Avid Media Composer 6 For Mac



The coffee you poured an hour ago is ice cold. There are a half-dozen text messages on your phone asking where the video is. All you had to do was make one tiny change to the video and upload it in time for it to be played at the conference.

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BEEP!

It won’t export. You try again. “Why is this happening?!” you ask yourself as you read the seemingly foreign language in the error box that’s popped up in Media Composer.

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BEEP! No, no, no!

Mac OS X Computer: Avid-qualified Mac-based computer OS: Mac OS X High Sierra (10.13), Sierra (10.12), El Capitan (10.11) Processor: Intel quad-core i7 or Intel Quad Core Xeon (with Turbo boost – 8 virtual CPU cores) – 2.3 Ghz or higher Memory: o More is better (see Media. With Media Composer First you can start editing with tools designed for aspiring editors, moviemakers, and more—for free. In-app purchases, support, community forums, and more across Avid sites. You must use a valid email address that you own. Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements before you begin.

Don’t worry. Take a deep breath. This article will teach you how to troubleshoot this problem and many other issues in Media Composer using a few common troubleshooting techniques.

I’ve spent nearly the last decade as a senior video editor, and often the only video editor, for companies. This has led me to countless situations like the above example with no one to turn to. The vast majority of errors I’ve come across are solved with the troubleshooting techniques below.

“Have you reset your computer?” It’s the question every IT tech will ask you. And there’s a reason. It works.

What Does Turning Your Computer Off Then Back On Accomplish?

Rebooting helps gives your computer a nice clean slate and frees up RAM, regardless of whether you are working on a Mac or PC

Picture this: you’ve been editing for five hours. You’re color correcting and playing back 4K footage. Spotify is playing on one of your 18 Chrome tabs and Photoshop is open from yesterday. Media Composer itself has been running for the last week.

The longer that each of these programs runs, the higher the likelihood that a bug will occur. A bug is usually caused by an unusual circumstance that the software developers didn’t account for. Maybe you plugged in your headphones while Pro Tools was in the process of loading and you had just started playback in Media Composer, and that those simultaneous actions messed up your audio routing. Suddenly, your levels don’t work properly, and you don’t know why. The longer that the computer is running, the more opportunities there are for one of those unusual circumstances to happen. Rebooting clears all of that out and gives you a fresh start.

Avid Media Composer For Mac

The other reason why rebooting helps is that it frees up all the RAM that those programs were using. You can have the beefiest computer but at some point the pressure on the RAM will be too much. If you don’t cut it slack, your computer will force your hand. Lack of RAM can cause all kinds of random errors — especially in Media Composer.

This troubleshooting technique alone solves more than 50 percent of my Media Composer issues.

When Should You Do This?

Nearly every time I come across a Media Composer problem, I restart my computer. Do this when you come across a playback issue or when Media Composer does something out of character (i.e., it won’t let you export when nothing has changed and you’ve been exporting all day).

How to Properly Turn Your Computer Off Then Back On

Do not just hit the Restart button! First, shut your computer all the way down. Next wait at least 10 seconds, if not longer. Grab a fresh cup of coffee if you need to.

With your new cup of java in hand, turn your computer back on and see if your problem has been fixed.

Imagine it’s 8:15 a.m. You’re in the office early to get a jump on the project you were editing yesterday. You open up your sequence and you see red, literally. All of your media is offline!

There’s no need to panic. There’s a good chance that 1) the file path to your media somehow was changed or 2) Media Composer for whatever reason isn’t able to read your media. To troubleshoot this problem, we’re going to check the file path to your media, and if needed, force Media Composer to re-index your media databases.

What Does Checking Your Media’s File Path and Re-Indexing Your Databases Accomplish?

Checking the file path ensures that Media Composer can read your media. Re-indexing ensures that Media Composer does read your media.

When Should You Check for Media’s File Path and Re-Index Your Databases?

You should do this whenever your media is offline and it shouldn’t be. For example, you were working on a project one day then the next day all your media is offline and nothing has changed in your workflow.

How to Check Your File Path to Media and Re-Index Databases

Before doing anything make sure you’ve quit out of Media Composer.

Media Composer will only read media if there is a specific file path on a hard drive. That file path is the same for both Macs and PCs (though the slashes go in different directions). From the root level of any hard drive your media must be as follows:

[hard drive] > Avid MediaFiles > MXF > 1

Inside that “1” folder is a folder labeled “Creating” and two database files (more on these in a moment). The “1” folder’s name can be changed and might already be changed if you’re on a shared storage environment like an Avid NEXIS or Facilis TerraBlock. Otherwise, the file path has to be exactly like this down to the character. Note: there is no space in MediaFiles.

If your file path is incorrect, fix it. Someone may have moved the Avid MediaFiles folder or accidentally changed the name of the MXF folder.

Once the file path is fixed, launch Media Composer. If your media is still offline, it’s time to re-index the databases.

