Audio · exFAT multitrack recorder card
RF64 long recording: recover after a quick format
Can RF64 files beyond the classic WAV limit be recovered after a quick format?
Short answer
Often yes, if the card has stayed unused: a quick format leaves RF64 audio data in place, but a file this large is especially exposed to being partly overwritten. Eject the card and scan it read-only. A recovered RF64 that some players reject may still be intact; test it in software that reads the ds64 chunk.
The situation
The medium now has a new empty directory, while the previous RF64 files beyond the classic WAV limit is missing.
The card now shows a clean, empty structure and the recorder is ready to roll again. A quick format only wrote fresh allocation tables and a new root directory; the sample data of the earlier long take still sits in the data area, unreferenced and fully exposed to the next recording.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A quick format on an exFAT recorder card replaces the file-system bookkeeping and leaves the payload where it was. What is lost first is the map: without directory entries nothing records where the RF64 take started or how many gigabytes it spanned, so a scan has to recognize the RIFF and ds64 structures in the raw data and follow them to the end of the recording.
A quick format can replace file-system records without immediately overwriting every older content block. For RF64 long recording, this matters because ds64 fields describe very large data lengths and can make an intact take appear short when damaged
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Eject the freshly formatted card without making the short test recording that usually follows a format, and store it outside the recorder.
- 2
Note what the card held before the format: how many long takes, roughly how many minutes each, and at which sample rate.
- 3
Read the card through a card reader with a scan that only reads, and let it search the whole volume rather than the empty new directory.
- 4
Export every RF64 candidate to a separate drive, keeping the ones whose size matches a multi-gigabyte take rather than a fragment.
Do not reformat again, do not run a full format, and do not lay down a test take to prove the card is healthy. A full format writes across the whole surface, and even a few seconds of new audio can sit inside the block range the old recording needs.
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.
An exFAT card is in scope for File Recovery Hero, which scans free of charge and exports for a one-off 50 EUR. It cannot rebuild a ds64 header that a format left behind, and it offers nothing for a card that a full format has already overwritten.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Recovered files carry generic names after a format, so judge them by content. The right take opens at its original sample rate, shows the channel count the session used, and runs for the number of minutes you remember; a file that ends after a few seconds is a fragment.
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 multitrack recorder card be recovered in this situation?+
The card now shows a clean, empty structure and the recorder is ready to roll again. A quick format only wrote fresh allocation tables and a new root directory; the sample data of the earlier long take still sits in the data area, unreferenced and fully exposed to the next recording. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not reformat again, do not run a full format, and do not lay down a test take to prove the card is healthy.
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?+
Recovered files carry generic names after a format, so judge them by content.