SQ-Drive: empty WAV files, RAW import and recovery checks

Incomplete WAV files: preserve the media and prepare for recovery

A WAV that opens after its header is repaired may still be incomplete. Compare its size, duration and content with the expected take. Work on copies and do not treat the whole session as recovered just because one section plays.

Before attempting a repair, identify the mixer and drive, record the exact error and stop using that media for new recordings. A screenshot or filename alone cannot establish how much audio remains available.

Preserve the media before a repair changes its data

Microsoft, chkdsk, Parameters and Remarks distinguishes a status check from a repair. Repair options modify the volume; on FAT, they can change the file allocation table and lose data. Copying visible WAV files does not preserve the media's sectors and structure.

The GNU ddrescue 1.30 manual, §§3/11 recommends copying the affected media and repairing a copy. For important data, retain a first master copy and work on a second one. It also advises against repairing the original file system when the drive has input/output errors. Identify the source, destination and working copy before starting.

Identify the affected media and preservation destination by model, capacity and serial number. Save a disk image or clone with its read log; reserve another copy for tests. Clearly label the original, master copy and working copy. If you cannot obtain stable reads, preserve the device and agree on the next step with the person handling recovery.

Record whether the take closed, when the media was removed or the equipment powered off, and which operations have already been attempted. Do not record again or prepare that media for another event while recovery is being assessed. Use a different drive for a new SQ-Drive test, following the recording errors and file guide.

When planning an image or clone, record the tool and version, operating system, and source and destination identities. Confirm the procedure with the person handling recovery before writing to another device.

A RAW volume and Audacity Raw Data: identify which problem you have

Microsoft, Troubleshoot Disk Management describes RAW as the state of a partition with no recognized file system and warns that formatting erases data. Note where the warning appears: the volume status, a message when opening it, or an error when importing a particular file. Keep a screenshot and the exact message.

In the Audacity 3.7 manual, File Menu > Import > Raw Data, RAW means importing audio without a valid header by specifying its encoding. That dialog does not rebuild a volume Windows cannot open. You need a file copy with accessible data before reaching this stage.

If the volume cannot be opened, continue with preservation and file extraction from a working copy. Do not import an entire disk image as though it were a mono track. If the volume opens but a WAV containing data is not recognized, record its size and the error before trying RAW import.

If the file copy is still zero bytes, Audacity has no samples in that file to interpret. This alone does not establish whether data remains in other sectors of the media: examining the volume and extracting files belong to an earlier stage.

Allen & Heath's recovery attempt and audio parameters

Recovery of corrupted SQ-Drive recordings, updated in March 2026, describes a Windows recovery attempt for small files, typically 512 bytes/1 KB, following an interrupted write. It proposes checking the disk and then importing audio without headers. Recovery is not guaranteed. Before that check, which may write to the media, prepare the copies described in the previous section.

On the identified working volume, the SQ article uses Windows Explorer > Properties > Tools > Error-checking > Check. A Windows repair report does not confirm the contents of every WAV. Inventory the file sizes again and try opening them normally; if files remain zero bytes or audio cannot be extracted, record the result and revisit the earlier stage.

For accessible audio without a header, the SQ article specifies Signed 24-bit PCM, Little-endian, a 512-byte start offset and 100% import. Use one channel for each multitrack file or two for a stereo recording; the sample rate must match the take, 48,000 or 96,000 Hz. The SQ V1.6.0 reference, §§13.1/13.2 helps you check which type of file was recorded.

In Audacity 3.7, Import > Raw Data, you can set the parameters yourself; Detect estimates them. On a copy, record every value and start with a file whose source you can identify. Listen at a low level and check that the signal makes sense before importing all the tracks.

The 512-byte offset belongs to the cited SQ procedure; it is not a universal value for every damaged WAV. Renaming an extension does not create a header or recover samples that were never written. If you need to try another interpretation, retain that version and document the reason before comparing it.

Export separate tracks and check for shortened recordings

The Audacity 3.7 manual, Export Audio allows exporting the project, a selection or Multiple Files. Mute/Solo can exclude tracks, and the export mode can mix several tracks into one file. Check the export range and choose a destination separate from the source files.

Keep a separate track for each recovered multitrack source, with filenames that map back to the recording patch. Check WAV format, 24-bit PCM, channels and sample rate in the output file; for stereo, verify left/right assignment. Saving an Audacity project does not replace delivering those WAV files.

Reopen each exported file in a new session. Check its source, channels, start, end and duration against the expected take. Compare several common points across tracks to detect offsets, silence or dropouts; do not trim the start of some tracks and leave others intact just to make them appear aligned.

If a take expected to last two hours yields only thirty minutes, record it as a partial recovery and identify the available sections. Adding silence or stretching time cannot restore missing audio. A duration mismatch can also result from an incorrectly interpreted sample rate: compare it with the actual recording log before deciding how much audio was lost.

If the tracks will be used for SQ soundcheck, prepare delivery copies that meet the requirements in SQ-Drive and imported files. Keep the recovered files and coverage notes separately; matching playback lengths does not prove that every track was fully recovered.

Preservation, recovery and handoff worksheet

Use the SQ-Drive recovery worksheet to distinguish preserved media, attempted repairs, available audio and verified WAV files. Leave results blank until the operations have been performed.

Avoid repairing the original without preserving it, treating a RAW volume as audio, importing every file at an assumed sample rate, exporting a short selection or a mix instead of separate tracks, or declaring a file complete simply because it opens.

For handoff, record which sources and sections are available and which are missing. Keep the copy log and a record of each attempt with the versions used. If a source file could not be recovered, identify it as unresolved alongside the track map.

Related: SQ-Drive recording and file closure, virtual soundcheck routing and recording handoff. Agree on preservation and file checks with the teams operating audio and event recording.