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Gear / Technical Help => Post-Processing, Computer / Streaming / Internet Devices & Related Activity => Topic started by: vantheman on December 20, 2023, 09:03:22 PM

Title: Help me Decode Some Old UNIX Executables
Post by: vantheman on December 20, 2023, 09:03:22 PM

I have a digital archive from a well known flamenco family from Spain. There are hours of amateur recordings made by former students etc. Some of them appear to be encoded as some sort of Unix executable file. There's about 30 gigs worth of files. They will not run on my Mac as they all say "no such file or directory" when I try to run them via ./file-name in the Terminal app. There is no info file to tell me exactly what to do. The only clue is another Unix executable file in the folder named "(QS) Mac Software SNs" which I guess might be an app to decode the audio files. I don't know what any of that might mean. I gather there is probably some library I need to run it all, but I have no context for this at all. There is probably gold hidden in these files. Does anyone know where I might begin with this?

Title: Re: Help me Decode Some Old UNIX Executables
Post by: Chanher on December 20, 2023, 10:07:16 PM

The first thing I would do is make sure I'm working on a copy or backup files. Then I'd try changing the file extensions to the following: .aiff .aif .wav .mp3 etc.

If that doesn't work, perhaps some file conversion software.

Title: Re: Help me Decode Some Old UNIX Executables
Post by: vantheman on December 20, 2023, 10:41:19 PM

You're a genius. All I had to do was add a .wav file extension and they all play :facepalm:

Thank you!

Title: Re: Help me Decode Some Old UNIX Executables
Post by: anodyne33 on December 21, 2023, 02:20:23 PM

I love it when a plan comes together

Title: Re: Help me Decode Some Old UNIX Executables
Post by: GLouie on December 22, 2023, 01:34:20 AM

Yup, some Macs would not identify certain older files properly and would just mistakenly show them as UNIX exe files.