Video Editing with Avid: Media Composer, Symphony, Xpress

Roger Shufflebottom

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780240516783
• eBook ISBN: 9781136054174
• Topic: Medien & darstellende Kunst
• Subtopic: Film & Video

This is the first comprehensive guide to editing on Avid from a PAL standpoint, also including NTSC information where appropriate, making this book a worldwide manual.

If you are already using Media Composer, Symphony, or Xpress and want to improve and consolidate your basic methods, or if you need to learn these systems from scratch, then this book is for you. This invaluable reference source explains, from beginner to intermediate level, the similarities and differences of these three packages and will ensure you get the most out of your Avid system.


Based on his experience as a film and video editor and trainer, Roger Shufflebottom imparts all the information you need in a clear, accurate and easy to follow format. He provides a comprehensive guide to all the main editing tools of Media Composer, Symphony and Xpress. The text covers Media Composer versions 7-10, Xpress versions 2-4, and Symphony versions 1-3. Extra information is also included on Media Composer version 10.5, Symphony version 3.5 and Xpress version 4.5. Specific Apple Mac and Windows NT information is included.

Moving beyond basic editing, 2D effects, 3D effects and graphic import are explained in detail. By working through the text you will be able to complete an Avid project competently and intuitively and you will learn some efficient and powerful working techniques.

Roger Shufflebottom has been an editor since 1974, began training in 1993 and has run courses for major broadcasters including the BBC, Carlton, BskyB, Pearson Television and the American Forces Network as well as many facility companies. He is an Avid Certified Instructor and has written many articles for 'Avid User' magazine.

1	Computer Basics

Before starting to edit on the Avid, let’s take a look at the two computer systems users will encounter: Apple computers with the Mac operating system and IBM computers running the Windows NT operating system. Not all the versions of Avid software run on the same hardware; Appendix 1 lists the recent history of Avid software and the matching hardware. The following information is designed to help Avid editors who are new to Mac or Windows; it is not a definitive run-down of every feature on each operating system! Editors shouldn’t need to be computer experts but some basic knowledge is very useful.

Apple Mac

Avid Media Composer (Mac) software versions 7, 8 and 10 and Xpress v2–v4 run on the Apple Macintosh computer. Media Composer v9 was not released for Mac OS. Media Composer v8 and v10 and Xpress v2.5, v3 and v4 use the same video hardware (the Meridien system) as Symphony, Media Composer and Xpress on NT. Media Composer v7 and Xpress v2 used different hardware, described below.

ABVB Systems

These systems are mostly based on the Apple PPC 9500 or 9600, which have six PCI expansion slots inside. Five of these slots will be occupied, as follows:

• a Digidesign audio board, to deal with audio input and output;
• an Avid Broadcast Video board. This deals with video input and output at the ITU R-601 video standard. This board has either a Betacam input (offering analogue component and composite I/O) or a serial digital interface;
• a JPEG video compression board, which is directly linked to the ABVB;
• an ATTO fast SCSI board, for connecting the external disk drives used for storage;
• a graphics board to drive a second computer monitor.

The sixth slot may be used for a second ATTO card or an internal board for 3D effects.

Cables are connected to the ABVB to link it to the VTR used for digitizing and recording back to tape. On basic systems with the Digidesign Audiomedia card, audio connections are made directly to RCA (phono) sockets on the board. Better-specified systems have the Digidesign SA4 board, which is linked to a Digidesign Pro Tools 442 or 888 rack-mounted audio interface. The modem port on the computer is used for controlling the VTR.

During the life of Media Composer v7 and Xpress v2, Apple stopped making the six-slot PPC 9600 and introduced the first phase of beige G3 computers, which only had three PCI slots. To accommodate the various boards needed (see above) Avid supplied their systems with a PCI expansion chassis (a large metal case which could be rack mounted).

Meridien Systems

Media Composer versions 8 and 10 (and Xpress v2.5, v3 and v4) use different hardware. The computer (usually a beige or blue G3 or graphite G4) is linked to an external breakout box (the ‘BOB’) for the video and audio connections and uses Avid’s Meridien board set, which offers new video resolutions and the uncompressed video option. The BOB makes it much easier to connect video and audio equipment to the Avid and is more versatile than earlier hardware. Taking a current G4 Mac system as an example, the computer will have connectors for one computer monitor (the Bin monitor; see later), serial ports for controlling VTRs, USB ports for the keyboard and other accessories and a port for the ribbon cable that links to the expansion chassis. The expansion chassis has a connector for the system cable leading to the Meridien breakout box and SCSI connectors for the media drives.

