Transferring Large Files Between PC and Mac

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:40 pm

I know this is periferal to this forum, but I'm stuck, not so much as how to get the files transferred, but as to WHY this particular thing happened. Sessions were recorded on Sonar to PC because of the good piano at the studio. Files were then changed to AIFF files in Wavelab 5 and successfully transferred via an FTP site. Problem: files of 1 gig or more weren't transferred for some reason. We didn't have an open computer to let the files upload for the time needed, so I copied the files (creating a data DVD in Wavelab) and sent them to the mixing/mastering engineer. He has ProTools on a Mac, and couldn't open the files. He could see them as AIFF files of 1.6 G, but when he tried to open them, ProTools gave him a "QuickTime Files: can not open" message. I'm very puzzled. I've not had this problem before in sending discs of WAV files to a ProTools session.
Just added his message to me: "i can see the file and it's called an aiff file, and i can see all the info--how big it is, the date it was made, etc, but nothing recognizes it. it appears to be a quicktime file--it has the quicktime icon, but quicktime gives me an error message saying "can't open this movie". for some reason it thinks it's a video file. maybe something about putting it on a dvd rather than a cd is causing some automatic video mode to be used. if they're small enough files to fit on a CD, even if it's just one per CD, try that.'

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:57 pm

Since AIFF --> WAV is lossless, how about he do that conversion on the files and be done with it?

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

well first, writing an audio file to a DVD rom disc doesn't magically make it a video file.

First lets find out what file format you printed. was it a 32bit? did it have an aiff tag on the end? because in one sentence you say it's aiff, then in another you say it's wav.

Next we need to find out what system the engineer is running. my guess is it's a little older system. What software did he try and open the file in besides protools and quicktime?

My guess is... you exported the file at 32bit and his system doesn't know what to do with it. there is software he can use to open it, but he doesn't have it or he'd of used it.

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:30 pm

Michael,
Thanks, and right...it didn't magically become a video file, just LOOKED like a Quicktime file. I've since run across some posts that suggest that Wavelab has a problem making data discs that can be read in a Mac system. However, that doesn't answer the problem of him not being able to open it in a PC either. I'll try and get the answer to "what programs did he try to open them with".
One article said that foolproof transferring between platforms is a complicated subject...I don't know about that, I've done it 30 times with another studio using Protools. Maybe the "older version" is correct.
thanks for the help and I'll be back with more info.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

Well I've done this a fair amount of times and there are only a few instances where I've had a problem reading an audio file regardless of what system generated it.

1) someone uploaded SD2 files to an ftp and the header gets corrupted. Still can be opened, you just have to figure out what software opens them without headers.

2) Someone printed 32bit or 64bit files and didn't label them and it took a few minutes to figure it out.

That's pretty much it, unless the files you sent are corrupted. If you can open it in your system, then he should be able to open it in his.

Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:51 pm

Thanks, Michael. Yeah...I don't get it, although this may explain something:

sent by recipient of files..." have pt 6.4 in my studio and 7 on my laptop, but i can't even get the disc to show up on my laptop.
i also tried opening it with quicktime, toast and garageband
on the pc we tried to open it with quicktime and garageband"

I don't know anything about Garageband, Quicktime, or Toast, but apparently ProTools wouldn't open the files.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

Possibilities,

1) you printed the files on a +R disc. older macs don't like these much. the protools 6.4 give it away.

2) you printed them as 32 or 64 bit files. protools 6.4 will not open these files.

Quicktime, toast and Garageband? that's it? he's got some downloading to do to beef up his software collection.

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:54 am

Thanks, Michael. R+ and early ProTools makes sense, and yeah, maybe Santa will give him some software for Christmas. In the meantime, I'll just find a service in Nashville that can open the discs and hand him files he can open.

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:48 am

Maybe in the future, this one step can be evaluated for its total benefit and if it adds nothing...then remove this step. It seems to have hindered the process:

Quote:

Files were then changed to AIFF files in Wavelab 5

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:46 pm

Space...yup. Sounds right. Anybody know of a service in Nashville that might try to open these files?
thanks

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:26 am

More on this. Copied 1.2 Gig 24 Bit 44.1 WAV files (same files referenced before) to 2G pocket drive. FTP site accepted them fine. Burned same file tp DVD with Roxio...FTP site couldn't recognize it, although I could open it with Sonar and Wavelab in my computer. Same file burned with Wavelab couldn't be opened by other Mac or PCs. Is it possible that there's something funky with the DVD ROM RW drive? It's a Plextor 716a.

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:11 am

"Is it possible that there's something funky with the DVD ROM RW drive?"

If it's wearing an afro, speaking jive and dancing around to a disco beat, there probably is something funky goin down.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

Blacklab wrote:

More on this. Copied 1.2 Gig 24 Bit 44.1 WAV files (same files referenced before) to 2G pocket drive. FTP site accepted them fine. Burned same file tp DVD with Roxio...FTP site couldn't recognize it, although I could open it with Sonar and Wavelab in my computer. Same file burned with Wavelab couldn't be opened by other Mac or PCs. Is it possible that there's something funky with the DVD ROM RW drive? It's a Plextor 716a.

what kind of DVD is it? what format did you burn the DVD as? (UDF etc...)

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:05 am

The new firmware seems to have solved the problem...the new DVDs opened on Mac with no problems.

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