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Media Composer

Avid Media Composer

Mimiq is a 3rd party application that’s required to unlock the collaboration features in Avid Media Composer with creative.space shared storage.

Mimiq

Avid Media Composer is a video editing application that offers collaboration features to enhance teamwork and productivity. However, Avid has imposed certain restrictions on these features by limiting them to their own proprietary storage architecture. In other words, if you want to collaborate using Media Composer, they want you to use Avid storage products.

To overcome this limitation and allow Media Composer users to work with media and projects stored on creative.space, a third-party application called Mimiq comes to the rescue. Mimiq acts as a bridge, emulating the technology used by Avid's storage solutions. By installing Mimiq, users with Media Composer Ultimate can break free from the confines of Avid's storage architecture and collaborate seamlessly.

Requirements

Before you begin, ensure that you have the following:

• Avid Media Composer installed on your system.
• Operating System

macOS 10.15.7 or newer

Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit, Pro and Enterprise) Media Composer is not qualified for use on Windows Home or Server editions. You must use an Administrator account to install or uninstall Mimiq and Legacy Mimiq.

• Avid Media Composer

License Type - A Media Composer | Ultimate (or beyond) subscription or a Perpetual license is required.

Version - The latest versions of 2023.12.x, 2022.12.x, 2021.12.x, or 2020.12.x

A complete list of qualified combinations of operating systems and Media Composer are available from Avid here:

Avid Media Composer Documentation and Version Matrix

What Operating Systems, QuickTime version, Nvidia driver, and AMD driver should I have installed for my version of Avid Media Composer?



avidtech.my.salesforce-sites.com

Additional Requirements - Avid has very specific requirements for Media Composer to be used successfully.

Requirements



docs.hedge.video


• Mimiq software installed.
• Version - 22.2 or newer
• Access to a creative.space network-attached storage server.
• Mount a network share, i.e. a space or folder, to your computer.

Getting Started

Follow these steps to connect Avid Media Composer with creative.space via Mimiq:

1. Follow the instructions for onboarding with the creative.space desktop app and possibly ZeroTier for remote access) and then mount the spaces you want to access in Media Composer.
2. Download and install Media Composer.
3. Download and install Mimiq.

macOS - https://hedge.video/download/mimiq/macos

Windows - https://hedge.video/download/mimiq/windows

4. Open Mimiq to verify that your mounts are listed a workspaces with green dots next to them.

5. Download, install, and open Avid Media Composer.
6. Create a Shared Project (or upload and open one) on the desired volume.
7. When Media Composer prompts you with the non-Avid storage alert, click Yes.

8. Start utilizing the collaboration features within Avid Media Composer while accessing creative.space storage.

But how does Mimiq actually work?

Well, it allows Media Composer users to access files stored on network-attached storage devices, regardless of whether they are using Avid's storage or not. This means that users can work together on video projects stored in creative.space spaces, without any compatibility issues.

With access to the bin locking feature in Media Composer Ultimate, collaborators can confidently make changes without worrying about overwriting each other's work. The first person to open a bin gets exclusive write access, leaving it read-only for everyone else. This means that multiple users can simultaneously work on the same project, knowing that their edits and modifications are safeguarded.

Media Composer

Requirements

For an overview of the initial requirements, refer to the following official recommendations (even though they may be old, they are still applicable):

Mac OSX Optimizations from Dave Thompson - Avid Community

Go where the pros know Avid. A community of creative professionals is waiting to assist you on our Forums. While you're here, brush up your skills with Tips and Tutorials or read up about the latest industry trends in Community Blogs.

community.avid.com

Avid has very specific requirements for successful use of Media Composer. These requirements are set by Avid, not by DigitalGlue. Simply installing Media Composer without following these requirements may result in unnecessary issues.

To optimize your remote workflow, we have compiled a list of proven optimizations. The following list, which was written by the Hedge team, is essential and must be followed when implementing Avid Media Composer with creative.space.

Confirm Bin Locking is Activated in Avid Media Composer

If you need to confirm Bin Locking is activated on your desired volumes, check these preferences and settings in Media Composer:

1. Double-check that volumes are listed as Avid NEXIS Drives
• MacOS - Avid Media Composer > About Avid Media Composer > Hardware > Avid NEXIS Drives: (the volumes listed in Mimiq)
• Windows - Help > About Avid Media Composer > Hardware > Avid NEXIS Drives: (the volumes listed in Mimiq)

2. Make sure Bin Sharing on 3rd Party storage emulating Avid NEXIS/ISIS is enables.

Go to Settings > General > Enable Bin Sharing on 3rd Part storage emulating Avid NEXIS/ISIS


3. Update your Media Creation project settings.

Go to Settings > Project > Media Creation

Change Video Drive: to your mounted creative.space SMB volume

Bin Locking

When a bin is opened in a shared project, the first user will get write access, indicated by the green open lock icon. The user’s name and workstation will be listed next to the bin to indicate that they are the one who has locked it.

