Old 01-22-2019, 01:52 PM   #1
ChrisBlue
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When I drag downloaded and extracted tracks into Reaper to practise mixing they work fine but when I come back to the project having saved it all the tracks are offline and there is a dialogue box with the option to search for them which when I click tells me they can't be found. I have the file in my documents with the rpp extension and it shows up in my Reaper list of projects but for some reason good old computer can't find them so yet again music production held up by mysterious computer problems. Does anyone know what it all means and how to fix it PLEASE
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Old 01-22-2019, 02:02 PM   #2
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REAPER project files (.RPP) do not contain any audio data. The audio remains only stored in the original audio files which must always stay accessible at the same location as referenced by the project file (.RPP). Perhaps they were moved or deleted (eg. temporary downloads)?

You can move or copy audio files to the project's media directory (as set in project settings) using the project bay. There is also an option to automatically copy them there on import in the action list.
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Old 01-22-2019, 02:03 PM   #3
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Open the project, then open the Project Bay and select Source Media tab. Make sure the Bay is set as (current project), bottom of the Project bay window. In the Source Media tab you will see all the media files the project uses and the Path column will show from what path Reaper tries to access these files.

Use that info as a clue from where to look for those missing files. If the files are not there, that whole drive might not be currently accessible (e.g. removable media), or the files themselves are not there anymore. In latter case you could try to use the actual media file names to search for them from your computer.
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Old 01-22-2019, 02:21 PM   #4
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thanks for the reply. Could you tell me the exact name of the action in the list please ( I looked but can't find it)? Will it be simply a case of ticking that action for it to happen thereafter and is there anything else I need to do so that next time I bring tracks into Reaper they will stay online and can be found? Thanks
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Old 01-22-2019, 02:24 PM   #5
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It's "Options: When importing, copy imported media to project media directory".
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Old 01-22-2019, 02:55 PM   #6
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yes that has worked thank you! Not being sarcastic but really trying to understand but why don't people who write computer programs make it clear what the issue is and offer a helpful suggestion? I mean why didn't Reaper just come up with the message to select the option you told me. It just drives me crazy how every little thing has to be hunted for when a simple message programmed into a progam would make so much sense and seems so obvious. For instance there is another thread where someone can't work out why he's having problems with plugins and after HOURS of searching and WEEKS of confusion he finds it's the FLS limit - why didn't Reaper just tell him that? It just seems a recipe for madness to me and intense irritation
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Old 01-22-2019, 03:53 PM   #7
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yes that has worked thank you! Not being sarcastic but really trying to understand but why don't people who write computer programs make it clear what the issue is and offer a helpful suggestion? I mean why didn't Reaper just come up with the message to select the option you told me. It just drives me crazy how every little thing has to be hunted for when a simple message programmed into a progam would make so much sense and seems so obvious. For instance there is another thread where someone can't work out why he's having problems with plugins and after HOURS of searching and WEEKS of confusion he finds it's the FLS limit - why didn't Reaper just tell him that? It just seems a recipe for madness to me and intense irritation
telling you that it can't find the files in the project folder and offering to look for them seems pretty helpful to me.
there is a couple of tick boxes offering options to save the audio files into the project folder when you save the project.
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Old 01-23-2019, 04:00 AM   #8
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It's no use at all unless you're in the know and can respond. Actually telling us what needs to be done i.e. the action you told me about is simple and works. Why not tell me that in a message box instead of something that when I do it doesn't even work and just tells me the files can't be found. It's just ridiculous that programmers won't communicate in a way the general user (in this case musicians - there's no reason to assume we love computing as such) can interact with and understand.
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Old 01-23-2019, 04:32 AM   #9
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The usual reason is that it is impossible to tell which of many different things you might have done wrong to arrive at the problem you now have. To provide detailed instructions for you to get out of your fix the programmer would somehow need to know that. Instructions that would work for you might instead make a real mess for someone who has arrived there via a different route.

You might as well ask why computer users don't read the information that they are given on screen or in manuals and respond sensibly to it. Or the perennial question of why the defaults in the program aren't the ones that suit you.

Not all complicated situations have simple solutions. One size doesn't fit everyone and it never will.

