Corrupt Sets

A broken Live Set can be caused by a variety of factors, including a crash, power cut, hardware failure, software bug, or syncing problem. Be sure to create regular back-ups of your Live Sets and media files. The best way to avoid broken sets is to keep your computer well-organized and regularly update your operating system and installed software. For tips on how to organize your files, visit our guide to External Storage and Backup.

If a Live Set has become corrupted, it will display the error message "The document [filename] is corrupted" when opened, followed by the type of corruption, such as:

• First automation event has invalid time
• Track grouping corrupt
• Non-unique list IDs
• Unknown Compound Stream Type
• Invalid Pointee ID
• Not well-formed (invalid token)
• Unexpected node "Default Color"
• Member "Track Device" of Class PreHearTrackDeviceChain is missing

Unknown Compound Stream Type

The error Unknown Compound Stream Type indicates that the affected file is either not identifiable by Live as an .als Live Set file, or that the file or does not match the structure of an .als Live Set file.

In most cases, this type of damaged data is caused by a file management app or cloud storage service running on your machine.

Before contacting Ableton Support, first contact your cloud storage service provider.  They can ensure the files have been downloaded properly on your machine and investigate the cause. Lean more about cloud storage best practices.

Repairing corrupted Sets

Some types of corrupted Live Sets can be repaired by the Technical Support team. Please send the affected Live Set file (.als file only ) to Ableton Support, as an attachment to a Technical Support request. We cannot guarantee a successful repair, but we will do our best to try to recover the set.

In certain cases, it's possible to restore a Temporary saved copy of the project file. This Temporary file is often an older version generated before the damage to the file occurred, and may therefore help recover parts of the Set if the original file is irreparable.

Here is where to find Temporary Set files:

Note: These folders are hidden by default.

Windows

\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live Reports\Temp\Live Run[…]\
\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\Preferences\Crash\

Mac

/Users/[Username]/Library/Application Support/Ableton/Live Reports/Temp/Live Run[…]/
/Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x.x/Crash/

This folder may contain Live Set files with generic names. Please open each Temporary file in Live to check for a copy of the affected project.

If you find a copy of the relevant Set, next follow these steps:

1. Note down the file name of the corrupted file and rename it, for example adding "_corrupt" to the file name.
2. Move the temporary Live Set .als file into the Project Folder of the corrupted file.
3. Rename the temporary .als file to the name of the original Set.
4. Open the file in Live.
5. If you get a "missing files" message, click the orange Status Bar at the bottom of Live's program window.
6. In the File Manager sidebar that appears, select the Project Folder or the location where you store audio files.

If you can't retrieve your work using the above methods, please contact Technical Support and attach  the corrupt Live Set .als, along with any Crash Reports.