Media Composer catalogues your media (the MXF files inside of the “1” folder) so they link with the master clips you see in your bins. Sometimes Media Composer likes to ignore the database files it has for one reason or another. To remedy this, inside the “1” folder delete these two files and re-launch Media Composer:

  • msmMMOB.mdb
  • msmFMID.pmr

Delete them. It’s okay. If you don’t trust me, put them on your desktop for the time being and delete them later.

If there is more than one “1” folder, go into those folders as well and delete the database files.

In a shared storage environment there’s a slight difference. Instead of a “1” folder each computer in system is given a name. Any media created on a computer will go into their computer’s folder. To force Media Composer to re-index all the media you must move the MXF files into your computer’s specific folder.

In my shared storage environment, my computer is named AVID4.1. The other systems in my shared storage environment are AVID1.1, AVID 2.1 and AVID3.1. When I need to re-index, I move any MXF files that are in the AVID1.1, AVID2.1 and AVID3.1 folders into my AVID4.1 folder.

Next launch Media Composer.

Media Composer will now re-index your media. A couple dialogue boxes will automatically appear on launch. This may take a few minutes depending on the amount of media. When it’s done, open your project. Chances are your media is back online.

For what it’s worth, I have to do this troubleshooting technique once every 2-3 weeks.

Media Composer uses User Profiles so that an editor can change preferences, screen layouts, keyboard shortcuts and other settings so the preferred look and feel is always the same. Occasionally, User Profiles get corrupted causing a wide variety of issues. Some examples include not allowing you to import an alpha channel on an image, or continually defaulting new audio files to OMF media instead of MXF media.

When an error like this occurs try a brand new User Profile.

How to Create a New User Profile

To create a new User Profile, go to the Settings tab of the Project Window. Click the drop-down next to User Profile: and select Create User Profile.

Once the new User Profile is active, see if this fixed your issue.

Anytime you open a project, there’s a minuscule chance that a clip will be corrupted. This most likely happens when a project sits inactive for a long time or there’s been a number of software updates since it was last opened. When a clip gets corrupted, Media Composer doesn’t directly tell you or what clip it is (wouldn’t that be nice?).

How to Tell If You Have a Corrupt Clip

You could have a corrupt clip if you receive an “Exception” error when opening a bin, saving a bin or playing a sequence or an “Assertion Failed” error while attempting to export.

How to Find a Corrupt Clip

Do you remember doing the “guess-and-check formula” in middle school Algebra class? With the guess-and-check formula, you work the problem backwards to try to find the answer. You can do the same thing in Media Composer to find a corrupt clip.

If there’s a corrupt clip, Media Composer won’t be able to copy it into the Source Monitor. The easiest way to check if there’s a corrupt clip is to select all the tracks in the sequence and set an in-point and out-point on the first and last frames. Then use the keyboard shortcut Opt+C (Mac) or Alt+C (PC) to copy everything selected to the Source Monitor. If you have a corrupt clip, Media Composer should give you an error and not copy it to the Source Monitor. If it does copy to the Source Monitor, you more than likely do not have a corrupt clip.

If the clips don’t copy to the Source Monitor, there’s a good chance one of the clips is corrupted. So we need to narrow in on it. Keeping all the tracks selected, put an in-point at the beginning of your timeline and an out-point halfway through the sequence. This is where you start guessing at an answer. Hit Opt+C/Alt+C again. If there’s an error, then the corrupt clip is in that half of the sequence. If no error, do the same thing for the second half of the sequence.

Once you find the half with the error do the same thing again. Select half of the half and hit Opt+C/Alt+C. Keep going until you find the few seconds that Media Composer won’t let you copy to the Source Monitor. From here, use the Match Frame tool which is found in the Command Palette to individually load each clip around that time into the Source Monitor. The corrupt clip won’t be able to be loaded into the Source Monitor using Match Frame.

Media Composer generally won’t let you edit over or edit out a corrupt clip, so you have to recreate your sequence. Create a new bin and a new sequence. Give it the same tracks you have in the sequence with the corrupt clip. Use the same Opt+C/Alt+C shortcut to copy your sequence with the exception of the corrupt clip.

Find the bin where the corrupt clip resides and re-import or re-capture, if possible. Then edit it back into the new sequence.

One of Media Composer’s greatest strengths is its ability to run the same project on multiple computers at once in a shared storage environment. The only catch is that only one editor can have a specific bin open at a time. If another editor tries to open the bin, it will be locked and only a copy of the bin can be saved. Once the first editor closes out of the bin, Media Composer unlocks it so the other editor can open it up and make changes.

However, occasionally Media Composer won’t unlock the bin for one reason or another. One usual culprit are computer crashes. When your computer crashes it’ll typically lock the bins you had open. That means no one can access the bins that were open until the computer reboots. If you’re like me, and you work on an aging HP that takes forever to fully boot and reconnect to the network, you might not be able to wait. But wait, there’s a workaround!