Inside the computer is the Central Processing Unit (the CPU), banks of Random Access Memory (RAM), a floppy disk drive (not on the later G3 and G4), a CD ROM drive, possibly a Zip drive and an internal fixed or hard disk drive. The internal fixed disk (usually called the Avid drive) contains the Avid application, any other programs and applications loaded on to the computer, the computer’s system software and the Avid project folders and files. The actual digitized media files are stored on external disk drives connected via a SCSI or Fibre Channel interface.

On the latest G4 systems, an external floppy disk drive will be attached to a USB hub that is connected to the computer. All systems described here also have an Avid hardware key or ‘dongle’, usually connected to the keyboard cable or USB hub. Without the dongle, the computer will run but no editing can be done. Dongles are very valuable and should be looked after.

The amount of video and audio storage is governed by the size of the disk drives linked to your computer. It is unlikely that you will run out of room on your internal drive but the length of programme you can edit is governed by the storage capacity of your external drives.

Starting a Mac System

Power up the system in the following sequence: first turn on the external disk drives, then turn on the other hardware (expansion chassis, monitors, BOB, Digidesign 888 interface and USB power supplies if fitted). Allow 20 seconds or so for the external drives to spin up to speed before starting the Mac. If you don’t do this, the computer will not recognize their presence. Start the computer by pressing the large key at the top right of the keyboard (some G4 systems with USB keyboards may need to be started using the button on the front of the computer). The computer can be started without switching on the breakout box, 888 and media drives but these must be turned on before launching Avid.

When the computer is running, the disk drives appear as icons on the right-hand side of the startup monitor (normally the left of the two on a Media Composer – see Figure Intro.3a). The top icon (normally named ‘Avid’), is the internal hard disk in the Mac. This will contain a folder called ‘Avid Projects’ or ‘Composer Projects’, depending on the software version. All information about the projects you work on will normally be stored in this folder. The external drives, usually with names such as ‘Media 1’ or ‘Media B’, are displayed below this. At the bottom of the screen is the trash or wastebasket icon.

If you have large external drives or groups of drives, it is possible that more than one icon per drive will be displayed. This will be because the drives have been partitioned (divided into sections). On the other hand, several striped drives may only appear as one large volume. It is always helpful to know which drives match which icons on the desktop.

The Finder and the Desktop

To examine the contents of a drive or folder, move the mouse pointer over an icon and double-click. A window will open up displaying the contents. The external drives normally contain only the media files containing the digitized video and audio to play your clips. If you double-click on the icon for an external drive or partition, you should see only one folder, named OMFI (Open Media Framework Interchange) MediaFiles.

When you are moving around at desktop level, the Mac is actually running a program called the Finder. It has its own icon (a monitor symbol or the Mac OS symbol). Look at the top right-hand corner of the menu bar to see the Finder icon. This changes to a Media Composer or Xpress icon when you are editing. By clicking on this icon it is possible to hide or swap between running applications. Figure 1.1 shows typical locations of key files and folders on a Mac system.

Figure 1.1 Typical Mac file layout

Moving, Copying and Deleting Files

Although the Avid will automatically save your work (see Chapter 13), you need to know how to move files around the system. For instance, it is advisable to back up your project information regularly.

To move a file from one folder to another, simply click on the file’s icon and, holding the mouse button down, drag the icon to a destination folder. If you wish to move more than one file (or folder), click on the first item then release the mouse button, hold down the shift key on the keyboard and select more items by clicking (known as ‘shift-clicking’). All the items selected become highlighted on the screen. If you wish to select every item in a window, go to the Edit menu and click on ‘Select All’. There is a keyboard shortcut for this: Cmd

+A. This means hold down the Command (also known as the Apple key) and simultaneously press ‘A’. There are many other useful shortcuts that work both at Finder level and within applications. Once you have selected your items, click on one to drag them all to the destination folder.

If you click and drag items to a different location on the same disk, the Finder simply moves the items. If you wish to copy the items, hold down the option key (sometimes marked ‘alt’) while you carry out the operation. Dragging items to a different drive (or floppy) automatically copies them. To delete files or folders, drag them to the Trash, then empty the Trash from the Special menu. Objects are deleted in a different way when working within Avid (see later).

Mac windows are closed by clicking on the button at top left. The extreme top right button will collapse the window and the button next to this will resize the window to a size that just displays the contents and no more. Holding down the option key when opening a window closes the previous one as the new one opens. Option+

+W is a shortcut to close all windows.

