File import/export or recording fails due to 2 GB file size limit

  • Live Versions: All
  • Operating System: All

The file size limitation of a 32bit or 64bit application is 2GB. (See further down for how this is calculated). This can leads to issues when recording or during import/export of a file such as:

  1. When recording audio for a long time, Live suddenly stops recording and eventually crashes, even though there is enough free space left on the hard disk.
  2. When trying to export or consolidate audio with a large selected time range, Live shows the message: “Live only supports rendering files of less than 2047 MB”.
  3. When trying to import a file larger than 2GB, Live displays an error message.

Workarounds:

  • Try exporting at a lower sampling rate and bit depth (e.g. 44,1 kHz / 16-bit, CD audio quality) if you were using higher settings before.
  • Try exporting as MP3 (Live 10 and later) or FLAC.
  • If neither of the above is an option, then you can export in several smaller parts and combine in an audio editor afterwards (like Audacity).
  • If you're importing a file which is larger than 2GB,  try splitting the file into smaller sections using Audacity.

How to calculate the file size of an audio file

The maximum duration of a single audio file can be calculated like this:

  • 16 Bit = 2 Byte
  • Stereo = 2 channels
  • 192 kHz = 192000 samples per second
  • 2 * 2 * 192000 Bytes/sec = 768000 Bytes/sec
  • 60 sec * 768000 Bytes = 46080000 Bytes/min = ~44 MB/min
  • 44 MB * 46 min = ~2GB

Maximum duration of a single file at different sample frequencies (stereo, 16-bit):

  • 44,1 kHz: ~203 min (10 MB/min)
  • 48 kHz: ~186 min (11 MB/min)
  • 88,2 kHz: ~101 min (20 MB/min)
  • 96 kHz: ~93 min (22 MB/min)
  • 192 kHz: ~46 min (44 MB/min)

Calculate the file size of your audio recordings based on sample rate, bit depth, mono/stereo.

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