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tacocorp

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Error when saving audio file

Jun 30, 2011 2:37 PM

I am having an issue when trying to save an audio file. Looking for some help on what might be causing the problem. With the audio file highlighted, I select Save As and title the file. When I hit OK, this error comes up..The file is in use by another application and cannot be overwritten. I am saving the file name as something new so it is not trying to overwrite a file with the same name. Also there is not another Audition opened in the background or any other programs that could cause "another application" error. Thanks for your help.

3234 Views 27 Replies Latest reply: Mark000111222, Dec 26, 2012 6:23 AM

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1. Charles VW,

Jun 30, 2011 2:44 PM in reply to tacocorp

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Hi TacoCorp,

Can you post more information? What's posted isn't enough info.

What OS are you on, what type of drive are you saving to (local, FW, USB, network, etc), what file type are you trying to save as, are you able to save a Session file to that location?

thx.

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2. tacocorp,

Jun 30, 2011 3:10 PM in reply to Charles VW

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Sorry about that. I am using Windows 7. I am trying to saving the file to a drive on the local network saving as a .wav. I am occasionally able to save a file to that location but it seems like it will only save after the computer has been restarted and the first file is fine. After that, the error comes up.

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3. Charles VW,

Jun 30, 2011 3:41 PM in reply to tacocorp

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Thanks for the added info. I ask because we're tracking a similar issue that was reported through the normal tech support channels.

Please let us know if any of the following apply to you (I understand if any of this doesn't make sense or if you don't have access to the information)

File length doesn't make a difference (try save a file of only a few samples)
You have not had this issue with Adobe Audition 2.0 and Cool Edit Professional 2000, it has never worked in Audition CS5.5
You can save the file to the local workstation drive and then copy it using Windows Explorer to the network share with no issues.
You are using Windows Storage Server 2003 in a Raid 10 array for your storage server.
Active Directory and the workstations have the proper permissions to read and write to the network shares.
The workstations running Adobe Audition CS5.5 are running Windows 7 Profession 32bit and have Active Directory Login
You are able to save to the local drive and copy the file to the same network share via Windows Explorer
Toggling the saving of Metadata and Markers doesn't make a difference
You are able to save as other formats (try AIFF, MP3, and a SESX session)
Running Audition as Administrator makes no difference
Running Audition in XP compatibility mode makes no difference
Turning off the writing of .pkf files doesn't make a difference

Also, if you're able to do so, try installing "Unlocker" (http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/) to see what app is reported to still be holding on to the file.

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4. tacocorp,

Jul 1, 2011 10:42 AM in reply to Charles VW

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Thank you for the reply. Here is what I determined. Sorry I couldn't answer all your questions. I'm don't know everything about computers and networks, just enough to be dangerous.

File length doesn't make a difference (try save a file of only a few samples) I tried record length of a few seconds to five minutes and it happens on all different file lengths.

You have not had this issue with Adobe Audition 2.0 and Cool Edit Professional 2000, it has never worked in Audition CS5.5 We have one computer that has Audition 2.0 and have no problems with that. Previously used CoolEdit and no problems with that either.

You can save the file to the local workstation drive and then copy it using Windows Explorer to the network share with no issues. Saving to the local computers hard drive works everytime and then I am able to copy that file to the desired network drive.

You are using Windows Storage Server 2003 in a Raid 10 array for your storage server. Sorry do not know

Active Directory and the workstations have the proper permissions to read and write to the network shares. Yes

The workstations running Adobe Audition CS5.5 are running Windows 7 Profession 32bit and have Active Directory Login. Yes. They are Windows 7 32 bit. Not sure about Active Directory Login

You are able to save to the local drive and copy the file to the same network share via Windows Explorer. Yes

Toggling the saving of Metadata and Markers doesn't make a difference. Sorry do not know

You are able to save as other formats (try AIFF, MP3, and a SESX session). Able to save MP3's to the notwork drive. only .wav are having issues

Running Audition as Administrator makes no difference. No difference

Running Audition in XP compatibility mode makes no difference. Tried that and still had same issues

Turning off the writing of .pkf files doesn't make a difference. Sorry not sure how to do that

I hope this helps and I apologize for not being able to answer all your questions.

