Xpress Pro FAQ & Forum Terms of Use

Welcome!

There are a number of knowledgeable editors who graciously give advice to those asking questions on this forum but sometimes the same questions keep coming up over and over again. So, some simple ground rules:

1. Do a search before posting a question! Chances are someone has already had the same problem and it's been answered many, many times before.  The new forum software is not compatible with the old forum so you'll need to go to the Archives to do a search for posts before October, 2005.  Here's a quick link to the search page http://www.avid.com/search/forums.asp

2. Give as much detail as possible: OS version, computer configuration, RAM, Xpress Pro version, decks, drives, other software, other hardware. Also what's happening, when does it happen, what's changed since it started happening, etc.  Listing your System Configuration in your User Profile will help us help you (and you won't have to type that stuff more than once).  Just click on your name to access your profile and list your system specs.  It will save a flurry of "give us your system specs" replies to your "I've got a deadline and the system just...." question.

3. Read the technical requirements for the product here on the Avid site. That stuff about RAM, OS, supported computers and such is there for a reason.  Note: Avid is notoriously slow in certifying new hardware and OS releases.  Check the posts here in the forum for reports from "the bleeding edge".

4.  This forum is for technical, operational and workflow issues.  Non-technical items should be posted in the Off Topic section of the Avid Community Forums.  If your post has "disappeared" it's probably been moved to Off Topic and General Discussion Forum.  The originator of the topic will get a message if this happens but the respondents won't.

And before you even search for it:

Xpress Pro HD (version 5.5) is the same release on the Mac and the PC.  You can run it on either platform simply by installing the proper software and moving the dongle to the platform of choice.  The Universal Binary version that will work on both Power PC and Intel based Macs is version 5.7. 

If you use Boot Camp to run Windows on a Intel Mac be aware that the PC versions of Xpress Pro require a nVidia display card and the first two versions of the MacBook Pro used ATI cards.  When Xpress Pro launches you'll get a warning that a serious error has occured and that you should quit the application.  Nonetheless, it does work with these caveats: don't access the Video Display settings or you'll crash, it doesn't work with a Mojo and most importantly, it's not supported.

Xpress Pro 4.8.2 works with Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4.6 or lower).  If you're using Panther (10.3.x) any version from 4.1.1 to 4.6.5  will work.  All versions are available on the same download page as the latest release once you get there after signing in.  If you experience digital "sparkles" with 4.6.5 in certain circumstances, use 4.6 instead or vice versa.  The only version that works with OSX 10.4.7 is Xpress Pro 5.5 or higher.  Check the Avid System Requirements on the Product page to see what OS version is currently supported with the latest release.  For earlier releases, check the READ ME file that comes with each release (available on the Support/Documentation page).

Figured that the Software Update wouldn't cause any problems?  Guess again.  Best bet is to check the forum or the product page before updating the OS.

You can't use Quicktime 7 with the 10.3.x releases and you can't use Quicktime 6.5.x with the Tiger release of Xpress Pro (4.8.x) without running into export problems.

If Xpress Pro 4.8.x crashes when you turn on your camera or deck, try reinstalling Quicktime 7.

You need at least 1 GB of RAM if you're running any version higher than 4.3.5. Without sufficient RAM it's very, very slooooow.

Don't have a iSight plugged into your Mac when running Xpress Pro.  It makes the audio stutter.

Turn on Render-on-the-Fly on the Clip menu to see titles in the Source monitor or on the timeline without  rendering them.

If you've got a Mojo and things look fuzzy, check the Green/Yellow icon in the lower left hand corner of the timelline.  Green/Green is best quality.  Yellow/Yellow is the worst quality.

If you get a error when consolidating the says "DOMAIN_COPYIN", it's a bug that spanned from version 4.5.1 to 4.8.1.  It's finally been quashed in 4.8.2.  Do a search in the Archives for the workaround.

You can't have anything else plugged into the built-in firewire ports on the Mac when running a Mojo.  Apple changed the design on the new dual-core PowerMacs to make it appear that other devices are on the single firewire bus so you need Xpress Pro 4.8.2.  Note: older Mojo's need to be reprogrammed to work with the new dual-core PowerMacs.  In order to do this you must update the Mojo firmware by using any qualified Mac EXCEPT a dual-core machine.  Yeah, go figure...  Alternatively you can try updating the Mojo by plugging it into a PCI-e firewire card for this purpose only.  Don't leave the Mojo plugged into the PCI card as it's not a supported configuration.  What does that mean?  It means it won't work.

If you want to use a computer monitor as a substitute for a client monitor on version 4.x.x software, set it to a resolution of 800 x 600 and arrange it on the right side.   When you launch Xpress it will function as a client monitor but the quality won't be as good. On a PowerBook you can use the S-Video output to feed a signal to a TV monitor with similar results.  You don't have to render effects first (you can stay in green mode) but it's not "real video".  In version 5.5 you can use either computer monitor as a full screen monitor.

If you have a digital display using a DVI connection to the Mac and it's not set to it's native resolution, the Source and Composer monitor pictures might begin to lag the sound and appear out of sync as you play the clips or the timeline.  If so, use the native resolution only on that display.