Removable Disks

If you insert a floppy disk (or a Zip cartridge or CD) into the computer, an icon appears on the desktop. You can now copy items to and from a floppy or Zip as described above. Jaz cartridges are often used for moving audio media files to a digital audio workstation for dubbing.

If the computer cannot read the disk, it will display a message asking if you wish to initialize or format it. A utility called PC Exchange enables the Mac to read, write and format DOS (IBM compatible) format disks as well as Mac disks. Use HD (1.4MB) Mac disks or Zip cartridges to back up your projects. Use DD (720KB) DOS disks to save Edit Decision Lists (EDLs).

To back up your project after working, first make sure that your work is saved to the Avid drive (this is done automatically when you quit). In the Finder, double click on the Avid drive icon, then on the Composer (or Avid) Projects folder, until you can see your project folder. Drag this to the floppy or Zip disk icon. If you have already backed up your work to this disk, a message will inform you that an item of the same name exists and asks if you wish to replace it. The answer is yes! Large folders can be compressed using a utility such as Stuffit or Compact Pro (included on some systems).

If you wish to restore a project from floppy, or move your project to a different computer, the process is reversed. Insert your floppy disk and drag your project folder into the Composer (or Avid) Projects folder on the Avid drive of the computer. Do not open a project or bin from a floppy – always copy the project to the Avid drive on the computer first.

You can also save and copy your user settings. User settings are kept in a folder called Avid Users on the Avid drive. By putting a copy of your settings on a floppy, you can begin work quickly on another machine. Do not use settings from one version of the software on a different version as the results may be unpredictable. Always make new settings when a software upgrade is released.

Apple Menu Items Folder

In the System folder is a folder called Apple Menu Items. Click on the Apple symbol at the left-hand end of the menu bar to see the contents. It can contain files or folders but often contains aliases – pointers to applications that may be hidden away in folders (similar to a Windows shortcut). The normal way to launch Avid is from an alias in the Apple menu or on the desktop. The Apple menu contains some useful items:

Chooser allows the user to control the computer’s connection to such external devices as printers and networks. AppleTalk should normally be off when using Avid unless your system is linked to Avid Unity Medianet. In this case, use the Chooser to link to your workspace.

Key Caps gives access to extra keyboard characters. This useful when working with the Title Tool (see Chapter 12).

Vantage is a text editor bundled with Avid and is useful to check EDLs or shot logs.

Control Panels

Many aspects of the Mac can be modified using the Control Panels. The Control Panels folder is in the System folder, but is usually accessed via the Apple Menu. The following are useful:

Date & Time allows the user to set date and time of computer’s clock and set the time display in the menu bar. Make sure this is correct as all files are date-stamped when made or modified.

Memory allows the user to check and change memory settings – keep the cache size as small as possible, no RAM disk and virtual memory off for Avid.

Monitors and Sound allows the user to modify monitor settings such as resolution and colour depth and set sound options. Check your release notes for specific settings for the version you are using as getting this wrong may have surprising results.

Extensions Manager lets you decide which extensions are loaded at startup and save sets for different situations. Avoid loading non-essential extensions that a) will take up RAM unnecessarily and b) may conflict with Avid. See the current release notes for details.

ATM (Adobe Type Manager) allows Postscript fonts to appear anti-aliased (non-jaggy) on the screen. Almost essential for use with Title Tool.

Energy Saver should be set to never shut down the system.

Shutting Down

When you have finished work, choose ‘Quit’ from the File menu and shut down the computer by going to ‘Shutdown’ in the Special menu. By doing this, the Mac updates its files and closes down any running application in a controlled way.

Windows NT

On Windows systems, Avid usually supplies IBM computers running the Windows NT4 operating system. All NT systems (Symphony v1–v3, Media Composer v8–v10 and Xpress v2.1–v4), use the Meridien boardse...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Computer basics
• 2. Getting started
• 3. Digitizing
• 4. Working with bins
• 5. Basic editing part 1
• 6. Basic editing part 2
• 7. Timeline and settings
• 8. Further editing techniques
• 9. Working with audio
• 10. 2D video effects
• 11. 3D video effects
• 12. The Title Tool and the Downstream Keyer
• 13. Files and media
• 14. Importing graphics
• 15. Redigitizing
• 16. Output
• Appendix A:. Some Avid history
• Appendix B:. Grabbing tracks directly from an audio CD
• Appendix C:. Media Composer v10.5, Symphony v3.5 and Xpress v4.5
• Index