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Avid Finally Drops Free Media Composer Software — Here’s What to Expect
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[Craig Seeman] “It might be coming from animus”
Hence my earlier question about hating Avid in particular.
[Craig Seeman] “Some people really don’t like MC/Symphony and would prefer not to have to learn it if they want to climb the broadcast/feature film ladder.”
I realize that’s the emotion, but don’t you think it’s a childish one? If that’s what the industry uses, then that’s what you have to learn. There are colorists who have to change from one system to another when they move for the job. So they might prefer Resolve, but better become fluent in Baselight if they want the work – and the other way around.
[Craig Seeman] “Regarding Apple, I think some don’t like being tied to Apple ProRes”
In my experience, it has nothing to do with ProRes. Just a dislike for Apple in general and Apple users. That’s not just in this business, but across the board. They incorrectly view Apple users as believing Apple can do no wrong.
[Craig Seeman] “I think it is rational when you can’t avoid something interfering with your work that you’d just wish would go away whether it’s Avid or Apple.”
Well, maybe. But that’s letting you define yourself by the tools. Maybe if some of these folks worked on a dozen or more different systems in their lifetime, the attitude would be different. However, I most often see this attitude from people who’ve never even used Media Composer. Same the other way around regarding attitudes towards FCPX.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] “But that’s letting you define yourself by the tools”
Although I do (mis?)remember a time when some referred to themselves as a “CMX editor” or and “Avid editor” specifically.
Of course the dominance of any one edit system over others is long gone. Although obviously some still dominant certain parts of the industry. Perhaps it’s more like Formula 1 racing is not NASCAR racing and I don’t think one wants to drive the other (my guess).
It may be that while one can know many tools some may be the master of one and that’s the one they want to drive. They simply wish the other would go away. With Avid apparently teetering on the edge of the abyss a few times that’s something some can taste which probably riles up the blood lust.
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[Craig Seeman] ” With Avid apparently teetering on the edge of the abyss a few times that’s something some can taste which probably riles up the blood lust.”
Agreed.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] “The people on the inside tell you that it’s just one department or one unit or one show. “
I for one just happen to work with various major as well as smaller European broadcasters AND deal with many production facilities in four countries, teach at a collage (where the students do a parallel three year apprenticeship at various facilities) AND at a university. The apprentices are at over TWO HUNDRED different facilities, from small to big. Of which — and I’ve asked — maybe TEN actually still have an Avid of some sorts at their facility (almost none above v6 btw) and of those maybe two actually use it in production, as opposed to just keeping it around for legacy projects. The schools themselves? One dropped Avid two years ago (after being mandatory for many years), the other is dropping it next year. Because A) none of the relevant employers use it B) it’s a complete nightmare support-wise and C) a bad joke financially compared to any and everyone else.
If someone wants to think a company that was years behind the most recent key technical developments in video and isn’t even worth one FOURTH what it was a mere two years ago (one TENTH of about ten years ago), is doing just dandy, is on the up and coming and should be fine for years to come… wow. Certainly not a horse I would personally bet on.
[Neil Goodman] “Whats your point?”
Re-read. It followed quite clearly.
[Neil Goodman] “I apologize for choosing to base my career in a major market. I wont let it happen again. “
????????♂️… speaking of childish. And again, you still consider the Hollywood editing market a major one. I’d say the ivory tower could not be built any higher.
– RK
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Deutsch? Hier gibt es ein umfassendes FCP X Training für dich! -
[Scott Witthaus] “Personally, I feel a lot of animosity towards Avid is it’s stance that “if you want to be a ‘pro’ you have to use Avid and many “pros” (including myself) laugh that off as totally false and arrogant. And those of us who have been in the business for over 20 years and dealt with Avid’s corporate arrogance back when it WAS the only game around feel no sense of sympathy to its’ current situation. “
[Scott Witthaus] “I hold my dissatisfaction at Avid mainly over the DS debacle. Those companies (like the one I worked for at the time) that invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the product just to be killed off (mostly because of the fact that it wasn’t enough like Media Composer) hold no love for Avid Technologies. So those folks who say “well, be careful, Apple may just kill FCPX like the did FCPL”, talk to me about having two DS stations in my two regional shops (our entire company had over a half dozen) and going from an amazing company like Softimage to Avid, to being promised that DS will be THE HD solution for Avid (whoops, Symphony users then had a sh**) to “there will be full support for DS” to killing the product. Like I said, my sympathies are limited. And now I am sure a lot of ex-Symphony users feel the same way.”
I Used to edit on an $80,000.00 Avid Media Composer. It was purchased back in 1998 when they used a Targa 2000 capture card and Pinnacle board to get the RT effects. I don’t hate on Avid. Hardware goes obsolete. I thought the Avid was pricey and maybe a DPS system would have been a better option but I didn’t have to buy it. I just used it to edit and got paid good money to do so. I admit I did way more live productions than editing but I have no hatred towards Avid. Avid also did and end of life to the Fast Liquid software I used to use. Things change.
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[Scott Witthaus] “This was the first Avid in the area and I had a bit of a crowd around me watching. So after all that, I had actually had to render out a dissolve and an older editor/engineer (because sometimes they were the same person) sniffed and said “give me a switcher and a T-bar and I could have done that in real time…” and walked off.”
What year was it and how much did your Avid cost? Our old school Avid could do a simple dissolve in real-time. I admit you could not do to much without needing to render. It could do color correction and titles easy enough in real-time. All I can say is back in 1998 I thought our Avid Media Composer was pretty cool. Just for the record I used to have to edit using a switcher and tape decks (Beta and 3/4″) prior to getting our Avid.
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[andy patterson] “What year was it and how much did your Avid cost? “
Hey Andy. No sure on this as I was brought in as the editor. Facility provided the gear. And of course I can’t remember the exact year! 😉
Scott Witthaus
Owner, 1708 Inc./Editorial
Managing Partner, Low Country Creative LLC
Professor, VCU Brandcenter -
[Scott Witthaus] “[andy patterson] “What year was it and how much did your Avid cost? ”
Hey Andy. No sure on this as I was brought in as the editor. Facility provided the gear. And of course I can’t remember the exact year! ;-)”
It seems like your Avid should have been able to do transitions, PIP, Titles and CC in real-time. Our Avid was based of the Targa 2000 and had a Pinnacle Genie board for the RT. Maybe your system was more like a baby Avid without the Pinnacle Genie board. Who knows? Our system was on a Mac so we also needed a PCI extender because the Mac towers only had 4 PCI slots. Like I said I liked our Avid system. It was so much better than using the switcher and video tape decks.
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