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Old 01-23-2019, 10:33 AM   #10
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It's just ridiculous that programmers won't communicate in a way the general user (in this case musicians - there's no reason to assume we love computing as such) can interact with and understand.
Musicians play instruments, they are tasked to learn the instrument, if they want to drive a car, they are tasked with learning to drive, if they want to drive a DAW they are tasked with at minimum learning the basics, this is one of those basics.

I get the frustration, and reaper doesn't necessarily cater well to those with very little knowledge of even projects/filesystem but.... DAWing isn't playing music, it's recording music so you'll have to dedicate some effort to getting some of the basics down and over that initial hump. I'd start here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fz9...Q3kdy7ROE2K-F4

If you dedicate at least some time to the videos above you'll be far more powerful when recording and a lot less frustrated with less time wasted.
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Old 01-23-2019, 11:05 AM   #11
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Even the best technical documentation requires some technical interpretation, poor documentation requires clairvoyance. Not that Reaper documentation is poor, it's quite good in fact, but to Slipsticks point, to try to anticipate every possible scenario a user might find themselves in, and then provide detailed help messages to cover all of those scenarios, is impossible.

Try to relax and embrace the experience of learning something new.
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Old 01-23-2019, 11:16 AM   #12
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THis video from Kenny will help you get your project organisation (including audio files) sorted :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjey57lAp1k
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Old 01-23-2019, 11:26 AM   #13
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Regarding the media files not being in the expected location, the error message could be handled and a friendly message provided if the coder wanted to take the time. It's really just one error. Reaper cannot find the files that go with the media

So, wherever in the code Reaper is looking for the media and firing that error is where the message could be made more friendly to say that the files cannot be found. It's nice to go back over your code every once in a while and consider what what the most common errors are likely to be and make sure those messages are as friendly as possible. Ahh good times
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Old 01-23-2019, 11:32 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by karbomusic View Post
I get the frustration, and reaper doesn't necessarily cater well to those with very little knowledge of even projects/filesystem but.... DAWing isn't playing music, it's recording music so you'll have to dedicate some effort to getting some of the basics down and over that initial hump.
Definitely this. Back in the stone age people involved in recording and mixing used to be called engineers for a good reason. To be able to do studio work, you were required to have skills and knowledge of things regular musicians never had to touch. While computing and wider availability of tools has made many things easier basically for everybody, it doesn't mean just about everybody can do it just like that. We all have to put some effort to it.

I still know working musicians who simply don't want to even start with it. They are happy with their instruments and some simple devices like a small recorder to get their ideas down. This not to say everybody shouldn't at least try how it goes, but expecting it all to be easy is asking to be disappointed and frustrated at some point of the journey. That will likely happen even if you know and expect some challenges ahead.
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Old 01-23-2019, 11:34 AM   #15
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I think I'm missing something...

They can't go missing if the project is saved after the import regardless of where the audio files lives unless they got deleted or moved, and if they are deleted/moved they should be greeted with this informative message:

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Old 01-23-2019, 11:37 AM   #16
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ahhh … the good old days of "Error 57". Now go and look it up in the manual. Oh Oh, "error 57" does not exist. Huh - now check the source code and look how that error message got invoked … oh oh, no source code - Ok, now try to decompile the executable … life is generally so much better these days …

But yes, I get the OP frustration - at least it was one of the least obscure failures! And perhaps the error message could be better. I do remember lots of software let you switch between short or long error messages - still mileage in that I think!

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Old 01-23-2019, 11:40 AM   #17
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Yep, that comes up right when you open the project, if there are missing files. And like I mentioned earlier, Project Bay will also show from where it tries to access those media files.
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Old 01-23-2019, 01:19 PM   #18
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Yes I did get that message but browsing for them just returned couldn't be found. And dare we asked why the files are moved and who moved them cause it wasn't me.... Also just to add I'm not saying no work should be required to use Reaper and I have put a fair amount in. My point is the software writers need to improve their communication with users. It doesn't seem reasonable to expect users to swallow the manual and have full recall of it so that they can respond to every eventuality. And why is so much energy put into writing code for obscure options (lots of which are so jargonistically titled I don't even begin to know what they might be for) and yet some simple messages can't be embedded to help people who aren't primarily here to learn computer stuff. Anyway I've got this one sorted now so until the next one thanks everybody.
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Old 01-23-2019, 01:21 PM   #19
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Well Reaper sure as hell didn't move them
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Old 01-23-2019, 02:15 PM   #20
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ahhh … the good old days of "Error 57".
LOL, reminds of my days back at DEC and "Trap To 12".