How to Unlock a Locked Bin

When you open a Media Composer bin in a shared storage environment, it creates a .lck file. This file is located in Media Composer’s project folder wherever the project resides.

Find the Media Composer project on the media workspace. If you don’t know where this is, when you launch Media Composer there should be projects listed on the launch screen. Click the folder icon and that’ll show you where those projects reside.

Avid Media Composer 6 For Mac

Once you find your project’s folder, open it up. Find the bin you need to unlock. Let’s say it’s named “Opening Credits”. Find the file named Opening Credits.lck. Delete this file. And poof! Your bin is unlocked.

There will also be a file named Opening Credits.avb. This is the bin itself. Leave this file alone! One last caution, never do this while someone is actually working on that bin. Bin locking is there for a reason.

When all else fails, before going through the long and laborious process of uninstalling and reinstalling Media Composer, check for a software update. This should be a last resort—updating can often cause more issues than it resolves.

Avid Media Composer 6 For Mac

What Does Updating Media Composer Do?

Bugs are fixed in each new release. Your issue could be one of those bugs. Check out Avid Blog’s rundown each time they release a new update.

How to Update Media Composer

Open Avid Application Manager. Under the Apps tab, find Avid Media Composer and see if there is a new version to download.

Media Composer doesn’t always cooperate when you need it to. Errors and issues will arise. However, many of them can be solved with these troubleshooting techniques. They may take time and patience, but they’re worth trying when things go wrong. Have your own troubleshooting techniques? Share them in the comments.

If you also use Premiere Pro, you might enjoy our similar article on The 9 Most Common Crashes in Premiere Pro, and How to Fix Them.

After an outpouring of response on this article’s social media postings, I wanted to add a few more suggestions.

The Console

The keyboard shortcut Cmd+6 (Mac) or Ctrl+6 (PC) opens the Console. The Console can show you errors that occurred, you can view other information and alter the way Media Composer behaves. If Media Composer is acting up, use the keyboard shortcut to open up the Console and take a look around. You can also find the Console under the Tools menu.

WARNING: Do NOT type commands into the Console unless you know what you are doing. You can do some serious damage in here.

Find Error Logs

You can find error logs on your hard drive in case you weren’t able to grab a screenshot.

On a Mac look here:

Macintosh HD/Users/Shared/AvidMediaComposer/Avid FatalErrorReports

On a PC look here:

C:ProgramDataAvidSupportLogs

Delete Project Settings

If your project is crashing and you’re not sure why, you can try to delete your Project Settings.

Similar to Tip #2: Checking File Path to Media and Re-Indexing Databases, you can delete Project Settings and have them automatically rebuild when you launch a project.

First, quit out of Media Composer. Find your Project file location (see How to Unlock a Locked Bin under Tip #5). You’ll see two files: [project name] Settings.avs and [project name] Settings.xml. Delete (or stash temporarily on your desktop if you’re untrusting) then re-launch Media Composer. This forum thread goes into much further detail.

Media Composer
Developer(s)Avid Technology
Initial release1989; 31 years ago
Stable release
Operating systemmacOS 10.12 and later, Windows 7 and later.
TypeVideo editing software
LicenseProprietary
WebsiteAvid Media Composer

Avid Media Composer is a film and video editing software application or non-linear editing system (NLE) developed by Avid Technology. Initially released in 1989 on Macintosh II as an offline editing system, the application has since evolved to allow for both offline and online editing, including uncompressed standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), 2K and 4K editing and finishing. Since the 1990s, Media Composer has been the dominant non-linear editing system in the film and television industry, first on Macintosh and later on Windows. Avid NewsCutter, aimed at newsrooms, Avid Symphony, aimed at finishing, were all Avid products that were derived from Media Composer and share similar interfacing, as were Avid Xpress Pro (discontinued in 2008) and its predecessor Avid Xpress DV, which were aimed at the lower end of the market.

There are 4 versions of Avid Media Composer;[1] Media Composer | First (a freeware version), Media Composer, Media Composer | Ultimate, and Media Composer | Enterprise. Media Composer can be used as standalone software, or to which the user can add specific external I/O devices, either from Avid or from specific third parties.

History[edit]

According to Eric Peters, one of the company's founders, most prototypes of 'the Avid' were built on Apollo workstations. At some point, Avid demo'd one of their products at SIGGRAPH. Says Peters: 'Some Apple people saw that demo at the show and said, 'Nice demo. Wrong platform!' It turned out they were evangelists for the then new Mac II (with *six* slots!). When we got back to our office (actually a converted machine shop) after the show, there was a pile of FedEx packages on our doorstep. They were from Apple, and they contained two of their prototype Mac II machines (so early they didn't even have cases, just open chassis). Also there were four large multisync monitors. Each computer was loaded with full memory (probably 4 megs at the time), and a full complement of Apple software (pre-Claris). That afternoon, a consultant knocked on our door saying, 'Hi. I'm being paid by Apple to come here and port your applications from Apollo to Macintosh.' He worked for us for several weeks, and actually taught us how to program the Macs.' At the time, Macs were not considered to be fast enough for video purposes. The Avid engineering team, however, managed to get 1,200 kBytes per second, which allowed them to do offline video on the Macs.

