i was closing my eyes, just jamming conceptualizing something i thought was aboslutely BEAUTIFUL!

then to listen back so i could fine tune it i notice it said "OFFLINE"
i thought.. well fuck. maybe its not in the right place, searched my computer POW there it is. 0mb.

is there ANYTHING i can do? this was a great jam performance that i wanted to make into a track. i could really use you now :'(
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Old 06-28-2014, 08:50 AM   #2
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'Fraid not.

But there is a Preferences to to get a warning next time:
"Check disk space on record start ..."

I would also have a look at what can be moved off onto another disk. Many users record to a non-system disk.
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Old 06-28-2014, 10:13 AM   #3
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For future reference... Windows starts to get a little 'wonky' (that's a technical term ) after your hard drive is approximately 75% full.

Hard drives are relatively cheap (either internal or external), add some storage to your current rig.


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Old 06-28-2014, 04:00 PM   #4
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Reaper also doesn't check disk space when rendering or batch converting.
I've had this happen so many times.

In my opinion it falls under basic error checking and should be addressed.

The space required is easy to calculate based on the render length and bit/sample rate so it would very simple.

Also, the the recording space warning should ideally differentiate between audio and MIDI recordings. It should not be based on a static amount of space left, but relative to the recording time left based on what you are recording.

If I have 3 minutes of stereo 32bit/96kHz audio recording left I want to be warned. But that could be 10+hrs of MIDI recording time so just let me get on with it because it is irrelevant in that situation.

I turned the warning off because of that. It's a very intrusive modal window that doesn't let you do anything else until acknowledging it (including seeing what you are recording!)
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Old 06-28-2014, 04:59 PM   #5
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With all due respect, kindness and plenty of hugs.
Not being aware of lack of HD space points to poor housekeeping on behalf of the operator.
Nothing to do with Windows, Reaper or any other software program.
Regular defragmenting, looking at Disk volumes are normal duties (not for sd drives is that right?) should make these things quite visible, these are normal practice for any computer operator.

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Old 06-28-2014, 05:23 PM   #6
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Definitely, but it also points to a lack of rudimentary error-checking on the part of the program. There is already a disc space warning feature for a reason, it just needs a little refinement.

Programmers should not be expected to make the program resilient against every possible misuse, but Reaper's primary function is recording, so if a situation arises where that task is unable to be completed the user needs to be alerted. Even if the waveform zeroed out it could be sufficient, but seeing a pretty waveform of a non-existent recording only adds insult to injury.

I have over 10TB in 7 drives and they are all nearly full. If I could afford a new drive right now or had the time to burn 50 DVDs to clear space I would.

We're musicians not accountants, IT guys, or housekeepers. Best practices aren't always followed and space gets eaten up quickly. The last thing someone should need to worry about when trying to capture an idea is whether the the program is actually recording like it says it is or writing a 0 byte file and not telling you.
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Old 06-28-2014, 06:26 PM   #7
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Ok, you cannot afford more drives, but you want to be warned. What will you do when you are warned? You cannot afford more storage, so you will do some cleanup.

Why not do some cleanup as a matter of routine? I would rather have dev time focused on useful stuff related to making music instead of making my DAW software remind me to do routine housekeeping on my DAW hardware.
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Old 06-28-2014, 07:20 PM   #8
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you think you got problems bunky? reaper didn't record my super kewl vocal cuz the 'puter wasn't turned on... now what? oh KrAp
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Old 06-28-2014, 07:38 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobF View Post
Ok, you cannot afford more drives, but you want to be warned. What will you do when you are warned? You cannot afford more storage, so you will do some cleanup.

Why not do some cleanup as a matter of routine? I would rather have dev time focused on useful stuff related to making music instead of making my DAW software remind me to do routine housekeeping on my DAW hardware.
I would change the recording location. Or stop and address the issue, not continue "recording" something that could be "absolutely BEAUTIFUL" (in the OP's words) only to lose it because nothing is being saved.

You're also assuming that I'm not doing routine "housekeeping", which is false. In fact because I have high storage requirements and little free space, I'm doing it constantly.


