Rookie Meanderings...wtf Happened Here?

I’m pretty new to home recording, but I have been successful tracking my bands and I’m slowly learning to use Cubase. I am happy with the product.
While trying to update to 9 I got an error that I was low on disk space (2012-or so MacBook Pro). Had a look-see at the HD and found 187GB of .wav files marked ‘untitled’ in a folder titled "Cubase Projects’. Fine. Move those to my outboard passport where I store my named and saved Cubase projects-done and done. Install Cubase Pro 9 no issues. Yay.
Now when I try to open saved projects, a sign says they ‘don’t exist’. When I try to load saved and named projects, they are ‘greyed out’ and won’t load. I hit one of the ‘untitled’ projects, it loaded but it was hash. Multiple tracks mixed up and playing at once.
Even if I don’t like what y’all might tell me, I’d like to know what went sideways. Aaaargh.

I suggest you check your project and file management. It seems you saved many projects under a default name on a default location. I always create a project folder that I name with the date of creation, and do the same with project files Inside that folder…

Hope this helps

It’s one of the most common ‘mistakes’ people make with Cubase. They load a default song and start working on an idea. Cubase puts all of the audio in the default song’s folder. Next time they start up Cubase they again load up their default Project and work on another new idea - all the audio again gets saved into the default song folder. Ten new ideas down the line the user has no idea which bits of audio inside the default Project folder are for which song.

When I’m teaching Cubase this is my Lesson 1, Rule 1 material!

To avoid getting into this mess, start any new work by creating a new Project folder, even if you only call it ‘New Idea 27’.

You can sort it all out after the event by using the ‘Backup Project’, which will collate all of the audio for any one Project and put it into a new location. If you’ve already irretrievably deleted the audio then this isn’t going to work, unfortunately.

Absolutely the right way to do it.

When I’m playing around and need a name I just use the days date (e.g. 9dec16). Since I’m incapable of having two ideas in a day there’s never a conflict. :astonished:

Thank you fellows for the responses. I guess the trick is to create a new project file BEFORE starting the project in Cubase? I’m guessing that an untitled default file was created on my resident hard drive, then when I saved it to the outboard hdd both files remained. Good to know.

The real problem is still that neither 9 or 8.5 will open saved and named projects anymore. After installing 9 and moving files from my internal hd to the outboard hd nothing opens correctly. I think I’ll have to go to the mothership for this one.

Thank you both again!

Open the hub/project assistant and change the use default folder to prompt for project location.
Now, when you start a new blank project, the audio record folder will be inside the project folder.

Never start a project using an old project as template without using backup to new folder to relocate it first.

As for the files you moved…if you can put them back exactly where they came from you still may be able to rescue them.
If you do get them to load use backup to new folder and save that one to your external drive.

For me Cubase already adds a number to every new project I make, even if I don’t save it it will increase the number next time.

But it doesn’t change the folder - and that is what will get you into trouble.

Not so. I just called it Thingy once, and Cubase added the numbers.

Double click on the Cubase icon
Select File option from the Cubase toolbar
Select New Project on top if starting a new project or choose the track you have been working upon

For new project choose empty or the template you have created > Select More

In the Select Project Folder space to create a name for your project
Check the Default location is the right place for storing your projects. Click on this space to choose a new location. Open My Computer and select your music drive/folder – select Make New Folder at the bottom, then name the folder and click on Create

You will now see the track Arrange Window
Press Control/Save and name your track in the save window. This will then create the track file in your folder
Press f4 and check that the output channels 1&2 are selected for your soundcard.

The Archive function can gather files on your computer and put them in the project folder:Toolbar>Media>Prepare Archive

If you have more than one drive or partition it helps to locate the projects away from the C drive.
I hope that helps?

I see what you are doing. I’ve never once used the default location.