Error opening project

[Steve.h]

Lately, I've been getting this error message on my au files when they start to open, followed by: Error: duplicate attribute at line 7. When the message appears, I'm not able to open that file. It's happening on every new file. I think of an attribute as some change to the file like compression or noise reduction, etc., but it also happens to files that haven't been altered in any way. I often have to go back to a file to make an edit before exporting and now can't. I'm using a Mac Mini with OS 10.4.11. Everything had been running fine up until the last week or so and I use it every day. Opened some file of code with text edit but for me it was like looking under the hood of a car; yup, the code was there all right! Figured I'd just reload the software and just found out it's now 1.3.6; better yet, I guess.
____

OK, now I'm getting really concerned. Trashed the old 1.3.5d, loaded the 1.3.6 and am still getting the same message. No other new additions to my system for a long time. This is not good. Help.

[kozikowski]

<<<running fine up until the last week or so and I use it every day.>>>

So it's probably starting to fill up, right? How big is the hard drive and how much stuff do you have on it?

You can start getting machine insanity when the room on the System Drive runs out. Click on the Drive > File > Get Info. No production machine should be over 90% full.

Koz

[steve]

Could we also have a look at the first few (say 10) lines of the .aup file that is giving this error?
(Copy and paste it into your next post - preferably use the "Code" tags around it by using the "Code" button above the forum message composing window.)

[Steve.h]

Thanks for your responses. I have an 80 GB system with about 28 GB available. BTW, I've trashed the Audacity preferences, restarted and still the same problem. The old version (1.2.6 ?) works OK, but I could really use the newer one. I believe the below is what you asked for... doe's it help? It's a very short test just to: save it, quit and try to reopen. It won't open the au file. In the accompanying folder there is one QuikTime file of the recording that can be listened to but not imported.

Thanks for looking at this.


<?xml version="1.0" standalone="no" ?>
<!DOCTYPE project PUBLIC "-//audacityproject-1.3.0//DTD//EN" "http://audacityteam.org/xml/audacityproject-1.3.0.dtd" >
<project xmlns="http://audacityteam.org/xml/" projname="p test 134_data" version="1.3.0" audacityversion="1.3.6" sel0="3.5178231293" sel1="3.5178231293" vpos="0" h="0.0000000000" zoom="86.1328125000" rate="44100">
<tags>
<tag name="id3v2" value="1"/>
<tag name="GENRE" value="Voice Over"/>
<tag name="ARTIST" name="ARTIST"/>
<tag name="YEAR" value="2009"/>
</tags>
<wavetrack name="Audio Track" channel="2" linked="0" offset="0.00000000" rate="44100" gain="1" pan="0">
<waveclip offset="0.00000000">
<sequence maxsamples="262144" sampleformat="262145" numsamples="260096">
<waveblock start="0">
<simpleblockfile filename="e0000218.au" len="260096" min="-1" max="1" rms="0.041352"/>
</waveblock>
</sequence>
<envelope numpoints="0"/>
</waveclip>
</wavetrack>
</project>

[kozikowski]

I see we haven't done basic Mac things yet.

Close everything.

Applications > Utilities > Disk Utilities.

Select the System Drive and Verify Drive (Do not repair). If it makes it through that OK, Repair Permissions. Close Utilities when it's all done.

Launch 1.3 Audacity and see if it's not better behaved.

<<<It won't open the au file.>>>

We've been avoiding making a fuss about this, but you're using the wrong English words. If you even know where the AU files are, you're poking about in the wrong places for the continued good health of your Project. You never open AU files. They're called by the AUP supervisory file and they become part of the management of the project.

Did you know the first two AU files were pictures? An excellent way to reduce your show to dust is to start messing around inside the _DATA folder. Never move anything after you save your Project. This is a screen capture of a very simple Project...

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/aup1.jpg

See where it says "aliasfile=?" What follows is a folder and pathway to a sound file. If I were to move that sound file and launch Audacity, piano2 Project will crash.

Koz

[djgshow]

hey
I'm having the same problem except mine is on line 11.
I'm running OSX 10.4.11 and Audacity 1.3.5d

If I need to get into the "guts" of audacity I'll need some step by step help. Like Steve, I'm not good with the "under the hood" stuff.
I repaired permissions as kozikowski recommended and it doesn't that didn't help.
Any assistance would be appreciated.

[Steve.h]

Thanks so much for your tips. I followed the instructions to verify and then repair; launched Audacity and did a test... no difference: Error: duplicate attribute at Line 7. Any other ideas? I have become quite comfortable with Audacity and dread the the thought of replacing it with some off-the-shelf program. It's been great for me and I've recommended it to dozens of people. But I do need to record often. How can this be that even after trashing the program, including the preferences, then reloading it I still have the problem?

Hoping for a fix.

[steve]

I've read through these posts several times, and I can't get a clear picture....

Is this just with one particular Audacity project that you have the error, or with all Audacity projects?

If you create a new project, do you get the error if you close the project, then immediately try to reopen it?

It's a very short test just to: save it, quit and try to reopen. It won't open the au file. In the accompanying folder there is one QuikTime file of the recording that can be listened to but not imported.

This troubles me. What is this "QuickTime file" that you are trying to open? I don't think that Audacity supports QuickTime files (unless it is supported by ffmpeg, but so far there has been no mention of ffmpeg, so I assume that is not the issue).

Are you trying to directly open the .au files? You shouldn't be doing that, you should only open the .AUP file. Those .au files are NOT audio files, they are data fragments that Audacity uses and you should be very careful not to move, delete, change, or in any way mess with them.

[kozikowski]

<<<This troubles me. What is this "QuickTime file" that you are trying to open? I don't think that Audacity supports QuickTime files (unless it is supported by ffmpeg, but so far there has been no mention of ffmpeg, so I assume that is not the issue).>>>

That did get my attention, too. One of the ways to make Audacity very instable is to try to manage sound from oddball formats.

Download the piano2.wav thing from here...

http://www.kozco.com/tech/soundtests.html

Put it on a clean timeline and save a project. It's six seconds long, so this is no big deal. I bet the project is perfectly stable. Copy it and paste it to itself to make it longer and do some other production tricks. Save the project. Close everything, restart the machine, open Audacity, and File-Open the project. Do it in that order. Don't double click the AUP file. You can get into trouble by doing that.

I bet all that is perfectly stable.

Let us know.

Koz

[djgshow]

Sooo... I'm not supposed to double click on the xxx.aup icon?????? I've never heard of that before. I can see that I shouldn't try to open the xxx.au files in the associated data file, but not clicking on the xxx.aup file????? either way this file doesn't work any better going through file--open than it does double clicking the icon. I can open other audacity projects but not this particular one, and it would be very difficult if not impossible to replace. I haven't messed with any of the xxx.au data files at all.

Before this error message came up I had done nothing out of the ordinary. I recorded a project, later I went back and began to edit some sections of the audio out and add a few additional audio clips in. If anybody knows any way to recover this audio it would be appreciated.
thanks