[FIXED] Unusually large aup3 (bug with single-quote in directory)

I’m using Audacity 3.0.2 on Windows 10 (with full updates)

I recorded 12 minutes at 44100 mono, duplicated into a second track which I made trackwide changes to.

After saving and exiting, the result is a 1.4 GB aup3 file. This seems extraordinarily large to me.

I am using the same settings I had with 2.x and into 3.0.0. I used 3.0.0 to convert many projects into the aup3 format and they are all the expected file sizes.

Attached is the debug report.

If it helps, I can upload the file to a file sharing host and DM a dev a link to look at it; its content my own work.
Audacity_dbgrpt-4256-20210516T035454.zip (19.5 KB)

Yes, that does seem rather too large.

12 mins = 720 seconds.
720 s x 44100 samples per second x 4 bytes per sample x 2 tracks is about 0.25 GB.

Looking at the “project.txt” file from the ZIP attachment that you posted:
If I added up all of the sample counts from the blocks correctly, there are 63192341 samples, which again is about 0.25 GB.

It’s normal for projects to get bigger as you work due to the “Undo” history being retained, but that should go away when you save and exit.

How did you get that ZIP file?

How did you get that ZIP file?

  • Open that aup3
  • Help > Diagnostics > Generate Support Data

If you do “File menu > Save Project > Backup Project”, how big is the backup project?

If you do “File menu > Save Project > Backup Project”, how big is the backup project?

Interesting, that seems to be the solution.

Size 186 MB (195,297,280 bytes)

Size on disk 186 MB (195,297,280 bytes)

and what is the size now of the original AUP3 ? (after closing Audacity).

and what is the size now of the original AUP3 ? (after closing Audacity).

  • Open the large aup3
  • Export the backup
  • Close the large aup3

I was not prompted to save. The file remains:

Size 1.35 GB (1,453,326,336 bytes)
Size on disk 1.35 GB (1,453,326,336 bytes)

  • Open the large aup3
  • Export a backup
  • Make an additional label entry
  • Delete the additional label entry
  • Save in-place (control-s)
  • Exit

There is no file size difference. I confirmed that the modification time has been updated.

When you originally saved the project, is it possible that you might have cancelled a slow “Checkpointing” stage?

When you originally saved the project, is it possible that you might have cancelled a slow “Checkpointing” stage?

I don’t believe so; I’ve never seen something like that.

I was fiddling with trackwide effects via a macro, and I did cancel that macro pass, then I un-did it and made another pass with a different macro.

Please try this.
(If you have plenty of disk space, make a normal file copy of the original AUP3 so that we can look at it again later if we need to).

With the huge project file:

  1. Open the project.
  2. Select All (Ctr + A)
  3. Duplicate (Ctrl + D)
  4. Select all of the duplicate tracks
  5. Apply “Effect > Reverse”
  6. Save (Ctrl + S)
  7. Delete the duplicate tracks
  8. Save
  9. Exit Audacity

How big is the AUP3 file now?
(basically we’re trying to force the project to run “compaction”).

Please try this.

The file size did not change.

Also, when I duplicated the tracks, reversed them, and saved them, the file size also didn’t change.

To check my sanity, I looked at the property and the modification time is changing.

Do you know how to make a ZIP archive? If so, try zipping the AUP3 and see what size the ZIP file is.

try zipping the AUP3

Using the basic right-click > send to zipped folder

size 721 MB (756,915,411 bytes)
size on disk 721 MB (756,916,224 bytes)

This aup3 is the one I did the earlier operation on: tracks duplicate / reverse / duplicate tracks delete. I don’t have the original-original one (disk space issues)

Out of interest, I tried 7zip on ultra

Size 444 MB (466,278,339 bytes)
Size on disk 444 MB (466,280,448 bytes)

Interesting.

It is still larger than expected, since the actual project should contain about 250 MB of audio data, but that’s a lot smaller than would be expected from 1.35 GB of audio data.

I have an ongoing email discussion with one of the developers about this. I’m currently waiting for a reply about what we do next.

Are you able to upload that 7zip file somewhere so that we can examine it? There are a few “free” (advert supported) file sharing services available, or possibly dropbox, Google drive, One drive, or similar.

… but that’s a lot smaller than would be expected from 1.35 GB of audio data.

7zip is pretty magical.


I have an ongoing email discussion with one of the developers about this. I’m currently waiting for a reply about what we do next.

This isn’t time-sensitive since I was able to work with the backup aup3 we generated earlier. In the next day or so I intend to make another project in much the same way; perhaps this can be reproduced.


Are you able to upload that 7zip file somewhere …

It’s uploading; I’ll forum-DM you a link.

I’ve downloaded the file, but if you could keep it up for a while that would be useful so that I can pass it on to the developers.

Interestingly, if I extract and open the project (Audacity 3.0.2 Linux), reverse the first track, Undo, Save, Exit, then the project shrinks down to 186.3 MiB (195,362,816 bytes).

Perhaps you could try that with the 7z file.

Interestingly, if I extract and open the project (Audacity 3.0.2 Linux), reverse the first track, Undo, Save, Exit, then the project shrinks down to 186.3 MiB (195,362,816 bytes).

That is interesting. I double-checked:

  • Reverse the first track
  • Undo
  • Save
  • Exit

I see no change, although the modification time updates.

Just a thought, are you saving to a network drive or cloud storage?

Just a thought, are you saving to a network drive or cloud storage?

No, it’s a local hard drive, and the file/directory are not in use by other programs (e.g. automatic backups or software-raid).