If you have 2 monitors of different sizes connected to your computer the Source/Record window will be limited to the size of the SMALLER monitor.

Guess what?  There are enough opinions already posted about Macs vs. PCs and FCP vs. Avid in the Archives to either confirm or contradict your own thoughts on these subjects.

Last but not least, don't double post or make a new post if you didn't get a response quickly.  Use a "bump" post to get your original topic at the top of the thread listing.  It's easier for all of us to find the answers on a subject if it stays in one place.

And finally, please don't send a Private Message to a Moderator in hopes of getting a quicker response.  You'll get a quicker and wider response by posting on the forums.

Avid Conduct Guidelines

Thank you for participating in our community websites. The purpose of these community websites is to share your experience and knowledge of Avid products with other users. To ensure a pleasant experience for all our users, we ask that you follow the code of conduct guidelines outlined below:

• Avid Technology, Inc., expects its users to respect the copyrights of others, just as we do. It is a violation of the Terms of Use for a user to post material that infringes the copyrights of others.
• Avid respects the intellectual property rights of others, and expects its users to do the same. Users are prohibited from posting anything on the Site that violates the intellectual property rights of others.
• Do not swear or insult others. Do not type in capital letters to attract attention. Do not post criticisms or comments directed to another person's race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or comparable characteristic.
• Avid prohibits the posting of any unsolicited chain letters or "spam", or any threatening, harassing, libelous, false, defamatory, offensive, obscene, or pornographic material, or other material that would violate any applicable law or regulation, including but not limited to any federal or state laws or regulations governing equal employment opportunities.
• You may not post or transmit to the Site any advertising, surveys, promotional materials, contests, or any other commercial or non-commercial solicitations.
• You are also prohibited from impersonating any individual. Member accounts must be opened using real names and other requested information.
• Avid may, but is not obligated to, review or monitor post communications, including discussion groups, bulletin boards, chat rooms, and user forums. Avid is not responsible for the accuracy of any Posted Information, including but not limited to information, data, opinions, advice, or statements transmitted or posted in discussion groups, bulletin boards, chat rooms, and user forums. Avid reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to take any actions with respect to Posted Information that it deems are in the best interests of Avid or the Site, including but not limited to rejecting Posted Information, removing Posted Information, and/or revoking the access of any user who violates these Terms of Use.
• Avid does not endorse any posting by any Avid employees related to third party products or partners.
• By participating, you are deemed to grant to Avid a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive license (with rights to sublicense) to use any ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques contained in such User Feedback for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to developing, manufacturing and marketing products incorporating such User Feedback.
• Do not speculate on Avid decisions or products that have not been released, issues with repair procedures, or Avid policies and procedures.

Please feel free to download a pdf version of these terms. Note that the terms of use may change at any moment without prior notice; you should always refer to the current terms of use that are listed on http://www.avid.com/forums/

Please read before posting a message about a dongle!

When posting a message about a dongle or registration issue, do not include your System ID or Dongle Serial number in your posting since this is a public forum. If your problem requires your System ID or Dongle ID please email us at warranty@avid.com. "Dongle Not Found" error message? We have a technote for basic troubleshooting start here.

BEFORE POSTING A MESSAGE ABOUT A DONGLE "Your Product Is Not Registered" error message? This technote might explain why.

Does your Application Quit after you connect your deck?

First try reaparing permissions on your internal HD. If that doesn't fix the problem, just reinstall QT 7. This question gets asked here about twice a day so, hopefully, this will be of help.

Moving from FCP to AVID

Until AVID makes it possible to directly import a FCP project, here's a work-around posted by Mark Burton that may help:

There is one way in which you can avoid recapture, but it relies on a number of things. First I think you need to have been diligent when logging and capturing in FCP, i.e. are your browser clip names the same as the files in your capture scratch? If not it will make this process harder and will take longer. Ok, for now concentrate on Master clips only (Subclips are a bit more complex and i will explain them if you find this first part useful!).
Put all your Master Clips in a new bin, select them all and export a Batch List. You will need to have the following showing in your Browser columns:

- Name
- Media Start
- Media End
- Tracks
- Reel
- Type
- Audio

Close FCP. Open Sebsky Tools and choose 'fcp2ale'. Select the Batch List you just created and make sure it says "Convert - Clips Only"in the menu selection at the bottom of the window. Import the resulting ALE into a new Bin in Xpress Pro. Select all the clips in Xpress Pro and go to the Bin menu and click "Batch Import". In the window go through each Master clip and select which Quicktime file (your original media from the FCP capture) you want that Master Clip associated with. This could take some time, but totally depends on how well the FCP project media was handled in the first place and the number of Master Clips!! When you have finished linking them all, they will Batch Import and Xpress Pro will create OMFI media for each clip in the bin. Make sure you have enough space as the media will be duplicated to the Avid 'OMFI Mediafiles' folder. The TC's will all match as will the Reel/Tape numbers. You may be able to take across other info such as comments etc by having these visible in the FCP Browser columns when making the Batch List. Subclips require a few more steps, but it does work and I have been able to get them across and to re-link to the media using Sebsky. I found that the built in tool in Sebsky to select Subclips when making the ALE does not work, so I used a slightly different method. Forgot to add, when you bring in your edit via OMF from FCP using Automatic Duck, you are then able to re-link the edit to these clips, so you have basically moved the project.

