Storage media · interview recorder card
Interview recording missing: protect the recorder card on set
What should I do when an interview recording disappears?
Short answer
Immediately stop recording on that card and note the missing take name and the time it was recorded. Neighbouring files show whether a transfer stopped, a take was deleted, the card was swapped or the last file was never finalized. Then remove the card, check the adjacent sequence and scan it read-only.
The situation
One interview take is absent while adjacent audio files remain.
One gap in an otherwise complete file sequence is a clue, not a verdict. The files on either side of the missing take carry numbers and timestamps that narrow the cause down to a stopped transfer, a deletion, a swapped card or a take the recorder never closed.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Field recorders number takes consecutively, so the neighbours tell the story. If the numbering runs straight through, the take was probably removed after it was written. If it jumps, the recorder may have started a file it never finalized, or a second card was in the slot for that block of the shoot. A transfer that stopped halfway leaves the original intact but the copy incomplete.
A stopped transfer, take deletion, card rotation, or an unfinalized last file can each create a different gap.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Stop the recorder before the next setup: a further take can claim the space the interview occupied and end the case there.
- 2
Write down the expected take name, the recording time and the numbers of the files before and after it while the shoot is still fresh.
- 3
Check every other card from the day and the transfer destination first; a rotated card or a half-finished copy explains the gap without any scanning.
- 4
Only then read the card in a reader, scan read-only for the recorder's audio format, and export finds to the production drive.
Nothing is gained by re-recording the interview slate onto the same card, by letting the recorder rebuild its index, or by deleting the surrounding takes to make room. Each of those changes the very sequence you need as evidence.
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.
A take that the recorder never wrote to the card cannot be found by any scan, and a take whose blocks a later recording has taken over is gone. File Recovery Hero reads exFAT and FAT32 cards without changing them, on macOS and Windows only.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A recovered take should match the length you noted on set, carry the same sample rate as its neighbours, and contain both microphone channels. Listen to the last minute in particular: a file cut short by a stopped transfer often plays cleanly until the point where the copy broke off.
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 interview recorder card be recovered in this situation?+
One gap in an otherwise complete file sequence is a clue, not a verdict. The files on either side of the missing take carry numbers and timestamps that narrow the cause down to a stopped transfer, a deletion, a swapped card or a take the recorder never closed. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Nothing is gained by re-recording the interview slate onto the same card, by letting the recorder rebuild its index, or by deleting the surrounding takes to make room.
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?+
A recovered take should match the length you noted on set, carry the same sample rate as its neighbours, and contain both microphone channels.