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Media ComposerAvid 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
- Avid Media Composer
- Mimiq software installed.
- Version - 22.2 or newer
- Access to a creative.space network-attached storage server.
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.
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:
Additional Requirements - Avid has very specific requirements for Media Composer to be used successfully.
Getting Started
Follow these steps to connect Avid Media Composer with creative.space via Mimiq:
- 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.
- Download and install Media Composer.
- Download and install Mimiq.
- Open Mimiq to verify that your mounts are listed a workspaces with green dots next to them.
- Download, install, and open Avid Media Composer.
- Create a Shared Project (or upload and open one) on the desired volume.
- When Media Composer prompts you with the non-Avid storage alert, click
Yes. - Start utilizing the collaboration features within Avid Media Composer while accessing creative.space storage.
macOS - https://hedge.video/download/mimiq/macos
Windows - https://hedge.video/download/mimiq/windows
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):
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.
1. Use a qualified combination of macOS and Media Composer
When Avid successfully tests a version of Media Composer on a specific version of macOS, Avid declares that combination qualified.
Use Avid's documentation to find the qualified combination of Media Composer and macOS that is best for you:
2. Update macOS and Media Composer to the latest possible qualified combination
It's highly probable the latest version of Media Composer won't be qualified for the latest version of macOS. However, Media Composer may be qualified to run on a more updated version of macOS you're currently using.
When in doubt, ask your Team Owner, or confirm which combo is qualified for your Mac.
3. Connect to the network over Ethernet (Hard-wired, Cabled)
With all things remote, latency is the enemy. Wi-Fi typically has 100x times more latency than ethernet, so network performance will be poor when editing if you're not connected via Ethernet.
4. Store your Drive Cache on a super-fast local disk
Caches need fast drives. Store your Drive Cache on an internal SSD or NVMe, an external SSD or NVMe, or a RAID built for random IOPS performance. More info.
Although great for storing and playing back media, for caching RAID 0, 5, or 6 arrays typically don't work. If you use such a device for your media, don't use it for your Drive cache. Instead, use a dedicated SSD or NVMe, whether internal or external over Thunderbolt 3/4. You can use this for Drive and any other apps that let you define a location for its cache. Pro tip: Apple's internal SSDs are great for caching.
5. Eliminate All Performance Inhibitors on Your Mac or Local Area Network
If Media Composer isn't performing as expected on your local computer, here are some known performance inhibitors:
- Wi-Fi is your computer's primary network connection.
- Your Mac's Energy Saver settings allow your Mac to sleep or for disks to spin down. Modify your Energy Saver settings to:
Computer Sleep:NeverPut hard disks to sleep when possible:DISABLED- Your Mac has a screen saver enabled.
- Your Drive Cache isn't stored on a SSD or NVMe, whether internal or external over Thunderbolt 3/4.
- Your computer is behind an active firewall, using an active anti-malware/antivirus client, or is using a cloud-based security service, such as Crowdstrike. Diagnose connection problems with the PostLab Test Tool.
6. Remove OpenIO_VirtIO.acf from Avid Media Composer.app
Starting in Media Composer 7.0.4, Avid packaged this plug-in with Media Composer – OpenIO_VirtIO.acf. Media Composer's installer doesn't let you choose whether to install this or not, so take these steps to remove it manually:
- Quit Media Composer.
- In Finder, locate the Avid Media Composer application.
Control-Clickon it, and selectShow Package Contents.- Go to
../Contents/SharedSupport/AVX2_Plugins.Note: depending on the version of Media Composer, this folder could be../Contents/SharedSupport/AVX_Plugins. - Locate the
OpenIO_VirtIO.acffile. HoldOptionthen drag a copy of it to your Desktop. (Your mouse pointer will change into a plus sign inside a green circle.) - Delete
OpenIO_VirtIO.acffrom the Avid Media Composer app package. - Relaunch Media Composer.
Removing OpenIO_VirtIO.acf results in a significant reduction of SFPlayConsumer::Execute TIMEOUT exceptions.
7. Disable Fast Scrub
MC 2021.x and newer: Settings > User > Timeline > Use Fast Scrub: DISABLED
MC 2018.12.x: Project > Settings > Timeline > Use Fast Scrub: DISABLED
Disabling Fast Scrub results in a significant reduction of SFPlayConsumer::Execute TIMEOUT exceptions.
8. Adjust Settings > User > Audio
MC 2021.x and newer: Settings > User > Audio > ...
MC 2018.12.x: Project > Settings > Audio > ...Play Buffer Size in Samples: 1024 (could even be as low as 256)Tool Buffer Size in Samples: 1024 (could even be as low as 256)
Adjusting Media Composer's Audio settings results in a significant reduction of SFPlayConsumer::Execute TIMEOUT exceptions.
9. Increase the Amount of Video Memory Used
Since Media Composer caches playback to RAM, the more memory, the better. You can increase the amount of Media Composer uses to cache playback here:
MC 2021.x and newer: Settings > Site > Media Cache > Video Memory
MC 2018.12.15: Settings > Media Cache > Video Memory
Then adjust these settings in Video Memory:
Desired Video Memory (GB): set to the desired amount (default: 2 GB)
Enable Playback Video Frame Cache: ENABLED
Enabled FX Editing Video Frame Cache: ENABLED
Desired Video Memory. It's best to increase or decrease the amount of memory by GBs, then test for any improvement in Media Composer (e.g. playback, scrubbing, exporting, etc.)Add content here
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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:
- 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) - Make sure Bin Sharing on 3rd Party storage emulating Avid NEXIS/ISIS is enables.
- Update your Media Creation project settings.
Go to Settings > General > Enable Bin Sharing on 3rd Part storage emulating Avid NEXIS/ISIS
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 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.
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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