If you don't think making sure the program is actually recording when it says it is isn't "useful stuff related to making music" I don't know what else to tell you.

Regardless of what you think others "should" be doing without knowing anything about their situation, the fact remains Reaper says it's recording, shows you the waveform, yet it doesn't exist. That is the problem, not the user that might be low on disk space at some point or another.

This is basic CompSci 101 stuff, writing a single line of code that ensures there is not 0 bytes left in a recording destination isn't going to cause Reaper 5 to be delayed.
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Old 06-28-2014, 10:25 PM   #10
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I agree but see a problem.... say the HD room is very low but there is some.. so reaper says to itself, OK, record something... ah but then 'you' record something that needs more space than what existed at the start... see?

how could reaper know what you were thinking of recording... 10 sec's, 10 mins, 10 hours, etc.

Now what might be handy is some alert that says, 'you have 20 minutes of recording atm that you can use... etc, etc.
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Old 06-28-2014, 10:47 PM   #11
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Hi Pitchslap,
Taking a step back consider this, we know little about your usage of a computer, that is;
Are you recording other people and have to carry bucket loads of library files for other people or are you a mass maker of albums for yourself?

The HD space that you say you have with wave files is massive hence the question.
If you are a commercial entity with a great amount of clients then you should be able to afford massive storage.
I put out about one album every two years and have around at a guess, 150 GB of wave files at the finish of each one.
At the end I have a clean out and usually have to replace a HD due to usage.
I do not carry wave files that I do not use specifically for the album I am making. Old Album files get put on to an exterior HD for posperity only as I get the album CD'eed that is pretty much it and anyway I want to move on to my next. I backup only every month to an exterior HD and shut down automatic backups just use save heaps of memory. If I have a calamity, so what I just get to work again. If I had clients I would back up all the time.
Keeping your HD's lean is a good thing if you have heaps of isolated files which may or may not be used is a negative thing. Not that I am suggesting you do this however if you do this is my personal opinion on this matter.
Where I live just up the road is a town trying to convince the world it is a great place to live. In that town is a newspaper which puts out torment rather in the vein of what seems to be your view on what should be. The latest was the news that a patch of road along which quite a few locals have died while driving their vehicles had in fact "claimed another life".
I look at your problem rather as I look at the problem that people are dying on that stretch of road. Did the road rear up from it's usual position and throw the vehicle and it's driver off the road causing death. Or did the driver knowing many other drivers had died along that stretch of road simply make the same costly mistake by driving stupidly the way the other drivers had done?
Back to your HD's getting full......

Best
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Old 06-29-2014, 04:50 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hopi View Post
I agree but see a problem.... say the HD room is very low but there is some.. so reaper says to itself, OK, record something... ah but then 'you' record something that needs more space than what existed at the start... see?

how could reaper know what you were thinking of recording... 10 sec's, 10 mins, 10 hours, etc.

Now what might be handy is some alert that says, 'you have 20 minutes of recording atm that you can use... etc, etc.
That would be convenient. I do agree 100% that if Reaper says it is recording, it should be recording. If the concern is losing the moment, then a more proactive approach would be preferred, IMO.

If Reaper gives me a notice right when I'm ready to start recording -and space is low- I still have to interrupt the flow and deal with it.

OTOH, if keep myself generally aware of how much space I have, and deal with shortages in between periods of brilliance, I will have moved beyond a reactive approach to something more orderly and less disruptive.

Last edited by BobF; 06-29-2014 at 07:01 AM.
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Old 06-29-2014, 06:47 AM   #13
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Use the existing option to check for disk space. Make that limit enough to handle anything you would ever possibly need when hitting record such as 10 GB for example. Being that important (as eloquently stated by everyone), one should be getting a bigger disk or freeing up space the moment it has 10GB or less as per the warning. It provides wiggle room to cover that scenario completely.

If there is a need to not make the limit more than large enough to cover the bases, then it is not actually that important.
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Old 06-29-2014, 03:25 PM   #14
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The only problem with the existing warning is that it doesn't differentiate between audio and MIDI.