The Avid Film Composer was introduced in August 1992. Film Composer was the first non-linear digital editing system to capture and edit natively at 24fps. Steven Cohen was the first editor to use Film Composer for a major motion picture, on Lost in Yonkers (1993).

The system has been used by other top editors such as Walter Murch on The English Patient, the first digitally edited film to receive a Best Editing Oscar.

In 1994, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the Avid Film Composer with a plaque for Science & Technical Achievement. Six persons were recognized in that effort: Bill Warner, Eric Peters, Joe Rice, Patrick O'Connor, Tom Ohanian, and Michael Phillips. For continued development, Avid received an Oscar representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer system for motion picture editing.

Film Composer is no longer available, since all of its specific film editing features were implemented into the 'regular' Media Composer.

In July 2009, American Cinema Editors (ACE) announced that the ACE Board of Directors had recognized Avid Media Composer software with the Board's first ACE Technical Excellence Award.[2]

Hardware[edit]

Avid Mojo DX: a newer version of the Mojo with architecture offering faster processing and full 1920x1080 HD resolution in addition to standard definition video. This interface has SDI/HD-SDI inputs and outputs, HDMI outputs and stereo 1/4' TRS audio inputs and outputs.

Avid Nitris DX: a replacement of the Adrenaline hardware, a successor to the original Avid Nitris (used with Avid DS and Avid Symphony), with architecture offering faster processing and full 1920x1080 HD resolution (without extra cards) in addition to standard definition video. This interface also has a hardware DNxHD codec. Video connections include SDI, HD-SDI, Composite, S-Video and Component (SD or HD) inputs and outputs, it also has a HDMI output. Audio connections include XLR, AES, optical S/PDIF and ADAT inputs and outputs. It also has RCA inputs and 1/4' TRS outputs, plus LTC timecode I/O. Starting with Media Composer v5.5 an optional AVC-Intra codec module can be installed in the Nitris DX for native playback of this format. With Media Composer v6.0 is it now possible to have two DNxHD or AVC-Intra modules installed for dual stream stereoscopic capture and full resolution stereoscopic playback.

Hardware history[edit]

Media Composer as standalone software (with optional hardware) has only been available since June 2006 (version 2.5). Before that, Media Composer was only available as a turnkey system.

The 1990s[edit]

From 1991 until 1998, Media Composer 1000, 4000 and 8000 systems were Macintosh-only, and based on the NuVista videoboard by Truevision. The first-release Avids (US) supported 640x480 30i video, at resolutions and compression identified by the prefix 'AVR'. Single-field resolutions were AVR 1 through 9s; interlaced (finishing) resolutions were initially AVR 21–23, with the later improvements of AVR 24 through 27, and the later AVR 70 through 77. AVR12 was a two-field interlaced offline resolution. Additionally, Avid marketed the Media Composer 400 and 800 as offline-only editors. These systems exclusively used external fast SCSI drives (interfaced through a SCSI accelerator board) for media storage. Avid media was digitised as OMFI (Open Media Framework Interchange) format.

In the mid-nineties, versions 6 and 7 of Media Composer 1000, 8000 and 9000 were based on the Avid Broadcast Video Board (ABVB), supporting video resolutions up to AVR77. The video image was also improved to 720x480. 3D add-on boards (most notably the Pinnacle Alladin, externally, and the pinnacle genie pro board, internally, through special 100 pin bypass cable ) and 16bit 48K 4-channel and 8-channel audio I/O (Avid/DigiDesign 442 and Avid/DigiDesign 888) were optional.

The 1998 introduction of the Avid Symphony marked the transition from ABVB to the Meridien hardware, allowing for uncompressed SD editing. This introduction was also the first version of Media Composer XL available for the Windows operating system. Many users were concerned that Avid would abandon the Mac platform, which they eventually did not do. Media Composer XL versions 8 through 12.0.5 (models MC Offline XL, MC 1000 XL, MC 9000XL) were built around Meridien hardware. Compression options were expressed in ratios for the first time in the evolution of the product. Even though the video board had changed, the audio I/O was still handled by the Avid/DigiDesign 888 (16bit 48K) hardware. At this time, 16x9 aspect ratios began to be supported.

The 2000s[edit]

Avid Media Composer Meridien was released through November, 2003.

In 2003, Avid Mojo and Avid Adrenaline formed the new DNA (Digital Non-linear Accelerator) hardware line. The launch of Avid Media Composer Adrenaline brought along a software version renumbering, as it was labeled Avid Media Composer Adrenaline 1.0. At this time, Avid began using MXF (Material Exchange Format) formatting for media files. Avid products maintain compatibility with OMFI files.

