I'm getting the same thing on my heavily edited projects, and I'm on 6.4. Recently I've just spent the extra time tracking so less editing is involved and that's helped.

dahlsta wrote: ... Any suggestions? Should I defragment my computer?

try copying the session to another clear drive

this is the fastest and easiest way to get the audio files contiguous and tidy

if the session plays freely ... you know it was a drive fragmentation type of issue

you should have a spare drive for back-ups of your recordings any way
and it should be update at the end of each days recording or editing ... at least

I tend to do this during each major break ... like lunch or diner time

I have to assume you have no other problems on your computer(You may not want to assume that, but I do, I don't know your computer.).

Let's concentrate on "To defrag or not to defrag" for a moment(As that is a suggestion you made.).

I AM NOT A COMPUTER EXPERT! I KNOW NOTHING of MAC'S! Now you know that.

This is the way I read what other people, who claim to be experts, say, as regards WINDOWS defrag:

Defrag is good - sort've... It puts all the data on a disc into "order" - sort've. Defrag does not, neccessarily, put the data into the order you might prefer! Inotherwords, a defrag of a hard drive DOES NOT put all your seperate files back together, contiguously, and then put those files in some "better place". This is the way I read it... A defrag then may: Improve the "general" performance of a "general" machine(This sounds pretty certain.). A defrag MAY NOT help, or help as much as we'd hoped, on an audio machine - as OUR desire is that the machine can very quickly find and work with our audio pieces - contiguously - together- "streaming" in a "perfect line". A simple defrag may not help, or may not be the ultimate solution - some say it can make things worse?

Here is a thought I picked up just a while ago(Link to a link, etc. from a forum - maybe this one?)... What do YOU(Anybody?) think?

The author's idea seemed to be to transfer(Basically to copy/paste or drag) , say, one folder - like your recorded files folder - to ANYWHERE else(I believe HE SAID ANOTHER DRIVE?) - then just put it back where it came from! Say, drag your recordings folder from your data drive to your main OS drive(With a "data" drive, no software, one could "do" the entire drive!), then just drag it back - wahla! This, he said, would - by neccessity - "defrag" your folder and it's contents... See what he's saying??? Since we move the entire folder(Or just one file), that it would, by neccessity, HAVE TO be defraged - or sorted out and "brought together", completely, as it was being moved to the new location..!?!? Then, he says, "delete" the prior folder and put the "new folder" contents back where it was before, so you can continue to work on it - as putting it back, all-at-once, would "do the trick".

Me? I'm not sure(I'm no expert). I don't know why the process wouldn't just put the contents of one's "old folder" into the "new folder", in fragmented pieces, according to the new location/drive "needs/desires", as determined by the OS - with no regards to our "audio" desires, with maybe no "improvement"(Plus you've done a "copy/paste/drag", which MUST, somehow, degrade the quality of the original folder contents???).

Still and all, it may be worth a shot?(With qualifications!)

How would I do it? I - first - DEFRAG MY "OTHER" DRIVE! My OS/Audio software drive is easily defragged and almost perfectly so, as it is set-up to be so(Using many suggestions over the years - and it seems to work so -- like "setting" max/min of the paging file the same, etc.). If you have only one drive, you could defrag IT, TOO, right now(Remember we are going to move things around anyway. A defrag will certainly allow SOME things to "work better", even if this INITIAL defrag doesn't "cure" our "fragmented audio" problems.) Then, copy/paste or drag the old folder to a newly made folder(Even if on same drive), then AGAIN, while the old/new contents are off the old drive(If you have a second drive) defrag THIS drive, maybe "again"? Then, rename your old/old folder to something else(I could never bring myself to deleting it!). Now, MAKE A NEW FOLDER, with it's OLD name, for continuum's sake, for your OLD/moved contents on the original data drive. Copy/paste/drag your "NEW/old" contensts back to it's "original" folder location, with it's same, old/new name. What do you think? Give it a try?

To re-cap:

Make a new folder somewhere(Another drive if possible).

"Copy/Paste" the contents of your current "data/recordings" folder in it. Yes! DRAGGING would be quickest/easiest, BUT you won't have your "original" undefragged/un-moved folder!(Maybe fine??? I don't know. Try the whole procedure both ways first using a folder/contents of non-critical proportions and make your judgement...)

Anyway, rename the old data folder on the old data drive - leaving the old contents there, as is(Though, if you defrag the entire drive, at any time???). Make a new folder on the old drive with it's "regular, old" name. Put the contents of the "new/old" data folder, from wherever you'd moved it to, back in this new/old named folder on the old drive.

You should end up with your original data folder on the same drive with a new name. Your old contents in another folder on another drive(Or at another location on the same drive) and your NEW/old folder, back where it started under it's "same old" name.

Your new/old folder, under it's same old name should be rather "manually" defragged/contiguous - completely! Both the OS drive AND the data drive should be "well-defragged", as you did those as you moved the folder contents around -- though, since you did the LAST MOVE, the data drive will, again, have this one folder(Your moved then moved back audio contents) that wasn't "part of" any defrag, except the first. Should be OK.

This is so confusing! No wonder I'm no expert.

Now. What's REALLY the problem? Likely corruption somewhere. A removal of data to a safe location, follwed by a reinstall of maybe just the audio software or a complete format/re-install of the whole shebang(If this was Windows, I'd be sure of this) may be needed.

Or, you might just give-up and call-up "defrag"(Assuming Mac's have such a bourguois function?) and hit "defrag". Might fix it quick?(In Windows, if l-o-n-g times pass between defrags, the process may take hours and hours and hours, but ALMOST always results in a "better" machine, even "better" audio - least if it "plays" again..?).

Best success!

TG