I use 90% MIDI so getting a modal warning pop up about disc space is annoying and totally irrelevant in that situation.

Quote:
Are you recording other people and have to carry bucket loads of library files for other people or are you a mass maker of albums for yourself?
I have rarely lost recordings because of no space, but it's happened so I empathize with saila. I have had quite a few botched renders and batch conversions though.

I think it's a mistake and red herring to focus on individual circumstances and lose site of the bigger picture. Reaper's primary function is to record your ideas when you tell it to, and definitely 100% of the time when it says it is. If it can't do that everything else is superfluous.

An analogy would be a Samurai that lets the Emperor get assassinated because he goes to make him a sandwich. Never forget your primary duty.

In my opinion the solution is very simple. When recording audio and space gets extremely low, split the recording and continue ANYWHWRE THERE IS SPACE. If there is no space in the project folder, try the default recording path, if there is no space there, safe to the drive with the most free space.

No one will be coming to forums in tears because Reaper saved their once in a lifetime perfect take in with their European vacation photos.

Only one drive? Clear the recycle bin or upload to StashBox...
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Old 06-29-2014, 04:18 PM   #15
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Hi pitchslap
I have no desire to prolong this and I have no desire to upset however the fact remains
Reaper is recording correctly it is the HD that does not report that little or no space exists to record too?
I do agree that you have a need to be informed perhaps you could get or write your own program to fit the bill?

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Old 06-29-2014, 06:01 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PitchSlap View Post
An analogy would be a Samurai that lets the Emperor get assassinated because he goes to make him a sandwich. Never forget your primary duty.
IMO a better analogy is, "I'm not going to check first as a matter of routine because somebody else *should* be checking for me. Yes, I know they aren't checking, but I'm not going to check because I shouldn't have to. And, BTW, I will be MAD when I don't have the space I need to record!!"

Maybe once Reaper is able to check for sufficient storage space for all possible recording scenarios, functionality should be added to check the status of UPS batteries too.

Those were my last words as well.
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Old 07-05-2014, 02:44 PM   #17
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I am back
I did notice today as I get back into recording after a long lay off in "Options" "Preferences" "Audio" we find we have the ability to ask Reaper to let us know when there is a lack of recording space....

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Old 07-05-2014, 04:23 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobF View Post
functionality should be added to check the status of UPS batteries too.


Quote:
"once Reaper is able to check for sufficient storage space for all possible recording scenarios"
Reductio ad absurdum. No ones asking for, nor expecting that.

When you moving a file in your OS, if it runs out of space, does it continue moving, leaving half or a blank file, proceed to delete the original? Does a bittorrent client waste hours and gigs of bandwidth writing empty files then say "Progress: 100%"? I honestly can't think of another program I've had similar issues with.

Read/write errors are some of the most basic things every program checks for. In CompSci class if our program read or wrote files and didn't include this we lost marks. Reaper is a giant project, some things are bound to be overlooked. I hardly see this as something intentionally left out, but rather as an honest oversight.

Quote:
Originally Posted by grinder
I did notice today as I get back into recording after a long lay off in "Options" "Preferences" "Audio" we find we have the ability to ask Reaper to let us know when there is a lack of recording space....
Yep, this was mentioned in the first few posts. It's a useful feature, and might have saved the OP his trouble but regardless if it's on/off or even existed in the first place, Reaper should have not continued "recording" to a drive it can't write to.

My point is not entirely about this (I've maybe lost one or two recordings in 5 years because of this), but combined with all the other areas of the program with the same issue:

-Recording
-Rendering
-Freezing
-Copy media with project saving
-Batch converting

All of these areas (and potentially more) are affected. Reaper DOES check when writing a project or .bak file, but that's it. It does prove my point however that this isn't some arcane programming task or obscure request, but something the program already does, it just needs to do more of it.
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Old 07-05-2014, 04:30 PM   #19
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My apologies,
A long lay off and not so observant it seems.

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