Adrenaline was the first Media Composer system to support 24bit audio. It also meant the end of Film Composer and Media Composer Offline, since the Avid Media Composer Adrenaline featured most of the film options and online resolutions and features. From this point onward, Avid systems have supported media storage using SCSI, PCI-e, SATA, IEEE 1394a & b, Ethernet and fiberoptic interfaces.

In 2006, Media Composer 2.5 was the first version to be offered 'software-only', giving the user the option of purchasing and using the software without the additional cost of the external accelerators. Software-only Avid setups could use third-party breakout boxes, usually interfaced via FireWire, to acquire video from SDI and analog sources.

In 2008, the Mojo DX and Nitris DX were introduced, replacing the Adrenaline. Both are capable of handling uncompressed HD video, with the Nitris DX offering greater processing speed and input/output flexibility.

Avid designed hardware[edit]

Avid systems used to ship with Avid branded I/O boxes, like Mojo, Adrenaline and Nitris, but in recent years have ceased to produce their own hardware, and have started collaborating with companies like Blackmagic Design and AJA, releasing customised, Avid-branded I/O boxes, like DNxIO, DNxIQ and DNxIV.

Third-party supported hardware[edit]

Starting with Media Composer 6, a new Open IO API allowed third-party companies to interface their hardware into Media Composer. AJA Video Systems, Blackmagic Design, Matrox, BlueFush and MOTU are supporting this API. Avid's own DX hardware is still natively interfaced into the application which currently allows some extra features that Open IO is limited in (LTC timecode support for example). It is expected that over time some of these missing APIs will be added.

AJA IO Express: Starting with Media Composer 5.5, introduced support for the AJA IO Express interface. This interface will allow SD/HD input and output via SDI and HDMI. It also has analog video and audio outputs for monitoring. It connects to a computer via PCIe or ExpressCard/34 interface.

Matrox MXO2 Mini: Starting with Media Composer 5, Avid introduced support for the Matrox MXO2 Mini interface, as a breakout box with no additional processing. While this interface does have input connections, only output is supported by Media Composer v5.x, starting with Media Composer v6.x you can capture with this interface. The connections on the unit support analog video/audio and HDMI in both SD and HD formats. The device is connected by a cable to either a PCIe card or ExpressCard/34 interface, so this unit can be used on a desktop or laptop system.

Avid Media Composer compatible hardware is manufactured by AJA Video Systems, Blackmagic Design, BlueFish, Matrox and MOTU.

Discontinued hardware[edit]

Avid Mojo: includes Composite and S-Video with two channels of RCA audio. There is an optional component video cable that can be added to this interface. This interface only supports SD video formats.

Avid Mojo SDI: includes Composite, S-Video, Component and SDI video, with 4 channels RCA, 4 channels AES and 2 channels optical S/PDIF audio. This interface only supports SD video formats.

Avid Adrenaline: rack mountable interface which includes Composite, S-Video, Component and SDI video, 4 channels of XLR, 4 channels of AES, 2 channels of S/PDIF and 8 channels of ADAT audio. This interface also has an expansion slot for the DNxcel card which adds HD-SDI input and output as well as a DVI and HD component outputs. The DNxcel card uses Avid's DNxHD compression which is available in 8-bit color formats up to 220mb as well as a 10-bit color format at 220mb. The DNxcel card also adds real-time SD down-convert and HD cross-convert.

Avid Mojo DX : rack mountable interface with various I/O

Avid Nitris DX: : rack mountable interface with various I/O

Features[edit]

Key features[edit]

  • Animatte
  • 3D Warp
  • Paint
  • Live Matte Key
  • Tracker / Stabiliser
  • Timewarps with motion estimation (FluidMotion)
  • SpectraMatte (high quality chroma keyer)
  • Color Correction toolset (with Natural Match)
  • Stereoscopic editing abilities (expanded in MC v6)
  • AMA - Avid Media Access, the ability to link to and edit with P2, XDCAM, R3D, QuickTime and AVCHD native material directly without capture or transcoding.
  • Mix and Match - put clips of any frame rate, compression, scan mode or video format on the same timeline
  • SmartTools - drag and drop style editing on timeline, can be selectively adjusted to the types of actions that the user wants to use when clicking on timeline.
  • RTAS - (RealTime AudioSuite), support for realtime track-based audio plug-ins on the timeline.
  • 5.1 and 7.1 Surround Sound audio mixing, compatible with Pro Tools
  • PhraseFind - analyses clips and indexes all dialog phonetically allowing text search of spoken words. (reacquired as of 8.9.3)
  • ScriptSync (with Nexidia phonetic indexing and sync) (reacquired as of 8.9.3)

Color correction[edit]

Avid Symphony includes Advanced/Secondary/Relational Color Correction and Universal HD Mastering. Starting with version 7, Symphony became paid option for Media Composer; with version 8, it was included with monthly and annual subscription licenses.

