Syntrillium Backup Forums :: View topic

RobF · Posted - Thu Oct 18, 2001 5:09 pm

I'm a new registered user of Cool Edit 2000 and am confused about why Cool Edit adds a .pk file each time it handles a music file. I wind up with two files for each.
What is this?
Do I need to keep this file?
If so, do I need to keep it in the same folder as the music file if I move the music file to a new directory?
I couldn't find anything about this in the help program.
Thank you.

beetle · Location: USA

Hi,

Those pesky little .pk files are our friend. They help Cool Edit open our files instantaneously. You can safely delete them if you wish.

Edited by - beetle on 10/18/2001 5:39:20 PM

SoloTune · Location: USA

Rob, the "peak" file is one that CE uses to allow it to load the wave file faster. It simply contains some info about the envelope of the file. If you do a search in the box above about this you'll find more information than you probably need.

I've found that this little file serves a secondary function however. It isn't unusual for me to have several "projects" in the works at any given time. Some projects get put on the back burner, and I may not get back to them for quite some time. I use the presence of the .pk file as a reminder to myself that that particular file is still in the works. When I'm done with a wave file, I simply delete the .pk file.

One might ask why I don't simply just move the completed wave file to another folder when I'm done with it. Its simply because I often will record both sides of an album, then process the waves individually till they're all complete. At that point, I move them all to an appropriate folder for that complete album.

Happy recording. Smile

Wildduck · Posted - Fri Oct 19, 2001 3:05 am

And... Yes the .pk file should be kept and moved with the main file. If the main file is edited, moved and then finds itself beside an earlier .pk file with the same name, chaos is likely.

Particularly dangerous in networked situations.

jonrose · Location: USA

Agreed about the network implications - I have to be concious of that at the studio.
But just for anyone not familiar with the peak files, they will be rebuilt by CE if they aren't present, so don't worry if they aren't kept!

All the best.... -Jon
:-)

Syntrillium M.D. · Location: USA

Hi all. Just as a reminder...

If you don't want Cool Edit to save the peak files at all, you can disable this feature by going to Options>Settings>System and unchecking the box labeled, "Save Peak Cache Files."

---Syntrillium, M.D.