Please be advised that, after the 5.5.x upgrades you will need to have a graphics card that supports:

1. Open GL

2. Quartz Extreme

3. 126 megs of vram (256 megs is recommended though)


Having all of the above specs allow your card to support Core Image in the new software. Failure to meet these specs will mean that  your audio will play but the video will remain frozen.

Linking to a FCP Sequence after capturing footage using ALE logs:

1. export your FC sequence as EDL (CMX_3600)
2. open Avid EDL manager, open the EDL file, send it to Avid (make a new bin)
3. trash all 23-hour long clips (they all had wrong media column - 1:1 NTCS instead of DV 25 420)
4. de-compose the sequence - you will see new clips appearing in the bin
5. select all new clips in the bin and use 'modify' command set the source tape to the same as for captured ALE clips (it was wrong in mine)
6. select your sequence in the bin and use relink command

For those of you with questions on how to start your P2 projects:

[1] Import the MXF files into the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder on your designated video hard drive's root level. The MXF files to import are only the ones located in the VIDEO and AUDIO folders (under CONTENTS) that were created in the original P2 directory structure. Always do this while Avid is not running.

[2] Start Avid then create your project (likely a 720p/23.976 project).

[3] Go to Media Tool and then search only for Master Clips on the video drive that you transferred the MXF files to. Once found, simply drag them into your bin. The Master Clips in your bins can be renamed however you wish and the name change will be reflected in the Media Tool window.

[4] Edit.

Notes:

With the inclusion of the MXF format in Avid HD products, a new folder called Avid MediaFiles was created. This is separate from the original and still present OMFI MediaFiles folder. HD footage can only be captured in the MXF file format. You can select this format for capture in the Media Creation Tool from the Tools Menu. On the Media Type tab, select MXF for the video format. For MXF audio, select the PCM (MXF) file format from the Audio Project Settings.

In the Avid MediaFiles folder, there is a separate MXF folder. Avid Technologies structured it this way to reserve the option to support other media formats in the future. Inside the MXF folder are folder(s) that/will contain the actual MXF media. If you’re a Unity client, you will see multiple MXF folders – one for each system. If you’re only using local storage, then you’ll see a folder simply labeled 1.

You cannot just take the whole CONTENTS folder that was created by the HVX200/P2 and drag it into the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder. You need to drag the video (from the VIDEO folder) and the audio (from the AUDIO folder) into the folder labeled 1.

You’ve already "imported" MXF files after you copy them to the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder. Avid doesn't make another copy of the MXF files. Avid works with the native MXF files. So again, no copies are made or files harmed in the process of using the Media Tool which is simply for browsing the online files and associating them with your particular project.

If the Avid MediaFiles directory structure does not already exist on your Avid video drive, you can create it manually. However, you must create it exactly as it appears here (Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1) and it must be placed in the root directory of your designated Avid video drive.

The Media Tool will still import the MXF files if you create and utilize folders beyond 1 (such as 2, 3, 4, etc.). Hence, you might actually want to assign a unique number to each P2 card imported. In fact, if you don't, you'll likely run into organizational issues. Again, you can minimally keep track of things by creating these other folders (2, 3, 4, etc.) for each P2 card transfer and still be able to use Media Tool to import from each folder. Do not try to eliminate the number names of these folders. Keep them labeled numerically and sequentially or else the Media Tool will not recognize them and hence will not load your MXF clips.

However, you do have one other welcomed option [NOTE: You can do this only after Avid builds and indexes your MXF directories' database files.]. If you want more conventional names for these folders, you may do so and are encouraged to do so as this will help keep you even more organized, especially for lengthy projects. You can go with a naming structure such as:

Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1.YourProjectNameHere-Day1-Card1

Avid MediaFiles/MXF/2.YourProjectNameHere-Day1-Card2

Avid MediaFiles/MXF/3.YourProjectNameHere-Day1-Card3

Avid MediaFiles/MXF/4.YourProjectNameHere-Day2-Card1

Avid MediaFiles/MXF/5.YourProjectNameHere-Day2-Card2

. . . etc.

As long as the folder name contains number dot whatever, you should be fine when using more conventional names for your P2 Card folders on your video drive. That way you can see where all your clips came from. Plus, you can rename the clips to whatever you want within Avid itself.

In addition to this tutorial, be sure to check out Avid's official P2 tutorial here:
http://learn.avid.com/content/tutori.../tutorial.html

This is the basic, first step to using P2 Media. the X.7 releases added the ability to import P2 Media and Clips directly from the FILE Menu. To use that method, you must import the P2 clips AND P2 media. If you import only the P2 clips, you will be working with the P2 cards (drive) in a virtual mode and all of your clips will go offline the next time you restart. As basic as it is, I stillprefer the method described above for it's stability and Easy organization.