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Restoring a consolidated project
I’ve only been using Avid MC a couple of years but even in that short time it’s surprising that this has not come up before. I consolidated a project onto an external drive and put it on the shelf. Lo and behold I’m now faced for the first time of needing to re-store a project to make changes.
If I understand the basic file structure of Avid’s database system of filing I need to transfer this path of the consolidated project to my RAID: Avid Media Files>MXF>1 (& its contents) WITHOUT overwriting the existing “1” folder.
My question is and, I believe I’ve read, that to do this I have to re-number the existing “1” folder to another number and to get it back I later will re-number the new, consolidated “1” file to a new number. So the question is, is this the only, correct way to do this? My RAID has now filled to the point it’s generated a “2” folder, so can I just name the consolidated folder “3” and still have access to everything at the same time?
Or can I simply add the contents of the consolidated “1” folder to the existing “1” folder without over-writing anything?
And as long as were at it, why are there hundreds of MXF files in the MXF folder and not in “1” or “2?”
I can’t imagine why the restoration process doesn’t seem to be covered in any of the books or on-line tutorials I’ve been able to find. So thanks for any light my fellow bovines can shed on this.
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7 Replies
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Two options.
1) Make a new folder and put the existing AVID MEDIAFILES folder into that. Name that folder the name of the project that media belongs to. This way when you copy over the consolidated project media structure, it won’t overwrite anything. This is the main thing I do when doing this.
2) Rename the numbered folders in either project…make it “10,” “11” and so on. Any number really. Just make them easy to spot as belonging to another project. When I do this, I tend to change the TENS number, as an easy separator.
[Nick Griffin] “And as long as were at it, why are there hundreds of MXF files in the MXF folder and not in “1” or “2?””
Each numbered folder can have up to 5000 files in it….so a new folder isn’t created until that cap is reached.
Shane
Little Frog Post
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Thank you, Shane.
But if I…
[Shane Ross] “Rename the numbered folders in either project…make it “10,” “11” and so on. Any number really. Just make them easy to spot as belonging to another project. When I do this, I tend to change the TENS number, as an easy separator”…will I have access to my existing projects or will I have to keep switching back and forth which, I believe will force Avid to do a time consuming rebuild of its directory each time.
If I just name the consolidated MXF files folder a number, say 7, will I have access to it as well as the current projects?
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If you change the numbers in the archived project, and bring them over, then ALL projects will have media online…no need to switch folders. The first method would require you to quit MC, shuffle folders, and relaunch. Second method has all media online.
[Nick Griffin] “If I just name the consolidated MXF files folder a number, say 7, will I have access to it as well as the current projects?”
Yes. Rename a folder a number and nothing will go offline, all will be online. A media database rebuild might happen, but too fast to see.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Thanx, Shane!!! Have you ever considered writing a book about Avid features which are not adequately explained? I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
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I did a tutorial DVD on getting organized in FCP….pondered doing the same in Avid. But, I’ve been way too busy.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Actually I have that DVD and remember it as having good organizational ideas for most NLEs. I’ll have to re-watch it.
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I have found, on some rare occasions that the database doesn’t get recognized from an old or renamed project.
In your case my first instinct would be to copy my consolidated folder into the structure and name it Project x media 2013… or whatever date the original is from. If it is currently called “1” then it should already have a database. I would rename it, simply to track what footage is old, and what footage is new…from the changes you are about to do.
I would rename my current “1” folder, perhaps as Shane has recommended to “10” , or in my case, it would only have media from one project at a time in it, so I would call it according to my project. (I’m constantly naming folders to isolate project media)
Load up your old project and check that it all came back online. If it doesn’t, and it has happened to me, you may have to rebuild that original database from the consolidated folder. Go into that folder and delete the database. Copy the name of the folder into you computers memory and then rename it 666 (any number that is easy to find) select Avid (I don’t usually turn off Avid when I do this) and let it rebuild the database. Once that is done paste the name back onto that folder…from 666 back to Project x Media 2013.
Hopefully now it is all online.
I would then do all your changes as needed. Any new media will automatically be put into a new “1” folder. When the project is done, rename this “1” folder to be Project X media 2015 changes, and archive it with the original media.
Remember, any numbered folder in the MXF structure can have its database updated by Avid. Avid doesn’t just read the “1” folder, so any folders in that area will be read by Avid. The key is Avid will always try to write to a “1” folder, unless it has too many files in it, in which case it will move on to the next folder. If there is no “1” folder, Avid will make one, and start using it.
As soon as you add a letter to the folder name, Avid can read it, but can’t write to it..which means it can’t update the database inside it, but again, it can read the database inside it.
Glenn
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