Export to Avid Media Composer

This article covers features which are only available in Silverstack Lab

Silverstack Lab allows to transcode MXF (OP-Atom) clips using the codecs DNxHD or DNxHR that are optimized for editing in Avid Media Composer (AMC). Moreover, it is possible to create accompanying ALE and AAF files that can be used for transferring comprehensive metadata to editorial. To follow this tutorial, basic knowledge of the transcoding preset panel, transcoding workflows and the export features is required.

1. Creating a custom transcoding preset
   1. ALE files
   2. AAF files
2. Transferring dailies to Avid Media Composer
   1. Import MXF clips and merge ALE with master clips
   2. Importing ALE with subsequent relinking to MXF clips
   3. Transferring audio metadata

1. Creating a custom transcoding preset#

Ensure you have some footage in your library to work with, select a bin and open the transcoding preset panel via the Presets button in the top right corner of Silverstack’s toolbar. Select the preset “DNxHD 36”, duplicate it to have a preset as backup with default settings and give the new preset a proper name. The preconfigured video and audio settings are sufficient in most cases but the metadata export is not enabled per default. You have two options to do this: Either you use AAF or ALE, or both.

1.1 Creating ALE files#

Avid Log Exchange (ALE) files can be used to transfer metadata to Avid Media Composer. Silverstack allows you to export most of it’s metadata using this format. Scrolling down in the transcoding preset panel, you will find the metadata export section at the bottom. By setting the target application to “Avid Media Composer”, the … button is enabled which allows you to open the ALE configuration window. You can find detailed information about all of it’s options in the article about the ALE exporter.In the “Format” section, there is the option to “Match clips based on…” that allows you to define the tape name which is the most important option for transferring metadata to editorial.

1.1.1 Tape name#

Since you need to match the metadata from the ALE with the transcoded dailies in Avid Media Composer, it is important to embed according metadata into the MXF clips that can be used for matching. This is usually done via the tape name which is written into the ALE tape column as well as into the MXF clip themself. Since both carry the same values, matching can be done easily. Select the tape value that is needed for your specific editorial workflow, e.g. “Source File Name without File Extension in Tape Column.”

1.2 Creating AAF files#

The Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) is used to exchange data between various applications and is comparable to ALE but more complex in it’s structure. By enabling the checkbox in the video options, Silverstack automatically creates one AAF file per asset at the specified destination path when the transcoding job is finished.

2. Transferring dailies to Avid Media Composer#

Further information on how to create tailored transcoding workflows can be found in the article about transcoding workflows.

When the transcode configuration is ready, start transcoding the clips to a destination of your choice. Avid Media Composer needs the MXF clips to be in a specific directory to detect them properly. Therefore, open the transcode destination path in Finder, move the created MXF clips from that location into the folder specified by Avid Media Composer:

/Volumes/[YourVolume]/Avid MediaFiles/MXF/

In this directory, you have to create numbered folders in which you have to move the MXF clips into:

• /Volumes/[YourVolume]/Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1
• /Volumes/[YourVolume]/Avid MediaFiles/MXF/2
• and so forth…

If you now open or switch back to Avid Media Composer, you can see in Finder that a msmMMOB.mdb file has been created for the MXF clips (per folder). Now, you have several ways to continue, depending on whether you use AAF or ALE. When using AAF, select all of the AAF files and drag & drop them into a bin in Avid Media Composer.

If you want to work with ALE, follow the steps below.

2.1 Import MXF clips and merge ALE with master clips#

This is the most straight-forward way to transfer your dailies:

1. Open Avid Media Composer, create a bin and drag & drop your .mdb into the bin. The clips are detected automatically as master clips.
2. Select all of the master clips that are covered by the ALE file and go to File > Input > Source Browser
3. In the bottom left corner of the source browser, make sure that “Import” is selected and click the ⚙ (gear) button.
4. A window appears where you need to select the “Shot Log” tab and ensure that “Merge events with known master clips” is selected. Click OK
5. In the source browser, navigate to the ALE’s location, select it and click Import
6. Avid Media Composer might ask you to specify the correct sound timecode. Select the correct value.
7. The ALE metadata is merged with the master clips.

Avid Media Composer matches master clips and metadata information from the ALE file according to the start timecode as well as the tape or source file name. The information from the ALE file is inserted within additional columns in the bin. Some of the information in the columns has already been extracted from the MXF clips by Avid Media Composer, but all unknown information will be added into (custom) metadata columns.

If you cannot see any custom columns, perform the following steps:

1. Right-click the bin’s table header and click on “Choose columns…” in the context menu.
2. Select and unselect columns: You will find the custom columns created by the imported ALE at the end of the list.

2.2 Importing ALE with subsequent relinking to MXF clips#

Of course, it also possible to import the ALE file first and relink the MXF clips afterwards:

1. Open Avid Media Composer, create a bin and go to File > Input > Source Browser
2. In the bottom left corner of the source browser, make sure that “Import” is selected and click the ⚙ (gear) button.
3. A window appears where you need to select the “Shot Log” tab and ensure that “Maintain events as logged” is selected. Click OK
4. In the source browser, navigate to the ALE’s location, select it and click Import
5. Avid Media Composer might ask you to specify the correct sound timecode. Select the correct value.
6. The clips become offline master clips.
7. Select all of the offline master clips, right-click and choose Relink… > Managed Media which opens the relink window.
8. In the relink window, select the following options:
   1. Relink by “Timecode” set to “Start” and “Source Name” set to “Tape Name or Source File Name”
   2. Set “Media on drive” to “All Available Drives”
   3. Set “Relink to” to “Any video format” (only if needed)
   4. Click OK
9. The clips should now be relinked.

2.3 Transferring audio metadata#

Silverstack Lab can handle relevant metadata from synced audio clips:

• Scene
• Shot
• Take
• Audio Comment/Note
• TC User Bits
• Sound/Audio TC and Sound/Audio TC Offsets
• Audio Track Names
• Soundroll

Audio TC will be transmitted to the ALE’s “Sound TC” column which will result (after matching in Media Composer) in the “Sound TC” column that enables a TC to be available for sound in Media Composer. Learn more about leveraging metadata from audio clips using automatic audio sync in the article about automatic audio sync. TC user bits and audio comments can currently be transmitted via the “Custom Field” labels in the settings that read and store metadata dynamically with certain keywords. You can find more information about this in the following article.