Best regards

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5. Charles VW,

Sep 26, 2011 2:48 PM in reply to tacocorp

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Thanks for all the information, unfortunately, I didn't see any magic bullets in the responses. Did you get a chance to try this:
Also, if you're able to do so, try installing "Unlocker" (http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/) to see what app is reported to still be holding on to the file.

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6. Charles VW,

Sep 26, 2011 2:55 PM in reply to tacocorp

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tacocorp wrote:

Not sure about Active Directory Login

Right-click on My Computer, and you'll see a screen that looks like this:

Go ahead and take a screenshot of that and post (you can private msg it to me if you prefer).

tacocorp wrote:

Toggling the saving of Metadata and Markers doesn't make a difference. Sorry do not know

You can toggle this option in the Save As Dialog:

tacocorp wrote:

Turning off the writing of .pkf files doesn't make a difference. Sorry not sure how to do that
This is in Preferences > Media & Disk Cache:

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7. phillocascio,

Nov 20, 2011 12:41 PM in reply to Charles VW

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Charles
I am having this issue as well with the AU5.5 and Windows 7. One of the tech support guys helped me with my ticket, and asked me to do all of the above as well, it does not fix the issue. The worst part is, it is completely random. I am saving a mixdown file (defaulted to .WAV unless you can tell me how to change that). I want the mixdown saved as an MP3. Sometimes to the same directory, sometimes not. All on a laptop local hard drive. Completely random. Sometimes it saves without an error, sometimes not.

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8. Admiral Cook,

Nov 21, 2011 3:37 AM in reply to phillocascio

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I'm having the same problem with Save Selection As, but not always.

By repeating save steps it goes fine.

There are no any rules on when it happens. I'm usually working with WAVs, different lengths, saving to local disk, using Win7x64, latest Audition.

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9. Fa310tx,

Nov 21, 2011 12:43 PM in reply to tacocorp

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Same problem, here...
It happens with regular File - Save As and batch.
I can turn right around and delete the files with windows explorer and resave and it usually works.
I'm also using windows 7 pro (32-bit) in an active directory environment (saving .wav over network - saving local worked every time).
Interestingly enough, I saved 3 mixdowns and had problems with 2 of them. I opened unlocker and haven't had a problem with like 8 in a row.
I blame windows 7 (I've found multiple network file problems with windows 7), but I haven't had the problem with AA3.
JJ

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10. SteveG(AudioMasters),

Nov 21, 2011 1:48 PM in reply to Fa310tx

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Fa310tx wrote:

I blame windows 7

Well, I run CS5.5 on XP. And no, I've never had any of these problems at all. So my money says you're right...

As far as my experience of W7 in general is concerned, so far all I've found out is that it messes with a load of stuff that it has absolutely no right to. How anybody at all can use it with an internal (integrated) sound device is a complete mystery to me - there have been so many posts about this now that I lost count ages ago. Seems that the only way to run it is with an external ASIO device, and then you still seem to be left with all these file-save anomalies.

My guess is that this is all to do with parameters being passed to the OS, and the OS either not recieving them, or ignoring them, depending on... well your guess is as good as mine, quite frankly. And people say it's random; well what a pain. Random faults are about the hardest there are to pin down.

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11. _durin_,

Nov 22, 2011 8:41 AM in reply to phillocascio

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phillocascio wrote:

I am saving a mixdown file (defaulted to .WAV unless you can tell me how to change that). I want the mixdown saved as an MP3. Sometimes to the same directory, sometimes not. All on a laptop local hard drive. Completely random. Sometimes it saves without an error, sometimes not.

Hi Phil,

Most of the posters on this thread are experiencing this issue when saving to a network drive. This is the first report I've heard of this sort of issue when saving on the local hard drive. Can you provide a screenshot or the specific error message you're receiving?

In order to save a mixdown to a specific file format, view the mixdown in the Waveform view, then select File > Save As... In the dialog that pops up, you can select MP3 by clicking the button to the right of the Format: box.

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12. _durin_,

Nov 22, 2011 8:48 AM in reply to Fa310tx

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Fa310tx wrote:

I blame windows 7 (I've found multiple network file problems with windows 7), but I haven't had the problem with AA3.
I do, too, but there may be a way for Audition to catch this problem and work around it. Except for Phil, it seems most users who have reported this problem in the forums and directly through tech support or e-mail have been attempting to save to an location on an Active Directory Windows network on Windows 7. (Has anyone experienced this on Windows Vista?)

