"Score error 9"

Cubase
,
1

Does anybody have info on this error message: “Score error 9” ?

The problem:
Large file (midi tracks only, with only 1 VST [Ivory]). All editing done in Score Editor. File contains numerous time signature and tempo changes (all via Tempo Track). No problems at all, while working on this file for months, till today, when this happened:

A passage of 7 bars contained these time sigs: 7/16, 8/16, 5/16, 3/8, and then two and half bars of 4/4. I was ready to re-notate the meters that take place within those last bars of 4/4, and - moving the Score Editor cursor to each bar in turn - used the tempo track to try to change them to 9/16, 4/8, 6/16, 3/8, and 9/16.

The first change - to 9/16 - went fine, but when I tried to enter 4/8 for the next bar, I received a “Score error 9” message.

I returned to the Score Editor, and saw that my Score Editor cursor had disappeared! However, the new “4/8” time signature WAS there, after all, and so I hit the Play button. . . and up popped a “Runtime error” message, and Cubase froze completely.

I rebooted the computer, opened the same file, but the Score Editor wouldn’t open, instead giving the “Score error 9” message.

I opened a completely different file, and saw that the Score Editor cursor had disappeared there, too. However, I was able to re-instate it via Preferences/Score/Editing/Show Position Cursor.

I subsequently opened a .bak of the damaged file that had preceded the “Score error 9” problem, and tried to enter the same time signatures as before, but the same thing happened. For some reason, Cubase now gets very upset when I try to enter a time signature with bottom number as “8” when previous and subsequent bars have “16” as the time signature’s bottom number. I had had absolutely no difficulties doing this (and even more obtuse time signature and tempo changes) in the past (ie, over many months!).

I’m using Cubase 7.5, on a PC desktop, Windows 7 Pro, quad-core CPU, 32 GB ram. No plug-ins (other than Ivory VST) open. Operating at 48,000/20-bit. MOTU 2408 mk3 audio interface.

I’ll let you know if this kind of problem recurs in new files. . .

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

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Update, August 18, 2016: Same problem occurred when changing time signatures in an earlier version of the same file. This time, the “Score error 9” and “Runtime error” messages occurred while changing some time signatures, even though the lower number of those time signatures was NOT changed (they remained 16ths).

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I forgot to add that, after the “Score editor 9” and “runtime error” messages appeared again (August 18), another message appeared, to tell me that my sample rate had changed (from 48,000 to 44,100). Not sure if that has bearing or not. . .

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More info:

Steinberg Canada’s super-tech-guy, Lindsay Warner, took a look at the file, was able to duplicate the error message, and came up with a good hypothesis: Is it possible that this only occurs when one tries to change a time signature within a passage that already contains other time signatures further along in the score? And would the workaround be to delete all time signatures that are subsequent to the bar in question, so that one is, in effect, creating new time signatures beginning with the bar in question?

So, I tried Lindsay’s suggested workaround – tho’ with a different file – and it worked!

But a subsequent operation made Cubase shut down: I had [successfully] changed all the old time signatures to one new one, 3/8, that began at bar 109. However, in order to change the note-grouping in bar 110 (which required a different grouping than in bar 109), I had to create a second 3/8 time signature, so that a time signature would appear at bar 110, and I could then access the time signature grouping for that bar. That worked fine.

But when I went back to then delete that now non-necessary 3/8 in bar 110, Cubase shut down (but no “score error 9” message appeared). My guess is that Cubase had created a link between the re-grouping in bar 110 and that duplicated 3/8 time signature there, and was thrown into chaos when I tried to delete that 3/8. The file was not lost, however, and everything up to (but not including) that last attempted time signature deletion had been preserved.

If you - at Steinberg - do look into these strange events – and if you discover the problems involved – could you perhaps publish your findings? Even if those findings mean listing what Cubase’s Score Editor can’t handle?

Thanks, in advance!