So I have an issue that is 100% my fault for not testing.
I was working on a 2 hour podcast that I wanted to split into two parts. I edited down the first hour, saved the project and made a copy of the audacity file in the same folder (had the same file name but with “- Copy” at the end). I then went into the copy and deleted the second half of the podcast, SAVED the now halved podcast (thinking the original was still the whole 2 hours),closed it and attempted to open the original.
When I opened the original, I received a pop up stating that a large portion of the audio was missing and I was given three options.
close the session and do nothing
continuing replacing missing audio but just this time
permanently replace missing audio with silence
So it looks like even though I made the change in the “copy” file, it affected the original. When I try and open the “copy” file it says “couldn’t find project data folder: “board game - copy_data””
I was working on a 2 hour podcast that I wanted to split into two parts.
So the first thing you did was File > Export a perfect quality WAV sound file of the long show as backup and moved it to somewhere safe.
made a copy of the audacity file
I think that’s where it started to fall apart. You can’t manipulate Audacity projects, files, and folders outside of Audacity. The minute you did that, the AUP project manager lost control of the show.
This is an Audacity Project.
The AUP file tells Audacity what to do with all those sound snippets inside the _DATA folder.
They both have to be there in the same location or folder for a show to open. They have to be separate, they have to have the same name and it has to be the name you gave them inside Audacity.
You can open up the AUP file in a text editor and read it (do not save anything). It will tell you what it thinks the show name is (red box).
Past that, I can’t follow what you did. Did you keep any of the original work? Did you do a computer backup between finishing the long show and editing two shorter ones?
The next Audacity version doesn’t do Projects this way.
So the first thing you did was File > Export a perfect quality WAV sound file of the long show as backup and moved it to somewhere safe.
I definitely SHOULD have done that but I didn’t. I usually do further editing in a video editor but I figured this nonsensical way would be quicker
Did you keep > any > of the original work? Did you do a computer backup between finishing the long show and editing two shorter ones?
Negative. Unfortunately I didn’t have the foresight to do a backup. I ended up installing a recovery program but I don’t think it worked. I managed to find files that were modified on the 17th but I have no way of actually knowing what the files are except that they are audacity files. The software (EaseUS DATA Recovery Wizard) is kinda sketch, it scanned my cpu and found some files but when I compared them to the files that were already in the Audacity project folder they appeared to be the exact same…so I’m not sure if the recovery program did anything useful at all
Thanks for the quick reply and explanation though. I think I’m just gonna have to cut my losses. At least I still have the first part of the pod still intact.
Someone will correct me, but I think the process should have been to delete the second half of the show, File > Save As a different project name. With Audacity still open, Edit UNDO back to the long show, Delete the first half and File > Save As a different different name. That gives you three intact shows, one long and two short with unique names.
Each new show can be cut and polished without affecting the original long show or the other short show.
Again, this causes enough trouble that Audacity Release 3 doesn’t work this way.
but I didn’t. I usually do further editing in a video editor but I figured this nonsensical way would be quicker 