Software protection[edit]

The software used to be protected by means of 'blesser' floppy, tied to the Nubus's TrueVista board (meaning that if the board is replaced, a new 'blesser' floppy comes with the board), and later with USB dongles. As of version 3.5 the dongle is optional, and existing users may choose to use software activation or keep using their dongles, while new licenses are sold exclusively with software activation. The software ships with installers for both Mac and Windows and can physically be installed on several computers, allowing the user to move the software license between systems or platforms depending on the licensing method.

Licensing options[edit]

With Media Composer 8, Avid introduced monthly and annual subscription licensing systems similar to Adobe Creative Cloud, allowing users to install and activate Avid without purchasing a perpetual license. Media Composer licenses must be confirmed either by Avid's internet servers every 30 days or by an on-site floating license server. Starting with version 8, updates and support for perpetual licenses also require annual support agreements; support is included with subscription licenses.[3]

Installers[edit]

The installer used to include installers for:[4]

  • EDL Manager
  • Avid Log Exchange (no longer in v8)
  • FilmScribe
  • MediaLog (no longer in v8)
  • Interplay Transfer
  • MetaSync Manager (no longer in v6)
  • MetaSync Publisher (no longer in v6)
  • MetaFuze (Windows only), a standalone application to convert files (R3D, DPX, TIFF) from film scanning, CGI systems or RED camera into MXF media files. Actually based on an import module that was taken from Avid DS.

Third-party software[edit]

Some boxed versions of Media Composer came with the following third party software:

  • Avid FX - 2D & 3D compositing and titling software (aka Boris RED)
  • Sorenson Squeeze - Compression software to create, Windows Media, QuickTime, MPEG 1/2, MPEG 4 or Flash video (v8 monthly/annual subscription only)
  • SonicFire Pro 5 - music creation software (includes 2 CDs of music tracks)
  • Avid DVD by Sonic - DVD and Blu-ray authoring software (Windows only; no longer updated as of v8)
  • NewBlue Titler Pro - 2D and 3D video title software (v8 perpetual licenses bundled with v1, subscription licenses with v2)
  • Boris Continuum Complete - 2D and 3D graphics and effects (v8 monthly/annual subscription only)

Revisions and Features[edit]