Since it's intermittent and random, AND at least one of you has noted that the problem hasn't appeared since running unlocker - a tool that interferes with the standard process and may be prevent or reduce possible race conditions that cause this - it seems likely we can trace this using the Windows debugger tools IF we can reproduce the problem. So far, I haven't had any luck but I may just need to setup a private Active Directory-based network that I have absolute control over.

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13. phillocascio,

Nov 23, 2011 10:30 AM in reply to _durin_

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Durin
Here is the screen shot. Occasionally there is another error that contains the phrase "or the disk is full" which makes no sense. It's got plenty of space on it.
I discussed the case this morning with Mohit and we created another admistrator log-in. The issue did not repeat itself, as I tested mixdowns with this new login. However this weekend would be the real test of it.
Thanks
Phil

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14. _durin_,

Nov 23, 2011 1:16 PM in reply to phillocascio

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Thanks, Phil. I look forward to hearing your results over the weekend - it should provide some guidance on tracking this down internally. I won't have a chance to dig into it too much until next week, but will keep you all up to date on what we find.

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15. phillocascio,

Dec 10, 2011 1:15 PM in reply to _durin_

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Durin
I am still having problems, even after tech support suggested trying logging on as a different user. I did that, and the problem has been appearing when trying to save files, "save as" command when trying to save bits of a file, and "save selection as" command. New errors have appeared as well. I am attaching three errors. This is getting very frustrating.

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16. _durin_,

Dec 12, 2011 10:46 AM in reply to phillocascio

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Thanks, Phil. I'm spending this week digging into this issue exclusively. So far, I have not had the problem but will be tackling it from different angles.

The different error messages you've provided are helpful. Just so I'm clear, you receive these errors at completely different times, correct? They didn't come up one-after-the-other as part of the same failed Save attempt?

For others who experience this issue, are you also running Win7 or Vista? I don't believe I've received any reports of this occurring under XP, which is helpful.

I'll be back with new questions. Thanks again for your persistence and help.
Durin

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17. phillocascio,

Dec 12, 2011 7:19 PM in reply to _durin_

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Durin

*I'm running the program on Windows 7 on a brand new laptop
*The error messages usually happen when I'm trying to save a file after
I've changed it, or saving a mixdown. Either saving it as a .wav or
mp3, doesn't matter.
*In every case, the error message appears sometimes 1,2,3 or more times in
a row.
*However, I can always save the file the way I want it, if I keep trying to
save it enough times. Eventually, the error message goes away and I can
save the file.
*Sometimes, I dont get an error message.
*I can save 2 files in a row with no problem, then the message will appear
for the next 4 files.
*I've tried saving the file to a different folder,, even the desktop. That
doesnt solve it either.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help....
Phil LoCascio
Colts Neck, NJ
phillocascio@gmail.com
(301) 332-7220 c
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/phil-locascio/7/762/9a3

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18. TheJackAttack,

Dec 14, 2011 2:23 PM in reply to phillocascio

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I wonder how much ram is on these systems or whether the disk cache is set to some non audio external drive.

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19. phillocascio,

Dec 15, 2011 6:50 AM in reply to _durin_

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Durin
Thanks for your help on this. Back in town so I can help you with info on
laptop.
The error messages are sometimes one after the other, sometimes different,
some the same. Completely random. But I can always save the file after a
certain number of tries. Sometimes it saves it without error, sometimes it
takes 6 times!
The error (when it happens) always happens when saving either the session,
or a file that has been edited. Usually I need to convert mixdowns from wav
to mp3 and thats when it happens. Also sometimes when editing and saving an
mp3 by itself.
The laptop is running Win 7, a Toshiba satellite C655-S5212 Hard Drive
Toshiba MK3275GSX with 8GB RAM. I'd be happy to share desktop if you need
to poke around.
Thanks
Phil LoCascio
Colts Neck, NJ
phillocascio@gmail.com
(301) 332-7220 c
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/phil-locascio/7/762/9a3

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20. _durin_,

Feb 6, 2012 10:01 AM in reply to tacocorp

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Wanted to follow-up on the issues reported in this thread.

There are two different issues being reported, with similar symptoms but slightly different causes. In general, when writing to audio files, Audition first writes the audio data and closes the file, instructing a separate library to store the metadata. This library re-opens the file, writes the correct metadata blob for the file type, then closes the file once more. When systems or network shares have an automated synchronization or backup service, there may be timing collisions where the backup process starts before the metadata library has finished its operation, resulting in a write failure.

