How To Prevent Corrupted Files?

[pacificm]

I'm using DP 9.51 with Sierra and VEP 6.0.16502 and using three VEP servers on three different Mac computers.

Overall things are going well.  However, I was recently working on a project and was periodically doing "Save as" with it.  I got up to save as #9 and all was well.  Then I did another save as to #10 and one of the server/instances did not load.  I later did another save as from #9 and that server/instance did load in the new save as.  The problem of course is that if you do a lot of work on the save as which is not properly loading, you've lost a lot of time and work.

I've been working with VSL and MOTU support regarding this.  They did all they could to help and both came to the conclusion that it could have been file corruption.  MOTU said the more data in a file, the more it is prone to corruption.

VEP is attractive to use because it can support more project and data complexity.  Yet, it is just such data intensity which can contribute potentially to file corruption.

So, my question is if anyone has found a way to use VEP with a DAW and minimize data intensity which can contribute to file corruption?  Please let me know if you have any suggestions that might help.  Thanks!

[jasensmith]

Usually file corruptions occur because of some kind of hardware issue or possibly malware.  How old are your harddrives?  HDDs tend to corrupt more than SSD's because of more moving parts.  I corrupted a file once by accidentally kicking the CPU while a project was saving.

As far as "data density" is concerned I guess the best strategy is to spread the load.  You mentioned VEP so I assume you have VEP templates?

My largest VEP template is maybe 8 instruments in one instance.  I create VEP templates based on instrument characteristics or families so a string quartet would be a single VEP instance with four instruments.  A string Quintet would have five.  Basic woodwinds would be flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon; only four instruments.

Purge unused samples from a project.

Record and bounce one track at a time then archive unused MIDI tracks.

Just a few suggestions. 

[pacificm]

The file corruption occured on a newer SSD drive.  I am using templates.  However, they are DP templates that comprise a number of VEP server/instance instruments.  Is that what you mean by VEP templates?

Rather than your sparse number of instruments, however, mine comprise a large number.  Which may very well be the problem.  But, this leads me back to my understanding or perhaps missunderstanding of using VEP.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought one of the advantages of using VEP was that one could do what I've attempted - have immediately available in a template a large number of instruments, taking advantage of the power of three server/computers.  Isn't that what is done with setting up a large number of instruments with Vienna Instruments Pro, for example, and VEP to create a full orchestral sound?

I'm not sure what the advantage of using VEP is when using just a hand full of instruments.  Am I missing something?  I did that on a single computer before using VEP.  The reason I got VEP was I heard one could have multiple instruments available in templates and take advantage of using three computers.  For the most part, aside from this one file corruption this has been working fine.  But, I don't want any more corruption problems.

I think I'm still a bit confused about VEP best practices and whether keeping a large template of instruments is doable with VEP and if so, how to do it.  It would be helpful if VSL had some video tutorials which focused on not so much the features of VEP, but rather the best practice processes of how to make efficient use of it.

[dterry]

Is it your DP project that is corrupted, or the VEP server save?

One way to minimize the risk of corruptions is to run VEPro preserved and decoupled, and use a standard template in DP to start every project.  When VEP instances are coupled, they are saved with the project file, which not only takes longer, but creates a much larger project file as well. 

If you setup VEP decoupled/preserved on all slaves, it effectively runs "standalone" and your DP projects simply connect to it.  That way DP projects are saved with only the connection references, and your VEPro server instances can be saved independently, with reliable backups.

[jasensmith]

@pacificm said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought one of the advantages of using VEP was that one could do what I've attempted - have immediately available in a template a large number of instruments, taking advantage of the power of three server/computers.  

Ahhh..... Maybe I misunderstood your original post but your quote above is one of the the reasons why I only use one machine.  So you're talking about VEP Pro?

There's a million possible things that could go wrong with one computer, when you add two more... do the math. 

But I hope you find a solution to your problem.

[pacificm]

The preserved and decoupled suggestion below really caught my interest.  I think it may help me with what I am wrestling with.  

I checked my servers and discovered that they are preserved.  

The greyed out circular arrows suggest that they are coupled.  (Correct?)

So, if I understand your suggestion correctly, it would help if I decoupled the servers when I shut down the song.  This would be achieved by clicking the circular arrows to make them white.  (Correct?)

My question is what is the correct order of events of doing so?  If I understand you correctly, I would decouple them before I closed down the song.  But then, I would need to couple them again when I opened the song back up and keep them coupled until I was ready to close down the song.

Is that the correct order of steps?  Is that the correct way to use the decouple function?

Please advise.  Thanks!