Hello Everyone,

I am recently deleted a lot of audio tracks from a project yet I see the WAV files are still in the audio folder.   I have nothing referencing them, will Sonar delete them eventually?   If not, is there a solution for this?  It is eating away at precious disk space.

Thank You!

What I usually do is "Save As" to a new project, then delete the old project. This will save only the WAV's that are currently in use by the project.

If you do the above you need to also select "Copy Audio to new Project"

rebel007
What I usually do is "Save As" to a new project, then delete the old project. This will save only the WAV's that are currently in use by the project.

this seems kinda archaic though, I can't believe Sonar isn't smart enough to clean up un-referenced tracks.

It's not a question of smart. It's a question of not being sure whether audio you recorded presumably for a reason may be needed again. If you're *sure* you won't need it again, you have to tell that to SONAR. See my latest "Friday's Tip of the Week."

SilverBlueMedallion

rebel007
What I usually do is "Save As" to a new project, then delete the old project. This will save only the WAV's that are currently in use by the project.

this seems kinda archaic though, I can't believe Sonar isn't smart enough to clean up un-referenced tracks.

I wouldn't exactly say "archaic", but this method is 100% foolproof

Anderton
It's not a question of smart. It's a question of not being sure whether audio you recorded presumably for a reason may be needed again. If you're *sure* you won't need it again, you have to tell that to SONAR. See my latest "Friday's Tip of the Week."

Hi Anderton,

I read your tip, but its still a bit cumbersome, and anyway, if you delete all tracks referencing the audio, that is how it IS *sure* you no longer need it.   At least move it to the recycle bin or something.   

SilverBlueMedallion
Hi Anderton,

I read your tip, but its still a bit cumbersome, and anyway, if you delete all tracks referencing the audio, that is how it IS *sure* you no longer need it. 

 
Well, not necessarily. The way you work may be compatible with this workflow, but that's not the case for those doing remixes, nor for those who keep multiple versions of a project for different clients or client applications. There have been many times I've had to go back to a previous version that used tracks which were unused in subsequent versions.
 
I suppose one could always just create a track folder with all the tracks you've stopped using for the moment and mute them so SONAR wouldn't erase them accidentally, but that seems more cumbersome to me than a four-click save.
 
Consider making a feature request. I don't know of any other DAW that does this, but whether that's because it's too difficult from a coding standpoint because now you need to dip into Windows, would add a considerable amount of time to the saving process, or just that no one's ever thought of it, I don't know. In any event it would need to be a preference, otherwise people who work on the same kind of projects I do could end up being hosed from time to time.
 

Anderton

SilverBlueMedallion
Hi Anderton,

I read your tip, but its still a bit cumbersome, and anyway, if you delete all tracks referencing the audio, that is how it IS *sure* you no longer need it. 

 
Well, not necessarily. The way you work may be compatible with this workflow, but that's not the case for those doing remixes, nor for those who keep multiple versions of a project for different clients or client applications. There have been many times I've had to go back to a previous version that used tracks which were unused in subsequent versions.
 
I suppose one could always just create a track folder with all the tracks you've stopped using for the moment and mute them so SONAR wouldn't erase them accidentally, but that seems more cumbersome to me than a four-click save.
 
Consider making a feature request. I don't know of any other DAW that does this, but whether that's because it's too difficult from a coding standpoint because now you need to dip into Windows, would add a considerable amount of time to the saving process, or just that no one's ever thought of it, I don't know. In any event it would need to be a preference, otherwise people who work on the same kind of projects I do could end up being hosed from time to time.
 
 

 
oh yes, i see your point there!  i didn't think about reverting projects.  OK, I will use your most recent tip - it makes sense now.  Thanks for clarifying!

SilverBlueMedallion
oh yes, i see your point there!  i didn't think about reverting projects.  OK, I will use your most recent tip - it makes sense now.  Thanks for clarifying!

Hey, no problem. I've been bitten by backup issues enough, and have had to resurrect enough material from archives that are over a decade old...
 
I learn things the hard way so you don't have to