So I needed to do some revisions on a track I was working on. Very minor stuff, saved it in new folder. Didn’t even add any new instruments or anything. Came back the next day; the new session is now logging in as 896MB!
It hangs when I try and open it. I can open it in Safe Mode with plugs disabled. The previous version opens just fine (2.5MB), but obviously it means I gotta redo all my tweaks.
Any suggestions on how to salvage this? How the hell does a project file get to that size literally overnight? Like I said I didn’t add anything plugin wise, was just mix and arrangement tweaks.
I’d share it, if someone could be bothered downloading such a large file…
Is this one track in a project ?
Sorry what do you mean by one track in a project? The session itself is 896MB big inexplicably and hanging on load.
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OK, when you say session you mean the project ?
The 896 seems right. I’ve never had a project as small as 2.5MB
Maybe if your template has around 1000 tracks that is normal. My template file is <1MB.
Do you use an ARA extension within the project?
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Hi there,
On Cubase, create a new project. Whilst the new project is active, go to the file that is problematic and open it. Upon the prompt to activate the project, click ‘no’.
You should be able to see your project showing, but not activated.
I am not sure what version you are working on, but on your inactivated session, you should be able to deactivate the tracks. If you can do that, do so.
Close the session (it should ask you to save, perhaps under new name(?)).
Close the new session, reopen your problematic session and see if it opens this time around.
It could be a VSTi or a Plugin that is causing this issue.
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That’s not normal. I’m talking a cpr file here, not a whole project folder, or memory used or anything like that. The project has about 42 tracks.
Thanks, I’ll try this. Yeah this has worked before on previously problematic sessions so see how it goes.
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I’m not sure. Could you explain?
Something like Melodyne or SpectraLayers, which both use the ARA extension format.
Oh right, no I’m not using anything like that in this project.
OK. The usual suggestion, in this case, is to eventually untick the Enable Automatic Hitpoint Detection in the Preferences > Editing > Audio panel.
Another thing is to look more closely again at the plug-ins used, especially sampler/rompler(s) : some can incorporate samples in the project file itself. Your first post more or less hints that one of them is involved and a more or less hidden setting has been changed in it, at a point.
But sure, passing from 2.5 Mb to nearly 1 Gb is difficult to grasp… 
Sorry. I didn’t understand. I’ve just checked one of mine which has about 35 tracks and it is 5.12 MB.
Best raise a ticket.
Hey mate, thanks for the tip. Sadly it didn’t make any difference. I know which track it seems to be getting stuck on when loading and its weird, as its just an audio track with one instance of FabFilter Pro-Q3. I have lots of other instances of that plug in the session and countless other sessions without issue and find it hard to believe that’s what’s doing it. Usually noting the track that it hangs on and disabling that plug loading gets me around an issue like this.
I checked in the session in safe mode and the track immediately following it was an instance of Super 8 so removed that from the VST path but no luck. I guess the session is just toast, or maybe it will load after 30 mins or so 
OK; have you tried to use the File > Save as command ? This, just to see if you get a project .cpr file with the same weight…
Another thing that could maybe help : use the File > Back up Project one, for more or less the same reason, after carefully choosing the options available…
I always use save as in general. Doesn’t the project have to be open to back it up though? Or do you mean back it up after opening in safe mode?
So, using the File > Save as command, you should have different .cpr files of more or less the same project. At which moment the .cpr file went from 2.5 Mb to nearly 1 Gb?
I would try to back it up when opened. I haven’t tested that, but I’m not sure that you are able to back up a project not opened. And about the safe mode : if you can, try to do so without it.
Beside this, I think that you should try the Back up Project one : it will allow you to get rid of all unnecessary files from previous editing.
I should explain: I had a v3 of the track I submitted for something. I backed it up to a new folder for a v4 and because I was using the track for a different purpose. I did the edits on this backed up version (v4). Thats the one that is having problems. The V3 is still there and still 2.5mb and opens fine, but obviously I have to recreate all my edits again as per v4, which I’m trying to avoid.
So, try to back it up to a v5. Not much to loose, at this point…