If another user opens the bin, they will be able to access its contents but in read-only mode, indicated by a red lock icon. They can click on this lock icon to request write access from the user who currently has it.

Accessing Media from Shared Spaces

Avid Media Composer's approach to media management is distinct from many other post-production applications, where importing typically means linking to media files directly in their current location on a storage volume. This difference is crucial for understanding how to optimally manage and work with media within Media Composer, especially for those transitioning from other editing software.

The choice between importing (converting) and linking (AMA) will depend on the specific needs of the project, considering factors such as the format of the source footage, the performance of the editing system, and the workflow requirements. Understanding these differences is essential for maximizing the efficiency and capabilities of Avid Media Composer in various post-production workflows.

Media Organization with the Avid MediaFiles Folder

The Avid MediaFiles folder is a specifically structured directory where Media Composer stores all imported and transcoded media. This structure allows Media Composer to manage and track media efficiently, supporting its robust media management capabilities.

This directory will be created at the root of the Video Drive: that you’ve specified at Settings > Project > Media Creation.

The folder is divided into subfolders (MXF, for example) with numerical names, each containing the media files and their associated metadata databases.

• Optimized Editing Experience: By importing and managing media in its own optimized format, Media Composer aims to provide a more stable and responsive editing experience, especially with high-resolution and demanding media. This methodology is particularly beneficial in professional post-production environments where reliability and performance are critical.
• Project Portability and Media Relinking: The structured media management system also simplifies the process of moving projects between systems or relinking media, as the Avid MediaFiles folder contains all necessary media in a known format and structure.

Media Importing (Conversion to an Avid Native Format)

When you import media into Avid Media Composer, the software doesn't just reference the file at its original location. Instead, it converts the file into an Avid-native format (often DNxHD or DNxHR for video) and stores it within the Avid MediaFiles folder on the designated drive. This process ensures that Media Composer can access and edit the media as efficiently as possible, taking full advantage of Avid's media management and optimization features.

AMA Linking (Direct Access without Importing)

AMA linking (Avid Media Access) is a feature that allows editors to access and edit media directly from its source location without converting it into Avid's native format. While this method offers immediacy and flexibility, especially when working with a large volume of files or for quick turnarounds, it relies on the performance of the original media's codec and the storage system. AMA-linked clips can later be transcoded or consolidated into Avid's format for more efficient editing, especially for projects with a longer timeline or more complex editing requirements.

Prepare Avid Native Media in a 3rd Party Application

Non-avid applications, namely DaVinci Resolve, can be used to generate Avid Native Format media, which are split into separate Video and Audio files (OpAtom). Once these are rendered, they can be manually copied to the NAS and placed in the “1” directory in Avid MediaFiles.

“1” is a special directory that Media Composer is constantly checking for new media. As long as Media Composer is open, it will create a .mdb file

Once the .mdb file exists, the AE can rename the “1” folder, ideally to something that clearly identified its contents. Another “1” folder can be manually created for ingest more content. Otherwise, Media Composer will create it the next time something is imported.

To add the prepared media into Media Composer, drag and drop the .mdb file into a bin, which populates it with all the clips, linking the video and audio together (even though the audio is in a separate file).

To learn more about proxy workflows, especially across applications, watch the video below:

Check out our DaVinci Resolve guide to learn how Reel Names can simplify round-tripping with Avid Media Composer.

On this page

• Avid Media Composer
• Mimiq
• Requirements
• Getting Started
• But how does Mimiq actually work?
• Media Composer
• Requirements
• 1. Use a qualified combination of macOS and Media Composer
• 2. Update macOS and Media Composer to the latest possible qualified combination
• 3. Connect to the network over Ethernet (Hard-wired, Cabled)
• 4. Store your Drive Cache on a super-fast local disk
• 5. Eliminate All Performance Inhibitors on Your Mac or Local Area Network
• 6. Remove OpenIO_VirtIO.acf from Avid Media Composer.app‌
• 7. Disable Fast Scrub
• 8. Adjust Settings > User > Audio
• 9. Increase the Amount of Video Memory Used
• Confirm Bin Locking is Activated in Avid Media Composer
• Bin Locking
• Accessing Media from Shared Spaces
• Media Organization with the Avid MediaFiles Folder
• Media Importing (Conversion to an Avid Native Format)
• AMA Linking (Direct Access without Importing)
• Prepare Avid Native Media in a 3rd Party Application