diff --git a/ChildProject/cmdline.py b/ChildProject/cmdline.py
index 42b254a6..8ec6e84f 100755
--- a/ChildProject/cmdline.py
+++ b/ChildProject/cmdline.py
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ def sets_metadata(args):
             continue
 
         if len(args.source) > 1:
-            logger.info(f"\033[1m\033[35m### {project.recordings['experiment'].iloc[0]} ({source}) ###\033[0m")
+            logger.info(f"\033[1m\033[35m### {project.recordings['experiment'].iloc[0] if project.recordings.shape[0] else source} ({source}) ###\033[0m")
 
         sets = am.get_sets_metadata()
         if 'method' not in sets:
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ def overview(args):
             continue
 
         if len(args.source) > 1:
-            logger.info(f"\033[1m\033[35m### {project.recordings['experiment'].iloc[0]} ({source}) ###\033[0m")
+            logger.info(f"\033[1m\033[35m### {project.recordings['experiment'].iloc[0] if project.recordings.shape[0] else source} ({source}) ###\033[0m")
 
         available = project.recordings['recording_filename'].apply(lambda recording_filename: 1
                         if project.get_recording_path(recording_filename).exists() else 0).sum()
diff --git a/ChildProject/projects.py b/ChildProject/projects.py
index 27db1e44..e0f5f400 100644
--- a/ChildProject/projects.py
+++ b/ChildProject/projects.py
@@ -419,8 +419,9 @@ def read(self, verbose=False, accumulate=True):
 
         self.children = self.ct.df
         self.recordings = self.rt.df
-        
-        exp = self.children.iloc[0]['experiment']
+
+        # not sure what to use if no row in children, let's just put the folder name as a replacement?
+        exp = self.children.iloc[0]['experiment'] if self.children.shape[0] else self.path.name
         exp_values = set(self.children['experiment'].unique()).union(set(self.recordings['experiment'].unique()))
         if len(exp_values) > 1:
             raise ValueError(f"Column <experiment> must be unique across the dataset, in both children.csv and recordings.csv , {len(exp_values)} different values were found: {exp_values}")
@@ -444,7 +445,7 @@ def dict_summary(self):
               'devices': {
                   device: {
                       'count': self.recordings[self.recordings['recording_device_type'] == device].shape[0],
-                      'duration': self.recordings[self.recordings['recording_device_type'] == device]['duration'].sum(),
+                      'duration': self.recordings[self.recordings['recording_device_type'] == device]['duration'].sum() if 'duration' in self.recordings.columns else None,
                   } for device in self.recordings['recording_device_type'].unique()}
               },
             'children': {