Hated that because basically it was the OS saying, "Something screwed up, but I have no idea what it was."
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Old 01-23-2019, 02:22 PM   #21
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Years ago I was working with a 2000-user server that suddenly stopped working one day. One of the system admins called me in to look at an entry on the system console. It simply said "cannot possibly get to this line of code" and then it shut itself down.
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Old 01-23-2019, 04:06 PM   #22
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Yeah, saw a lot of those "trap to's"! Worked with PDP-11's, KL-10, KS-10, various Vaxen!

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Old 01-23-2019, 07:48 PM   #23
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Yeah, saw a lot of those "trap to's"! Worked with PDP-11's, KL-10, KS-10, various Vaxen!

db
Those were great machines. I'll never forget the first VAX we got in with 1MB of RAM, we were like, "WOW"!!!

The state of Hawaii still runs their employee payroll on a DECSystem 10, can only imagine what that's costing the taxpayers.

But we digress.
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Old 01-26-2019, 07:22 AM   #24
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Just to respond but probably not worth extending things much - I'm trying to understand why the programme which "knows" I am importing separate tracks because it asks me if I want them separately or on one track so why can't it be made to ask if I want the option (i.e.the obviously useful one) that keeps things working? I have done a fair amount of reading the manual and watching Kenny's great videos but don't see any justification for expecting me to know this computer-based option without telling me. Before it happened I had no context for the info in the manual regarding this so why would I suddenly recall this ?
P.S. it's easy to be curious if your mind can come up with relativity but it doesn't really translate to wanting to be curious about computers when your desire is to make music. After all even Einstein employed mathematicians to work things beyond his scope so he wasn't universally bloody curious
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Old 01-26-2019, 07:27 AM   #25
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Just to respond but probably not worth extending things much - I'm trying to understand why the programme which "knows" I am importing separate tracks because it asks me if I want them separately or on one track so why can't it be made to ask if I want the option (i.e.the obviously useful one) that keeps things working? I have done a fair amount of reading the manual and watching Kenny's great videos but don't see any justification for expecting me to know this computer-based option without telling me. Before it happened I had no context for the info in the manual regarding this so why would I suddenly recall this ?
P.S. it's easy to be curious if your mind can come up with relativity but it doesn't really translate to wanting to be curious about computers when your desire is to make music. After all even Einstein employed mathematicians to work things beyond his scope so he wasn't universally bloody curious
Programs are written by humans and humans make assumptions and they do not take into account every users expectation until the user clearly makes those expectations known and then there has to be enough support for that expectation to make it worth putting into the program.
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Old 01-26-2019, 07:44 AM   #26
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I'm trying to understand why the programme which "knows" I am importing separate tracks because it asks me if I want them separately or on one track so why can't it be made to ask if I want the option
I may be missing something about the question, but reaper only knows you imported more than one file simultaneously so it is asking if you want them on separate or single tracks. I may need either of those depending on my situation so I choose the one I need when it asks:



Quote:
After all even Einstein employed mathematicians to work things beyond his scope so he wasn't universally bloody curious.
I'm certain you could hire someone to do this for you. You have a great point but remember most of us are here doing it ourselves, and learning all the extra stuff because we don't want, or can't afford to hire someone else. That requires us to learn the technical stuff the person we didn't hire had.
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Old 01-26-2019, 09:00 AM   #27
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Just to respond but probably not worth extending things much - I'm trying to understand why the programme which "knows" I am importing separate tracks because it asks me if I want them separately or on one track so why can't it be made to ask if I want the option (i.e.the obviously useful one) that keeps things working?
i may have misunderstood, but i think the OP may be saying the action referred to in the first few posts is "the obviously useful one". I'm not sure how this relates to separate tracks though, so i'm a bit confused, but i just wanted to say that i wouldn't ever use this action personally, preferring to either save any imports to the project folder when i save it or i would create a folder and put them in it first. Which kind of illustrates that there isn't really an obvious way of working, just personal preference - which involves learning the software (not learning "computers" as the OP says)
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