Write Failure when saving over Windows Active Directory Shared Folder
This issue appears to be introduced with changes in Windows Vista/7 network sharing AND changes in Audition's writing of metadata to files. We have introduced a fix for CS 6 that should prevent this problem from occurring, but IT administrators may be able to minimize this risk for other applications which may open and close a file multiple times by reducing the delay between recognition of a write/save operation and initiation of the sync process.

Write failure when saving to a local drive
We easily reproduced this problem with Safe Copy Backup, but I suspect other synchronization services like DropBox might be affected as well. Many of these tools offer a variable preference to allow some delay before synchronizing files, which would solve the problem with the appropriate value. You may also want to ensure you save to a non-monitored location, or disable the writing of metadata when exporting.

We will investigate the possibility of writing audio data and metadata in the same operation, which should minimize or prevent this problem from occuring, although I'm doubtful this solution would be completed for CS 6.

Thanks for everyones help in troubleshooting this. It was a tough one to track down, but it's very satisfying to have solved the mystery.
Durin

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21. Mark49883,

Jun 7, 2012 5:39 PM in reply to _durin_

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Is there a solution to this? I have spent hours editing 24 tracks of WAV files, and when I go to save every file gets "file in use" error. This is saving to an external USB drive from Windows 7. I have DropBox installed, but it is not monitoring that drive at all, much less the directory. I also stopped DropBox and tried to save again... same problem.

This is a huge bug... how can I save my modified WAV files??

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22. dib pwnt,

Jun 25, 2012 6:54 PM in reply to _durin_

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I'm not completely sure if I am having the same problem as the rest of the fellas. I have Audition version 5.5 (6 if you prefer) and some files will save all the way to 99% and stop. This creates a seperate file with a "~$" tag at the front of it. I have to use the task manager to shut down audition because it would sit there forever otherwise. I normally work with wav files. For some reason these files will not be deleted no matter what I do. The even crash my explorer.exe.. File lengths are generally an hour long. *Edit Some of the files, not all, have at least 300 cue markers in them at one point.

I AM on Windows 7 like most of the gents here. 64 bit. Quad-core processor, 12 gb of ram.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a windows 7/my IT departments fault. Anyone but Adobes. I love Audition... Just wish I could save my work proper.

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23. _durin_,

Jun 25, 2012 6:56 PM in reply to dib pwnt

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It does sound like another process is preventing the file from being completely written. As a quick test, does this happen if you uncheck the "Save markers and metadata" option in the save dialog? If so, look for any automate backup or sync services as these often grab a file the instant it is closed by an app, even if the app is technically not finished with it.

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24. Fa310tx,

Jun 25, 2012 8:23 PM in reply to _durin_

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I will say that I haven't had the problem since I've stopped using "Save markers and metadata".
Pretty much the only time I actually want to save that stuff is if it's a sesx.
JJ

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25. dib pwnt,

Jun 26, 2012 7:49 PM in reply to _durin_

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I just tried to save without using "Save markers and metadata" checked. Still froze at 99%. I was hoping that would solve my problem, but alas, its never that easy... This is frustrating.

*Edit

I have two hard drives in my computer. I'm thinking im going to move the audio I'm working on to the C drive and see if I have any problems with it then. I'm also contemplating unchecking "Add marker changes to undo history" (even though I love that function) to see if the problem persists even still.

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26. TheJackAttack,

Jun 26, 2012 7:53 PM in reply to _durin_

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I had this problem for a while under XP when the secondary drive started to go bad. The SATA chip would be intermittant and cause the hang. Once I changed the destination drive to a different firewire drive the problem stopped. I salvaged the drive and scrapped the enclosure. I have not been able to replicate the issue on my x64 Win7 machines but I do not have automated backup on the network either.

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27. Mark000111222,

Dec 26, 2012 6:23 AM in reply to TheJackAttack

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OK folks, it has been a year and a half since this was first reported... is there a fix for Audition? I cannot (ever) save WAV files to my external USB 1TB disk drive... goes to 99% done, then "The file is in use by another application and cannot be overwritten". Does not matter if I choose to save metadata or not, same problem. Every other app I have works fine with this external drive.

Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium, 64 bit
Audition CS5.5 "Version 4.0 build 1815"

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