Making sense of Project Folder clip names

Is there a resource I can find that details how the organization of the Project audio folder organized clips and names them versus in the track view.
 
I just did some test and I see that when I arm a track to record a number of entries appear in the Project Audio Folder in the Browser in the following format "ProjectName, Rec (#)" 
 
Once the track is recorded "ProjectName, TrackName, Rec (#)"
 
The problem is the rec (#) skips and does not follow sequentially.
The other problem is that The clips in the track have clip names that make sense "Record #" ascending sequentially but of course those names dont match with the files in the audio folder.
 
If I somehow undo a recording that I wanted to keep, of when I insert a plugin that crashes Sonar (Thank you NI Replika) the files are still in the project Audio Folder but finding it is more difficult than it needs to be because of the naming system.
 
Is there an option or something I missed when it comes to how those filed are saved to disk?
 
 
 
 
 

Hi there Enigmatic 
 
I can't find anything in the documentation which provides enlightenment.
 
If it was me, and I wanted to recover an audio file immediately after a crash, I would use windows explorer and sort the audio folder by time. That would at least give me the latest files created.
 
Also, FWIW, I prefer to save my audio files on a "per project" basis, rather than use the global audio folder. I find it easier to work that way.
 
cheers
 
andy

If I need to find specific files due to a crash or whatever (and I just learned about this stuff relatively recently) I just fiddle with the Windows Explorer filters to find what I need (thanks scook/bapu/general forum doods). Usually the Date or Name filters are the best ones to nail down exactly what I'm looking for. eg: If I know I've only been recording into a specific track and want to get at what I've been doing that day I sort by Date and just peruse the most recent events. The waves can be auditioned in any media player (and Sonar has an internal auditioning thingie for this but I don't think the sorting options are as elaborate). If I know the takes exist within a specific track I can sort by Name and then scroll down to all that track's files which, due to the clip/take numbering scheme should show up in sequence (unless you have done more than ten takes... in which case I think you would end up with Take 1 being on top of take 10,11, 12, etc... but I'm not sure). Just takes a little use of the ole thinking bone and using the sort features but it ain't that hard to nail down specific stuff.
 
You probably already knew that and maybe you are implying that Sonar is totally misnaming your files (in which case that's a problem that should be reported to Cakewalk) but since computators like naming and sorting things sequential and have a ton of different ways of doing so it should be too hard to find what's what.

Control z or undo only removes the file from the project not the audio folder. I posted a link to a youtube video I made that shows exactlly what im talking about. Im pretty great with computers... ive built two studio computers... I just want to not have to waste time searching for files my DAW is not organizing properly.

Ctrl + Z certainly does remove those from the audio folder. I think you need to save the project (or maybe save and close or Save As) to truly clear them from the audio folder but I save regularly (and manually) as I work. If Ctrl + Z did NOT remove those files from the audio folder I would have burned through a dozen HDDs by now.
 
As far as organizing I'll try to check out your vid later but I've pretty much already detailed how I go about finding files and I'm working on my own stuff right now so I gotta keep my focus on that (just taking a quick brain break).
 
And if a specific plug is causing crashes while tracking then you should disable/remove that plug until you are finished recording and only reintroduce when it comes time to mix. If the plug is needed to help the performer record then try to find a suitable, lightweight, Sonar compatible plugin to use during tracking. If the offending plugin is on a track the is NOT being currently recorded into then simply Freeze the track and it will temporarily bounce the track and remove the plugin from the project which should solve any issues.
 
Seriously I would be far more concerened about the plug related crashes. I have only ever had to recover waves in the manner you are describing a couple times and it was because I was doing something really... well not recommended usage. Solve the crashes and you won't have to worry about this as much. Use Ctrl + Z and Save/Save As/Save Copy As often and you won't have to sift through mountains of bad takes.
 
Just saying... cheers.

Enigmatic
anyway I'm just going to contact tech support... because I'm sure this naming system quirk is some sort of a bug that the experts need to know about.

 
Good luck with that...
 
Personally, I think you are getting too hung up on something that is normally in the background.
 
On the subject of using undo, or CTRL+Z just because you don't like a take... If you are not sure, don't undo the take, just mute the clip. Or, even better, use Take Lanes... It's what they are for 
 
I also use CTRL+Z after a take, but that is because I have usually totally messed it up and there is nothing in that take I can use.
 
cheers
 
andy

Enigmatic
 
 
speaking of such you may have different setting than I do because here is a video that shows that Ctrl + Z certainly does not remove the audio from the folder... just saying... here is another video that shows just that
 
https://youtu.be/ZQB2YZPsEhg
 
anyway I'm just going to contact tech support... because I'm sure this naming system quirk is some sort of a bug that the experts need to know about.
 
 

AFAIK, You need to press Ctrl+Z immediately after the take (litterally as the first click after pressing Stop), then the take will not get saved in the audio folder.
In your example (if I followed it correctly) you Undo after several activities. At that time the audio file is already written down, and will not be removed. 
 

Okay... just watched the video and the only thing that, to me, is not explainable is when that one clip number switches from one number (8 I think) to 10... but I may have overlooked why that might be.
 
So going through the stuff one at a time...
 
The first clips you recorded into track one are stereo clips so it is naming them in multiples of 2 because although they are one clip they are 2 recordings (left and right). Perhaps if you split the clip to mono they would show up as 1 and 2... not sure.
 
Then when you record in the second track you are recording as mono so the clip number only goes up in crements of one. Remember those numbers represent the RECORD number and technically a stereo track is two individual recordings.
 
As far as when you changed the clip name in Clip Properties and it not being updated in the Browser, did you refresh the Browser (I think you just hit F5 but I think you can navigate away from the folder then back). I don't think the Browser auto refreshes but I am not certain.
 
Anyway, I was talking about getting right inside the folder outside of Sonar using Windows Explorer, not the Sonar Browser, to search and sort your files. As I said, between the Date and Time sort options it's not too hard to hunt down specific clip/recordings.
 
That thing that happened when the clip name changed to (10) though was indeed odd but someone smarter than I could perhaps watch the vid and find a reason for it.
 
Edit: Okay, I just saw the discrepancy between the names right on the clips and what is being shown in the browser. That is screwed up and I wouldn't mind knowing what the reason is. If you found out the answer please update the thread and post it.
 
Cheers.

- Cakewalk/SONAR has never maintained any strict correspondence between clip names/numbers in the GUI, and file names. Count your blessings; it used be a lot more difficult to know what's what with names like RLKFOTDMPTNGHDGK.wav.    Pre-allocate files created when arming tracks can cause file numbers to increment without the clip number being incremented in the project when you actually record something.
 
- If you haven't lost a link between a clip and a file due to a crash or inadvertently deleting and saving, you can find out what file is associated with which clip by right-clicking and choosing Associated Audio Files (shift+K).
 
- SONAR does not remove clips for unused takes from a session until you close the project. Any new file not referenced in the saved project at that point will be deleted on closing the project, but any file that has ever been referenced when the project was saved will continue to exist even after all references are deleted from the project until you use Clean Audio Folder or CWAF tool to clean up the folder or otherwise manually delete it.
 
AFAIK, this is all working as intended. If you want something to change, it will need a Feature Request rather than a Problem Report.
 
 
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