.wav file has become 'associated' with wrong app

[thetcutkid]

Sorry, weird title, I didn't quite know how to word the problem I have.

Basically, under OS9.2.2, I have a large drum library, the actual samples are .aif files but each loop and fill etc has a preview in the form of a .wav file.

Whilst booted into OS9 and with my production software running, when I need a drum loop, I open the folder holding all the previews, double click the .wav I want to hear and a player that came bundled on the drum library CD-Rom called QDesign MVP opens up and plays a 10 second clip of the loop - this is how it's worked for years, I've never used any other type of player to play those .wav files, it always defaults to the MVP player.

About a month ago I was looking for an mp3 player I could use under OS9 and eventually installed Audion 3 which works fine and is perfect for my needs.

However, this afternoon, on scrolling through the list of .wav files, where normally there is a blue MVP icon next to each one, three out of several hundred, now have an Audion icon next to them and if I double click them it opens up Audion to play them.

If I get info on them, under 'Kind' it says 'Audion 3 document', if I get info on those that have the MVP icon, the 'Kind' field is blank.

How have these three .wav files changed to use Audion as their default player and how can I change them back ? Can I actually edit the information shown by get info ?

 

[willmtaylor]

I'm not on OS9, but within the Info box, is there a "Open With:" drop down? On OSX there is, and you can select "Change All" as well.

 

[thetcutkid]

@willmtaylor many thanks for your reply.

No, under OS9, when I get info, there's no 'open with option', however, I've continued to try different things this afternoon and I'm not sure if I've just cracked it.

With the MVP player open, rather than double clicking on a .wav file, I've noticed for the first time that there's an 'Add' option to manually add a file into the player. If I click add, then select one of the .wav files that has the Audion icon, it pops up in the MVP player and plays OK but moreover, when I then go back to the .wav folder, the icon next to it has changed back to MVP and if I then double click it, it defaults to opening with the MVP player again.

I'm wondering if I've unintentionally opened one of those files in Audion in the last month (I certainly don't remember doing it) and it's remembered the last player it was played with...weird

 

[GGJstudios]

This may help: http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=1355.0

 

[Dronecatcher]

http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/filetyper-501

 

[eyoungren]

I'm not on OS9, but within the Info box, is there a "Open With:" drop down? On OSX there is, and you can select "Change All" as well.

OS9's a little different Will. The whole file association change thing in Get Info didn't happen until OS X.

In OS 9, it's a control panel called File Exchange, on the PC Exchange tab. You scroll through the list of files and then associate the file type with the app you want.

In this case, OP would probably find that WAV files are now associated with Audion. It's a simple matter to change it by clicking on the file type and then the "Change" button. Then you select the new app (QDesign MVP in this case).

 

[AphoticD]

Mac OS 9 used a "File Type" and a "File Creator" attribute, which was accessible via the file's resource fork (using a tool like ResEdit). The "File Creator" attribute would indicate which application to launch when the file is double clicked and the "File Type" attribute would allow a supported application to open the file via drag and drop and/or the application's Open dialogue box. Each application developer would register their software to allow supported file type codes via the application file's resource fork.

Use something like FileTyper, which @Dronecatcher recommended, to manually assign those particular .wav files back to the creator type for your audio app.

If the file has no resource fork (which is typical of any files generated on a PC), then the rules in the File Exchange Control Panel will be applied to associate the files to their correct applications based on their file extension (e.g .wav).

I can't recall if FileTyper allowed this, but some of the file type/creator changing utilities allowed you to generate a "dropper" style applet which would allow you to drop a selection of files or folders and it would apply the file type/creator changes to those files. This is handy if you are regularly adding to your sample library and the file type/creator is being set incorrectly by the system.

 

[thetcutkid]

Many thanks for the further replies and clarification on file associations, it's much appreciated.