DateOperating systemVersionDescription
1989Macintosh[which?]Avid/1
  • First release
  • Serial #001 ships to Alan Miller @ Rebo Studios in June on a Mac IIx
  • Jeff Bernstein becomes second editor on the Avid
1992Macintosh[which?]
  • Avid Film Composer
  • True 24-frame capture, editing, and playback
  • Open Media Framework (OMF), introduced in April
Jan 1993Macintosh[which?]
  • Model 210 (unbundled) ($15,000)
  • Model 220 (with Mac IIci) ($24,900)
Dec 1994Macintosh[which?]5.2
  • AVR27
  • Multicamera editing
  • Realtime chroma and luma keys
  • Avid Media Reader support
  • 3rd party Photoshop plugins support
Jul 1995Mac OS 7.55.5
  • Film Cutter (simplified version of Film Composer)
  • Hardware-independent QuickTime codec
  • 3D effects module
Sep 1995Mac OS 7.56.0
  • Macintosh 68K hardware support dropped
  • Based on the Avid Broadcast Video Board (ABVB) hardware
Mar 1996Mac OS 7.56.1
  • PCI-based system
Dec 1996MacOS 7.56.5
  • Script-based editing
  • AVR77
  • AVR9s
Feb 1998Mac OS 7.5 - 87.0
  • Models like MC 1000 ($66,500) and MC 8000 ($94,625)
  • Paint
  • Animatte
  • AVX plugins
  • Spot color correction
  • Image cloning
  • Intraframe Editing
  • AudioSuite plugins
1999Mac OS 7.6 – 8.67.2Last version based on the ABVB hardware.
1999Mac OS 8.58.0
  • Meridien hardware based
  • ABVB hardware support dropped
  • Uncompressed SD video support
  • Media Composer XL
1999Windows9.0
  • Meridien hardware based
2000Mac OS 9, Windows10.0
  • SD 24p support on Mac
2001Mac OS 9, Windows10.5
2002Mac OS 9, Windows11.0
  • Marquee (Windows only)
  • DV support (option)
Feb 2003macOs11.7
  • MetaSync
May 2003macOS, Windows1.0
  • Based on the Adrenaline hardware
Nov 2003macOS, Windows12.0
  • Last version based on the Meridien hardware
Sept 2004macOS, Windows1.5
  • MXF support
  • Marquee on Mac
Dec 2004Windows2.0
  • HD support
  • HD-SDI I/O with DNxcel card option
  • 10-bit video support
  • SpectraMatte keyer
  • AVX2
March 2005Windows2.1
  • P2 support
  • XDCam support
Dec 2005Windows2.2
  • HDV support
June 2006macOS, Windows2.5
  • No longer hardware based
  • HD support on Mac
  • Media Composer soft
  • Mojo and Mojo SDI support
  • XDCam HD
  • Tracker
Sept 2006macOS, Windows2.6
  • Interplay
  • Safe Color Limiter effect
March 2007macOS, Windows2.6.4
  • DNxHD36
  • Low-bandwidth HD compression rate for offline editing
May 2007macOS, Windows2.7
  • MacPro (Intel) support
  • ScriptSync
  • P2/XDCam writeout
Dec 2007macOS, Windows2.8
  • VC-1/MXF (SMPTE 421M) support
  • ASC CDL metadata support
June 2008macOS, Windows3.0
  • 'DX' hardware support
  • new render engine (better multi-threading and GPU support)
  • RT timecode generator
  • SubCap effect
  • AVC-I codec support
Sept 2008macOS, Windows3.05
  • XDCAM 50mb format
  • DNA hardware on MacOS 10.5.5
  • RED workflow support
Dec 2008macOS, Windows3.1
  • Video Satellite option for Pro Tools (Windows only)
March 2009macOS, Windows3.5
  • Avid Media Access (AMA) for better file based workflows
  • FluidStabiliser
  • Keyframeable color correction
  • Native XDCAM EX support
  • Timecode in QuickTime files
  • basic stereoscopic 3D support
  • Software Activation
  • 14-day Downloadable Trial
Sept 2009macOS, Windows4.0
  • Mix and Match frame rates on timeline
  • Expert Decompose
  • AVC-I writeout
  • Macintosh Video Satellite support
  • 1080p24 (not-PsF) output
  • HD Ancillary data support on DX hardware
  • GFCAM 50mb/100mb support
  • Stereoscopic enchantments
  • Updated 3rd party software bundle
Nov 2009macOS, Windows4.0.4
  • Mac OS X 10.6.3 Snow Leopard support
June 2010macOS, Windows5.0
  • Windows 7 support
  • AMA support for RED
  • QuickTime and Canon cameras
  • Matrox MXO2 Mini output
  • SmartTool 'drag & drop' editing
  • HD-RGB support
  • AVCHD import
  • SMPTE 436M support
  • RTAS audio plug-in support
March 2011macOS, Windows5.5.1
  • AJA Video Systems Io Express hardware support
  • HDCAM SR Lite native editing
  • AVC-Intra codec module for Nitris DX
  • PhraseFind option
  • Support for EUCON hardware interfaces
  • SmartTool improvements
  • ScriptSync dropped from the trial version
August 2011macOS, Windows5.5.3
  • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion support
  • Last version to support Windows XP
November 2011macOS, Windows6.0
  • Improved UI (more tabs & less modal)
  • Redesigned stereoscopic toolset
  • Open I/O (Supports 3rd party video hardware)
  • 5.1/7.1 audio mixing support with interoperability with Pro Tools
  • RED EPIC and AVCHD support for AMA
  • Support for EUCON Artist hardware interface in the Color Corrector
  • DNxHD 4:4:4 format
  • ProRes encoding on OS X
  • Built-in Marketplace for purchase of stock footage and plug-ins
  • MetaSync dropped
September 2012macOS, Windows6.5
  • MXF AS-02 support
  • Remote editing via Interplay Sphere
  • Audio Punch-In with 3rd party hardware
  • 64 voice audio playback
  • AMA relink enhancements
  • DNxHD 100, SD JPEG 2K Playback
  • Active Format Description metadata support
  • ProRes as a native codec
July 2013macOS, Windows7.0
  • FrameFlex
  • Source side LUTs
  • Managed AMA
  • Background file transcode
  • Waveform caching
  • Master Audio Fader
  • Avid Symphony sold as an optional package to Media Composer
September 2013macOS, Windows7.0.2
  • XDCAM EX 35 capture
  • Dynamic Bin Naming
December 2013macOS, Windows7.0.3
  • Setting to enable or disable frame blending in Motion Adapters
