Lost WAV on Behringer 0 Bytes

This is apparently an ongoing problem with certain Behringer x32 audio boards. Even if you properly eject the USB drive, random cases of 0 (zero) byte files happen.

The best way to recover the corrupted or lost 0 byte files is to use the CHKDSK command in Windows and then use the VLC Player to convert the audio. Even after recovering the file, many audio players such as Windows Media Player, won’t handle the audio correctly.

The best way to recover the files is to use a Windows pc.

Here are the basic steps – and you can watch the video:

(1) I recommend creating a backup image of the USB drive/device first. This is always a good practice just in case, but it is not required. On a Mac, you can use Disk Utility to create a .DMG file. On Windows, you will need a 3rd party tool such as IMGBURN or similar.

Rule #1: You are only as good as your last successful backup – from which you can recover!

(2) On a Windows pc, go to the Control Panel and set the folder options (use the search bar) to “show all files” and “show system files”. This will allow you to see the recovered .CHK files.

(3) Check the drive letter assigned to the USB drive by Windows. You will need this for the command line.

(4) Open up the Command Prompt in Windows and type the following command – lets assume the drive letter is “G:”. After running the command, you should see that X number of files have been fixed.

chkdsk G: /f

(5) Open up the USB drive (ex: G: ) and look for a “Found.XXX” folder. If you don’t see it, make sure you have set the Folder Options to show hidden files/folders AND system files.

(6) Look for the recovered files such as FILE000.CHK and compare the “creation date” and file sizes to what you are looking for. You may need to show the “creation date” column. Copy the file(s) to your desktop or other folder.

(7) Rename the file(s) to replace the .CHK extension with .WAV then open the file(s) with VLC Player.

(8) Using VLC Player save/convert option – create a new MP3 or other audio file. You can now use this new file in your software.

h/t to TimeBandit from [ this forum ] – thanks!

IMPORTANT: There are some cases where the audio data will fail to save on the Behringer such that it is not recoverable. If the above method will not restore the audio, then short of another backup audio source, you are probably out of luck. By the way – if you are not using a backup audio recorder for important events, you certainly should be.