File limits for recording

[JsartorisD127-2]

I'm looking at using Audition to multi track record a long event.  I've been searching trying to find details on file size limits or something of the sort.

I'm looking at recording 8 track or more of upto 14 hours long.  I'm currently testing this process but would love some technical limits and advice.

Will I hit a problem at 4gb or a certain time? 

Also is there a setting to make it automatically segment the recording files into smaller pieces?  Say 500mb or so?  This would make moving the files to post processing easier.  

Last question is how often will Audition flush the buffer to disk?  Is it only when the ram buffer is full or is it time based.  I don't want to lose the whole recording should something like a system crash or power outage happen.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Technically there is no length limit. When each file becomes as large as wav files are allowed to be (4gb), a new one is started automatically in the same location as the previous one. This event is logged in the session file, so when you come to reopen your recording it all gets joined up automatically. Accordingly you don't hit any technical problems until you run out of drive space. Because the system copes with file sizing and has a mechanism for joining them, you aren't allowed to alter it. What this means is that you have one giant session which you then have to split into shorter ones after the event. This is relatively easy to do.

The concept of flushing a buffer to disk only exists in Waveform view, and only happens there with temp files when you do an actual save, rather than stop recording. In Multitrack view all recording is direct to file, which minimises the chance of any loss. If there's a power outage or a crash, everything up to that point should be salvageable.

[Richard M Knight]

Just out of interest, will Audition record for more than 24 hours?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I can't see why it shouldn't, although I've never tried it. Don't know what would happen when the couonter rolled over, either, or would it just go on adding hours? Maybe it would. But if I wanted to do a continuous recording like that, I wouldn't trust it to a single incidence of Audition anyway - I'd have two rolling over, and possibly a third system as a standby.

[Richard M Knight]

I remember doing night shoots and having to set the timcode so that on a single dat tape the timecode did not go through midnight. It upset the auto conform if it did.

[JsartorisD127-2]

I left my test going over night and it still seems to be running just fine.  So midnight doesn't seem to be an issue.  I'll let it keep going and report back after 24 hours.

Also it doesn't seems to split at 4gb.  While Windows Explorer doesn't update live, you can copy the file and it causes a refresh.  My current wave files are sitting at over 11gb!

[JsartorisD127-2]

24hour 15minute recording test is complete.  No issues. There was about 20 seconds after I clicked stop where the app reported "Not Responding" but it came back.  Then at exit and save it stalled out for a moment also but was fine.

Just make sure you have plenty of free space.  15.6gb per mono track is what I came in at.