Audacity Forum

Hi. I'm using Audacity 2.1.3 on a 2014 Mac Air updated to Sierra 10.12.5, via dmg.

Since I downloaded the latest update, Audacity's been crashing with some frequency - in fact, once per session for my last three sessions. I performed a "refresh" with Clean My Mac - that hasn't changed things. I'm considering a remove-and-reinstall (I noted in another conversation that I'll check afterward to be sure all hidden files and preferences were in fact cleaned out, before reinstalling.)

Two other symptoms in addition to the crashes:
- reopening projects in progress, I'm getting frequent "orphan files" warnings, and
- clicking on a saved project no longer opens that project in Audacity. Audacity does open, but the file isn't there. I have to click it a second time to open the file. Previously, clicking on a project opened both Audacity and the chosen file.

What might be happening here? I'm ready to reinstall if necessary. Thanks.

once per session for my last three sessions.

What's a session? Are you recording an AudioBook?

One of the Audacity installs liked to put saved work into the Mac Application directory and that caused all sorts of problems. Does it work any better if you save Projects and export work files to the desktop?

Audacity > Preferences > Directories. Does it look anything like this?
Do you have Skype or other chat and do you leave it "hot" instead of closing it completely?

Did you register Audacity in the App Nap system?

http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... p+#p329831

When you say crash, does Audacity vanish taking all your work with it, or freeze?

Koz

Does the Mac still chong when you turn it on from power off? That's a system check during power on and it's good to hear that to make sure the machine thinks it's OK. One of the versions, Apple decided not to do that any more and I think that was a terrific mistake.

Koz

The most modern MacBook Pros do not have the Chong or standard power button.

Koz

Sounds like CleanMyMac destroyed the OS somehow. I've seen that happen before. Maybe it deleted parts of ffmpeg?

You didn't uninstall VLC with CleanMyMac? Or any other audio apps?

Either you install software and check before installing if an uninstaller is available and needed, or you rest in knowing some apps leave behind some plists or prefs. Both are small enough and don't hinder OSX in any way, so why risk using these tools like CleanMyMac?

Besides, High Sierra will very probably mean the end of CleanMyMac and it's brethren, as there will be no access to another apps fsevents anymore. iOS sandboxing all the way...

Thanks for your input, both!

When I say a "session", I refer to the three-to-ten hours from the time I open the application for recording and/or editing, to the time I finish editing and close it down. I've never had it crash when recording, only when editing.

One of the Audacity installs liked to put saved work into the Mac Application directory and that caused all sorts of problems. Does it work any better if you save Projects and export work files to the desktop?

I save my projects to either the desktop (if I'll be working on them again shortly) or in a file on my desktop, always in .aup form.

Do you have Skype or other chat and do you leave it "hot" instead of closing it completely?

Did you register Audacity in the App Nap system?

Skype is sometimes open on the days I'm both recording and editing. That's usually not the case, though. It was open the day of my most disastrous crash about three weeks ago, but not the ones since then. I do sometimes have Audio Hijack on, but again, not the norm.

Neither of those situations has changed since before the crashes became a problem - same pattern.

As to App Nap, apparently you can't manipulate that anymore in Sierra, as you could from Maverick through El Capitan.

When you say crash, does Audacity vanish taking all your work with it, or freeze?

This has three manifestations, one of which predates the new version.
1. All the audio suddenly flatlines, and there's no retrieving it. I've tried to recreate that error, but there doesn't seem to be a consistent trigger. I'm working with waveforms, then the forms go away. The system seems to think they're still there, in that I can hit Undo, Redo, whatever. But there's no audio and no getting it back. That's the one that's happened periodically for the last two, maybe three updates of Audacity, and it's happened at least once since the latest.
2. I have one or more windows open, and I hit "Save" on one or all of them. Then the system dumps out and I get the crash error message. When I reopen the app, it hasn't saved my work - even those that appear to have successfully saved before the crash.
3. The last manifestation is the same as the second, except that some files are recoverable, with "orphan files" warnings.

Does the Mac still chong when you turn it on from power off? That's a system check during power on and it's good to hear that to make sure the machine thinks it's OK.

Isn't that funny - I can't tell you if it does or not! I work with two laptops - I know the older one still chongs but I'm drawing a blank on this one. Real observant, huh? I need to get back to editing right now, but I'll shut down when I can to test it out.

Sounds like CleanMyMac destroyed the OS somehow. I've seen that happen before. Maybe it deleted parts of ffmpeg?

The CleanMyMac Refresh was after the problems developed - an effort to fix them. Nothing has changed for better or worse since I ran that.