Production · concert recording cards and drives
concert recording: check a backup size mismatch
Why is the backup from the concert recording smaller than the source?
Short answer
Often a single oversized file is missing: a long concert recording or multitrack WAV of 4 GB or more cannot be written to a FAT32 backup drive, while everything else copies fine. Compare file lists with exact byte sizes before copying again, leave the cards unchanged and use an exFAT or NTFS destination if needed.
The situation
A copy exists, but byte totals or file counts do not match the recorded cards.
When a concert backup comes out smaller, one oversized file is the first suspect. A continuous set or a multitrack mix easily passes 4 GB, and a FAT32 destination refuses such a file outright while every shorter clip copies without complaint.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
FAT32 cannot store a single file of 4 GB or more, which is precisely the size range a full set reaches. Cameras avoid the limit by splitting into chapters, but a recorder writing one long multitrack file does not. Beyond that, cluster sizes differ between card and backup drive, so totals never match exactly even when nothing is missing.
Hidden sidecars, failed large files, filters and allocation errors can all change totals. For concert recording, this matters because the concert recording combines several sources, takes and handoff steps that must be reconciled as a set
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Leave the cards and the backup untouched and check which file system the backup drive actually uses.
- 2
Compare file lists with exact byte sizes per camera and per recorder instead of reading the folder totals.
- 3
Reformat or replace the destination with an exFAT or NTFS volume if it turns out to be FAT32.
- 4
Copy the oversized files from the card again onto that volume and verify each byte size after the transfer.
Do not erase the cards on the assumption that the backup covers the show, and do not split the long multitrack file to squeeze it onto the old drive. A divided master complicates every later mix, and the card is still the only complete copy.
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.
Nothing was deleted here, so no recovery licence is needed; the fix is a different destination file system. Recovery applies only where files are already gone from a readable exFAT, NTFS or FAT16/FAT32 source, and it never writes to that source.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Every file on the card must have a counterpart in the backup with the same name and the same byte size, the long recordings included. Open the multitrack file from the backup, confirm the channel count and play the final minutes of the last set.
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 concert recording cards and drives be recovered in this situation?+
When a concert backup comes out smaller, one oversized file is the first suspect. A continuous set or a multitrack mix easily passes 4 GB, and a FAT32 destination refuses such a file outright while every shorter clip copies without complaint. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not erase the cards on the assumption that the backup covers the show, and do not split the long multitrack file to squeeze it onto the old drive.
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?+
Every file on the card must have a counterpart in the backup with the same name and the same byte size, the long recordings included.