Audio · exFAT audio media
Core Audio CAF: find after an import failure
Where are CAF recordings after a failed import?
Short answer
First look for converted copies: some apps turn CAF recordings into WAV or M4A on import, so the take may exist under another extension. Search the destination, trash and project folders by recording time, compare with the card, and scan the unused card read-only only if the original CAF is gone there too.
The situation
CAF recordings is incomplete at the destination and no longer appears reliably on the source.
The destination holds something that is not quite the original, and the card no longer shows the recording as it was. Import paths for CAF often convert rather than copy, so the take may well be present at the destination under a different format and a different name.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Many applications accept CAF only by converting it to WAV or M4A during import, and some delete the source once the conversion reports success. If the conversion failed halfway, the destination keeps a short or unreadable file while the card entry is already gone, and a search by extension finds neither side.
Move, rename, catalog and delete-after-import steps can fail at different moments and leave source and destination in different states. For Core Audio CAF, this matters because CAF chunks can describe long recordings and several audio codecs
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Search the destination by recording time rather than by name or extension, so converted copies in other formats also show up.
- 2
Look in the trash and in the library folder of the importing application, where converted material is often filed automatically.
- 3
Play each candidate through to the end and compare its duration with what the session log says the recording should be.
- 4
Only when the original is gone from the card as well, scan the card read-only and export to a drive that is not the destination.
Do not start the import again while the destination still holds partial results, and do not empty the trash before the comparison is finished. A repeated conversion can overwrite the partial file, and the trash is often where the only complete copy is waiting.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
File Recovery Hero reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 volumes and uncompressed images on macOS and Windows. A destination on an APFS Mac volume is not covered, so recordings lost there are found through the trash, a backup or a snapshot instead.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
An import is complete when every recording from the session exists once, opens without a codec warning and runs for its full length. Where the app converted, compare the converted file with the card version by duration, not by file size, since another codec changes the size legitimately.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can exFAT audio media be recovered in this situation?+
The destination holds something that is not quite the original, and the card no longer shows the recording as it was. Import paths for CAF often convert rather than copy, so the take may well be present at the destination under a different format and a different name. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not start the import again while the destination still holds partial results, and do not empty the trash before the comparison is finished.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
An import is complete when every recording from the session exists once, opens without a codec warning and runs for its full length.