When I download files to my computer, the sound becomes corrupted?

[codydee12]

Hey, I am on a MacBook Pro running macOS Mojave. I have audio files shared with me that sound uncorrupted when listedned to via the dropbox.com When I download the files to my mac via driect download they become corrupted (changes sound of files). I have tried downlading on Google Chrome, Safari, Download All, and downloading each file individually. Any guesses of how to fix this? Thank you!! 

[Rich · Accepted solution]

I doubt they becoming corrupted. LIkely a problem with the audio player you're using, especially if you're getting the same result in multiple browsers.

Try a different audiop player.

[rs70]

I know this is an old thread but it happens all the time.

I don't think it's your browser. I have an intermittent issue with WAV files being stored on Dropbox and used in Pro Tools. When they are first loaded into Pro Tools they are fine. However at some point something happens to the files and when they play back in Pro Tools (even though the waveform is fine) they are just white noise.

Now some might say, ah that's Pro Tools but no, because if you go back to the orginal files on dropbox at this point they are also corrupted.

It just happened to me again this evening. I am convinced that Dropbox is corrupting some header information or something and I know other people have experienced the same problem. I would love for Dropbox suppor to address this problem properly because it is hellish and can ruin entire sessions!

Thanks

[Walter]

Hi @rs70; thanks for joining the discussion here.

Based on your description, it sounds like the 3rd party app you're using (Pro tools) is somehow corrupting the files in question, since when you re-visit them on our website they show as corrupted too. 

Just to make sure if that's the case or something else that's happening, could you take a look at the file's version history to see if there are multiple versions of the file and/or if an older one works as expected? 

Also, were you indeed able to preview those files on our website before accessing them from Pro Tools? 

Let us know what you find!

[Skywatcher]

Hi Walter,

So I disagree and here is the reason. Yesterday I was working on a Pro Tools session. I had all my files on Dropbox. Mid session a bunch files became corrupted. Pro Tools does not write to the audio files, everything is non destructive. The only thing Pro Tools writes is timecode information to it's own session files not the WAVS. Once the files are in Pro Tools it never touches the originals.

Not only that but the same files, in a different folder also became corrupted. Pro Tools wasn't even using these files. The only thing that is continuously looking at / checking these files is Dropbox. There is no other explanation.

I am not the only person to have experienced this. The fact that Dropbox has system level access to the files (for example it can remove a lock that I have put on immediately) indicates to me that Dropbox is the culprit.

From now on I am ironically, syncing all my files from Dropbox to my local drive and working from there. When I am done I will sync back to Dropbox.

I think Dropbox should take this seriously, as I have also seen other people complaining about document and excel files. I don't think this is limited to audio.