'clean audio folder' command ALWAYS crash my Sonar...
ALWAYS = every single time

bah

Does it crash Sonar, or apparently freeze it?

For me, if I click on something outside of Sonar while the Clean Audio tool is running, Sonar appears to freeze. However, it doesn't really freeze - it just keeps searching files in the background without updating the display. If I wait long enough, Sonar finishes its search and acts normally again. It's a weird glitch that appears even in Sonar 7.

Does your Sonar actually crash, or just apparently freeze?

Anyway, I too would love to limit the searching performed by the Clean Audio tool. I have three large hard drives with tons of files and hate having to wait several minutes for Sonar to scan the entire system when all I want it to do is scan one directory!

I'm disappointed that they didn't address this in Sonar 7.

Yes, it's a terrible tool that brute forces its way through your whole drive, and it won't acknowledge the cancel button.

Programs that don't work as documented and that take over control of your computer for 15 minutes without giving any signal of health, have no place shipping with a commercial software package at this price point.

I've removed this useless timebomb from my tools menu so that I don't invoke it by accident.

You know, Cakewalk has some great features and this 7.0 revision addressed many shortcomings with the 6.0 product, but then they leave junk like this in Sonar version after version, for unsuspecting users to crash into, and it makes you wonder if anybody's really got control of this product.

I guess I'm getting back to an earlier question. What's the best way to clean useless/old audio from project files then. CJ's method? Or would it be just as good to just make BUN's of all current projects, delete all audio in projects folders, and then unpack?

I'm receiving an error message when I use the Clean Audio tool anyway. "The Parameter is Incorrect", I hit OK, and the whole operation is done without anything being done.

So its not just me then? :)

I'll have a look at the Consolidate Audio function.

I have just been deleting ancient history wavs from the audio folder - sometimes it complains about missing files and creates a 'blank' which I then delete.

Have you also looked at the CWPs in a text editor? It often has references to things that you have long since removed, like plugins etc.
Maybe doing a Save As will get rid of those too and clean up the CWP a bit.

ORIGINAL: WhyBe

OK, I see. Maybe a feature request for a 'Clean Project Folder Audio'.

Yeah.. that would be good. Or maybe a lot of options on what to look for and what to clean. I feel like Cake is punishing the folks who do good file management (and use per project folders) by making us use a tool that assumes the user doesn't have a clue where the files are.

It's one thing to have an idiot proof "mode" by default but it should at least have an advanced mode for those who are not.

Maybe they need to add a list of files used in a project inside the project and have a tool that uses that list instead of blindly searching every drive on the system for files with some type of matching extension, even when they are not audio files at all. Hell I've had it stall on system files it thought were part of my project.. it just needs to be smarter then that.

I'm filing this under BETTER ASSET MANAGEMENT TOOLS!!!!
Seriously. Global and per project reorg of audio files...

Anyhow, my understanding was that even Cake did not recommend the Clean command, and instead recommended the CWAF tool included on the SONAR DVD.

I don't use "per project audio folders" in their truest sense, so I used the Consolidate Audio command to gather each and every project's audio files into nice tidy folders within my global. It's a good command but it doesn't then give you the option to delete the original files, so you still have to hunt down your dupes.

BETTER ASSET MANAGEMENT TOOLS!

Cakewalk please take note - all these little things make a MASSIVE, MASSIVE difference to productivity and happiness.

I'd take proper management tools over any new synth. It really should be a priority for the developers and it really would be a good selling point.

Along the lines of what CJ said...

If you're sure that the current open project contains all clips that you want to keep in your audio folder... I've done this:

1) With the project open, use consolidate audio.
2) Exit Sonar
3) Go to the project's audio folder and delete all WAV files in the *\Audio root
4) Replace them with the consolidated clips
5) Re-open the project and all should be well

Takes only a few clicks, really.

(NOTE: Try at your own risk... works for me every time. But you may want to make a backup first!)