Ive been looking around many of the posts regarding workspaces/bins and project settings but I cant find anything specific to the new interface.

I really want to make this new software work, but its proving to be a real problem.

Weve just completed the Burghley Horse Trials for the BBC and we ran with 2 x MC 2018 and 2 x MC 2019.

None of the editors could work with 2019 - its to do with the way the bins are managed and where some of the menus are. For instance wheres the little pop out menu that you used to be able to access from the main viewer menu?

Also several times with 2019 the editor 'lost' the project menu so did not know which project he was working in (we run multiple projects - around 8 to make our workflow easier). It seems the only way was to exit Avid and restart - however this then reset all the bin workspaces again.

Weve just gone back to 2018.12.7 which works just the way it is supposed to.

I am very sorry Avid, but the new interface does not seem to have been designed with professional editors in mind.

We were very excited to think there would be a new version a few months ago but it does not feel as though its been properly thought through or tested.

I'd really like to be proved wrong on this - anyone else havng problems?

What functionality were you trying to use from the source/record fast menu? There may be an easy to way to solve that issue.

There are other improvements coming in the next version which might address some of your other concerns.

Thanks for your reply Kevin.

Its not just the fast menu - there were a load of other things that the editors found very difficult - even the layout is problematic and not being able to save workspaces properly or keep windows floating - other odd things such as not being able to unlink video and audio clips easily and the red and yellow select buttons no-one could find. These are probably all things that given time editors might eba ble to find but its such a radical change and the interface feels unwieldy.

To be fair I should get the guys to write down all the things they found difficult but we had to roll back to the 2018 software at Burghley as it was impacting on our ability to meet very tight deadlines.

In previous versions, any changes made seemed to improve the functionality and ease/speed of using the software but unfortunately this version gets in the way of working quickly.

Maybe we will wait for the next version and see if it is any easier to use?

Thanks

Dave Mann

Tracecrete:

other odd things such as not being able to unlink video and audio clips easily and the red and yellow select buttons no-one could find.

I discovered after contacting Avid that there can be issues with previous User profiles generated under MC 2018 that can make parts of the new 2019 UI simply not show up, such as the insert/overwrite (red/yellow arrows) selection. I suspect some of your editors' frustrations are due to bugs like this that would not have shown up under a fresh install.

Creating a new user profile (as recommended by Avid) brought back the missing UI elements for me, however they were gone again after the next restart, so I'm still chasing that down...

Thanks for the info on this - its very hard to work out what are bugs and what are features that dont really work! The red/yellow arrows were kind of the last straw after all the other problems the editors had. We did try to create a new user profile at one point but gave up as we were wroking to very tight deadlines. I suppose its my fault for running a new version without spending time seeing how it works. However weve done this in the past with new versions and never really had any problems until now.

Its difficult to know quite what to do as there is now real reluctance to use the 2019 interface until its been sorted properly.

We will monitor over the next few months but its going to have a huge impact on whether we carry on using Avid in its new form - probably we will just stick with the version that works and put off a decision for a while as to which other software we go for.

Its a real shame as Ive been using Avid since it was first introduced many years ago when I was wokring as an editor at C4 but there needs to be a rethink or at least a proper consultation with editors who have to use this software in anger.

Just surprised that there have not been other comments on this interface.

I've always tried to embrace the new versions as they come along (been on MC since 1993).  I've only been working with it for a few days, but I'm not happy with the new bin view/workspaces.

Saving workspaces does not seem to save the size of floating bin containers- leaving and coming back to a workspace, and the bin container fills the monitor, when I had it saved as a much smaller size. At least it's not saving size of the bin container on my second monitor; bin containers that aren't fullscreen size are retaining their size on the 'first monitor' when switching workspaces.

I used to have edge of bins visible behind things like the timeline or the project window; clicking on them brought them forward. Now, there is no bringing bins forward- they appear to be always behind any tool (timeline, audio meters...). So I've lost a lot of hidden screen real estate (though you can have bins behind/in front of other bins).

Tabbing/spliiting bins is not clear- how do you tab a floating bin to another bin- seems like you can only add a tab when opening a bin. Dragging a bin to another bin only splits that bin container (vertically or horizontally).

I'll keep playing around, but I think there are some 'bugs'/features to work out still.