  • New Nvidia drivers support
May 2014macOS, Windows8.0.0
  • Monthly/annual subscription licensing support
  • Support agreement requirements for future updates
  • Avid Application Manager introduced
July 2014macOS, Windows8.1.0
  • Support for AAX-64 plug-ins
  • MXF OP1a Export
  • Frame View border colors and icons
  • Filter out AMA media in Media Tool
  • Place a saved title in the timeline
  • Changes to dragging behaviors
  • Support for ARRI AMIRA camera
October 2014macOS, Windows8.2.0
  • Background rendering
  • Favorite bins
  • Select Project Window improvements
  • Quick filter bins in Project Window
  • Search for text in Marker comment fields
  • Increase image cache for thumbnails
  • Warning for project frame rate changes
  • Application Manager updates
  • Support for copying DPX files to a DMF folder
December 2014macOS, Windows8.3.0
  • 2K & 4K resolution support
  • Rec. 2020 & DCI-P3 color space support
  • LUT management and LUT timeline effect
  • Support for high frame rates
  • DNxHR Avid codec introduced
  • Play and render in low res proxy mode
  • New Blue Titler for high-res projects replacing the Title Tool
  • Quick filter items in a bin
  • List tool replaces EDL Manager and FilmScribe applications
  • Color info tool
  • Support for DPX export
  • Additional column headings
  • Support for Avid's Artist Series DNxIO I/O hardware
March 2015macOS, Windows8.3.1
  • QuickTime Export for DNxHR
  • Support for XAVC-I UHD/4K
  • Export DNxHR as MXF OP1a
  • Media Creation Default Change
  • Mac GPU Support (Certain Effects can now be accelerated using GPU hardware on Mac systems.)
January 2016macOS, Windows8.5.0
  • HDR support
  • Group by audio waveform
June 2016macOS, Windows8.6.0
  • Source Browser
  • Native Support for Panasonic AVC-LongG
  • Audio Ducking
  • New ways to Select Segments in Timeline
  • Create Sequence based on Timeline Selection
  • Nested AudioSuite Effects
  • Audio Grouping
  • Default Pan now baked in
  • SMPTE channel order
  • Red Plugin Update
  • Export with Mask Margins
  • Timeline Clip Comments in Timecode Generator
  • Updates to DNxIO
December 2016macOS, Windows8.7.0
  • List Tool Changes
  • Audio Dupe Detection
  • Extended Audio Punch In
  • Sony XAVC LongG
  • New Safe Area and Safe title options
  • Rotation Presets in FrameFlex
  • Controlling which track is shown in Split View
  • Audio Default Pan
  • Timecode Burn-in Effect Local Frame Count
  • Bin Enhancements
February 2017macOS, Windows8.8.0
  • Timeline Clip Notes
  • Frame Cache for Effects
  • ScriptSync v2.0
  • PhraseFind v2.0
  • Bin sharing on non-Avid storage
  • Change to Find window
  • Change to Script Window
August 2017macOS, Windows8.9.0
  • Custom Quicktime export audio enhancements
  • AAC support in Avid Generic plug-in
  • Support for Sony XAVC_L 1080p format
  • Audio Slip
  • Source Browser enhancements
  • Source/Record colors
  • Automatically open Effect Editor when adding effect
  • Pre- and Post-Roll in CC mode
  • Position bar snap
  • Audio Mixer Redesign
  • Support for Hi-Res monitors
  • Generate LTC on playback
  • Remote Client Offset
  • Update to Custom Safe Action/Safe Titling Setting
  • Color Adapter and FrameFlex Icon Update
January 2018macOS, Windows2018.1Avid changed the version numbering starting in January 2018
July 2018macOS, Windows2018.7
  • 16K Project Presets
  • Live Timeline
  • High Frame Rate support (100, 119.88, 120 fps)
  • Newtek NDI Video over IP Support
  • BXF File support
August 2018macOS, Windows2018.8
  • Exporting to AVC-I Op1A
  • HDR to SDR conversion features
  • Avid Generic Plugin
September 2018macOS, Windows2018.9
  • DNxUncompressed
October 2018macOS, Windows2018.10
  • AVC-LongG support
December 2018macOS, Windows2018.12
  • Avid Titler+
  • Shape Based Color Correction (Symphony)
  • Editing Group Clips
  • Waveform Sync
  • 64 tracks of Video
  • Change Audio Source Track in Timeline
January 2019macOS, Windows2018.12.1Additional features
April 2019macOS, Windows2018.12.3 through 2018.12.11Bug fixes
June 2019macOS, Windows2019.6
  • New User Interface
  • Distributed Processing Option
  • MXF Op1A Media Creation & Mixdown
  • OpenEXR Support
  • IMF Support
  • 32bit Floating Point Quality
  • Support for ACES Workflows
  • Dynamic Relink Across Frame Rates
July 2019macOS, Windows2019.7Bug fixes
August 2019macOS, Windows2019.8
September 2019macOS, Windows2019.9UI Improvements
November 2019macOS, Windows2019.11Bug fixes
January 2020macOS, Windows2019.12.1Bug fixes
April 2020macOS, Windows2020.4
  • Catalina support
  • ProRes export (also on PC)
  • Universal Media Engine (UME)
  • Bulk Edit
  • Strip Silence
  • ACES Output Transforms
  • DNxHD codec flavors renamed
May 2020macOS, Windows2020.5Bug fixes
June 2020macOS, Windows2020.6
  • Variable Frame Rate Media Support
August 2020macOS, Windows2020.8Bug fixes

References[edit]

Avid Media Composer First

  1. ^'Media Composer Version FAQ 2019'. avid.secure.force.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  2. ^'American Cinema Editors (ACE) Board Honors Avid Media Composer' (Press release). Archived from the original on 2009-12-12. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  3. ^'Media Composer 8 FAQ'. Avid.[dead link]
  4. ^'Media Composer - Compare'. Avid.

External links[edit]

Avid Media Composer Cost

  • Official website

Avid Media Composer 6 For Mac Os

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Media_Composer&oldid=985045515'