AVID 3.0-REAL WORLD EDIT-ABOUT TO BEGIN
Tomorrow I start a new job editing a Discovery Channel show on an Avid. The NEW Avid. I have been toying with it the best I could with the footage I was able to capture, but now I am finally able to use it in the real world. I was over halfway through my review of the software when I got this job, so now I will postpone it for a week while I work...and really test it out. Interesting thing is that this company was using Avid Meridian v11 on OS9 up until about a month ago when they finally upgraded. BIG leap for them...and really a tribute to the software...that it could be used successfully for so long. I mean...OS 9 dude! Mid 90's OS.
It is running on a Mac Pro, and the footage is stored on G-Raids...until they can get their Unity working right. This is a big switch from the other system too...non-Avid drives to store media. Although I did walk past a room with easily 2 bookshelves full of those 18GB LVD drives. Not as fun an seeing an RMAG as a doorstop. OFFLINE editing...that is what this company does. Hey, it works, why change? So the footage will be some low res codec like 15 or 20 to 1. Which is fine...I have seen that Avid is more than up to the task of the higher res codecs...and mixing them. DNxHD with DV with DVCPRO HD from tape, and P2 imported footage.
Now my big challenge will be to not only re-learn the Avid, but UN-learn...or shove aside...Final Cut Pro. Already I have caught myself pressing B to insert edit and tried in vain to grab and move clips before remembering I have to click on one of the arrows that allows me to grab them.
This first week is bound to be a challenge, and I will try HARD not to map the keyboard to match FCP.
3 comments:
oh man ... been a looong time since I had to edit proficiently on an AVID ... V is insert and B is overwite and then ... yeah, all those other ones :-)
good luck!
Best of luck Shane. I so know where you are coming from with the disparate keyboard shortcuts.
Sounds like a good gig. I'm working for a much bigger company now, working with Avid MC3 (and some New Cutters) on a Unity. I really do like the little things in 3.0. Only thing I've noticed is slightly odd bahviour when I'm playing through clips at very high rates (200fps for example) where it seems to be unable to keep up. But I think that's the Unity, or a combination of software versions or something between MC and Unity.
I still feel pretty strongly that Avid is a much better offline tool than FCP, but it is also what I know.
Also, DV25 is a pretty good Offline resolution in my opinion. Otherwise 10:1 is good.
We have dozens of those LVD 18 drives too - still using them on some suites.
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