Just seen this note - we did do a fresh install on a brand new MBPro which was just a week old and had all the same problems with the red/yellow buttons etc.

Would be really good to get someone from Avid to explain the thinking behind the new layouts....?

I've been teaching the new 2019 UI to students for a while now and there are a few clunky areas that hopefully will come good.

But the main issues are just working in a different way and understanding how to get the best from that.

The new UI does offer some neat efficient changes.

But its important staff have new user settings and some induction to the new methods or they will fight it and hate it.

Its here to stay so user choices are stick with 2018.12 and give 2019 more time to be refinded or move to 2019 and get to grips with it.

I understand its here to stay - that doesnt seem to be the issue. The issue seems to be regular basic things not working properly. And I've created new user settings for each 2019 monthly version thats been released.

i.e. - bins retaining shape and position when leaving entering projects

      - opening a new bin that doesnt pop to the forefront - but instead opens behind current bins or tools and becomes hidden requiring time to find out where it is.

     - no matter how many times I save a workspace I cant go into a project without my timeline on the wrong monitor. If I choose my 'edit' workspace to put it back - this breaks all my floating bin containers into seperate containers that need to be put back together. 

    - when using the segment tool on a clip that isnt anywhere near where the cursor is parked, the focus of the timeline jumps back to the cursor position as soon as the move is made

These are the regular workday issues that we as editors are dealing with right now - all these little things that used to (and should work) with the new version (now 4 versions in). If these sorts of issues didnt consistently arise, learning the new version probably wouldndt be the headache for a lot of editors that it is right now. 

Thanks Pat - I appreciate what you are saying and we have professional editors who are used to updates and improvements and different ways of working, but as detailed by other editors who have posted here, there are basic functions which we absolutely need to have at our fingertips which somehow have been hidden and are difficult to find. The new bin structures are a nightmare to use in anger and as others have said dont save properly with workspaces.

I am in touch with Jigsaw here in the Uk in the hope we can arrange some kind of exploratory session with Avid to look at all these issues and show us the thinking behind some of the changes - I really would like to make this work for us.

Have you tried 2019.9?

Looks like it addresses some of the issues you mention. Especially with the return of the Project Window - or at least some kind of substitute.

I gave it a shot on a scripted series but gave up after a few days and went back to 2018. I wasn't able to figure it out on the fly either. I'm experienced using all kinds of interfaces but I didn't find 2019 to be intuitive enough. Reading the tabs vertically was not fun. I'll give it another shot in a couple months and see if it's better. 

Hi

Ive just downloaded 2019.9 and the first thing I notice is that the bins now appear to float as they did in previous versions so its better and also the fast menu appears to be back.

Howevere even though Ive set up a new user, I still cant see the project information so have to exit Avid in order to tell which project I am in - we were running with 8 projects at Burghley so needed to know which one we were in at any one time.

Also - how do you switch from the red overwrite arrow to the yellow one? That has disappeared so I cant move clips along the timeline and insert...?

I am trying to like this but finding it a real struggle especially with the vertical tabs on the LHS - good addition is the list of buttons on teh rhs to set the interface up for audio/edit/colour etc.

Conclusion so far is that I have to go back to 2018 as this interface is getting in the way of working fast which is what Avid is known for.......

Hi Pat,

Ive given it another go with 2019.9 and set up a new user whcih has brought the insert and overwrite buttons back.

However unless I am going mad(!) I am now trying to export QT movies (usually h264) and obviously with a new user all my presets have gone - so I go to the options to set up the export settings and the panel will not let me change anything so cannot create or save presets.

Ive gone in severeal times in different ways but I simply cannot get the settiings I want. I went back to my previous user and although all my presets came back, I am totally unable to change anything in any of those presets - am I missing something obvious??

One more update - Ive gone back to 2018.7 and everything works perfectly.

Trying to be positive about this but I would dearly love the following to be addressed or at least for Avid to show me where these items can be found.

1. Red/Yellow buttons for insert/overwrite/trim - these used to be single buttons on the left of the timeline so were execeedingly quick to click. with 2019 you have to click on the button then tick or untick the box - very slow.

2. Avid Project details - no name of project (Ive looked but cant find anything).

3. Exporting Videos not really working properly - unable to change any parameters - Ive tried with my existing user and the new user - as soon as I reverted back to 2018.7 all worked fine.

Many Thanks

Dave