For those who don’t know the tool: CrumplePop from Boris FX provides AI audio restoration and separation tools for editors and post facilities. Its plugins run inside applications such as Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid Pro Tools. The included SoundApp standalone utility processes files outside the NLE or DAW.

Audio engineers often repeat a simple rule. Once a stereo mix is exported, the ingredients are baked together for good. Boris FX would prefer that rule to be more of a suggestion.

The company has released the 2026 version of CrumplePop, expanding the toolkit beyond dialogue cleanup into demixing and stem reconstruction. The update centres on SoundApp, the standalone application included with the CrumplePop toolkit. The redesigned software introduces several AI models capable of splitting finished audio or video mixes into separate elements such as voice, music, or sound effects.

The premise is simple and familiar to anyone who has opened an archive project at 2 a.m. and discovered that the original audio session is missing. Instead of reopening a DAW or NLE project and hunting through old drives for multitrack files, the user can import a rendered mix and attempt to isolate the individual components directly from the master.

CrumplePop’s separation models attempt to reach inside that master file and reconstruct stems such as drums, bass, vocals, or dialogue. All processing runs locally on the user’s machine. No cloud upload is required, and there are no server-side processing limits.

The demonstration material frames the concept in familiar terms for audio engineers. Once a stereo master is rendered, individual elements are normally fixed inside the mix. CrumplePop positions its separation models as a way to reopen that mix and extract elements such as drums, bass, vocals, and instruments as independent stems.

A tidier SoundApp

SoundApp itself has been redesigned for the 2026 release with a darker interface and updated layout aimed at music and postproduction workflows. A new model manager provides a central location for downloading and managing AI models used by the application. The interface allows users to browse and install new denoise or demixing models as they become available. The manager is accessible through a laboratory-style icon in the interface or from the model selection menu.

The system allows the application to evolve over time as improved models are released. One practical addition is on-the-fly processing. Instead of analysing the entire file before playback, the user can move the playhead to a specific point and begin rendering from that position.

In practice, this means the user can scrub through a file while the system processes the section around the playhead. For long recordings, that behaviour may reduce the amount of waiting normally associated with demixing tools. Waveform visualisation has also been expanded. SoundApp displays separated stems dynamically as the user adjusts settings. The tracks can be shown as overlapping waveforms or as individual layers. The intention is to make it easier to see which sections contain speech, music, or effects while the separation process runs.

Three models for different mixes

The update introduces separation models designed for different types of material. Music 4 Stems divides a finished music mix into four categories: vocals, drums, bass, and other instruments. The final group includes guitars, synthesisers, and melodic parts. Maybe even Bagpipes.

Each component can be exported as an individual track after processing. Users can rebalance the mix, remove elements, or repurpose isolated stems in other projects.

Voice 2 Stems focuses on separating vocal material from background audio. It can extract vocals from music recordings or isolate spoken dialogue from mixed audio. Possible uses include generating instrumental tracks, preparing remix material, or removing background music from dialogue recordings. Or getting tracks ready for Karaoke, we are not judging. The model may also reduce recording artefacts such as headphone bleed or environmental noise that appears alongside speech.

Cinema demixing for editorial triage

The third model, Cinema 4 Stems, is aimed at video editors dealing with finished programme audio. The model splits imported audio into four tracks: voice, music, sound effects, and other material.

One example involves online video that contains copyrighted music playing in the background. If a platform detects the music, the video may be demonetised. By isolating the music stem, the editor can mute it while preserving the spoken dialogue track.

Another demonstration shows extracting a clean sound effect from mixed audio. In the example, a rocket launch recording contains both a spoken countdown and the launch sound. The separation model isolates the effect so the voice track can be muted.

A further scenario involves removing speech from environmental recordings. If someone talks during otherwise useful B-roll audio, the voice stem can be muted while leaving the ambient sound intact. These workflows happen directly inside SoundApp. The user imports the finished media file, separates its audio components, adjusts or mute selected stems, and exports the result.

The familiar restoration tools remain

CrumplePop continues to include the audio restoration models that originally defined the toolkit. These tools address common recording problems such as wind noise, traffic rumble, echo, and uneven vocal levels. The models improve dialogue clarity while reducing environmental noise or room tone. The corrections are applied directly within the interface. These restoration tools remain available both in SoundApp and as plugins inside editing and audio software.

Integration with editing and audio software

CrumplePop continues to ship both as a standalone application and as plugin effects. Plugin versions are supported in editing and audio applications including Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, Avid Media Composer, Avid Pro Tools, Apple Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. Music applications such as GarageBand and Logic Pro are also supported. SoundApp operates alongside these plugins as a standalone environment for analysing or repairing mixed audio.

Pricing and availability

SoundApp is included with every purchase of the CrumplePop toolkit. Subscription pricing begins at 18 USD per month or 180 USD per year. Perpetual licences, upgrade and support renewal plans are also available through the company’s online store. Customers with an active CrumplePop subscription, a Boris FX Suite subscription, or a current upgrade and support plan receive the 2026 release as part of their existing entitlement.

A familiar problem, now with algorithms

The underlying problem addressed by the update will be familiar to anyone working in audio post. Once a mix has been rendered to stereo or surround, the original elements are usually locked inside the file. Recovering dialogue or removing music normally requires the original multitrack project.

Machine learning separation models have recently begun to address this problem by reconstructing stems from mixed audio. CrumplePop 2026 joins that group of tools. Whether the separation quality holds up under complex mixes will depend heavily on the material.

The cautious verdict

CrumplePop 2026 expands the toolkit well beyond dialogue repair into broader audio demixing and remix preparation. The addition of GPU processing, on-the-fly rendering, and multiple separation models suggests that SoundApp is gradually evolving into a central utility for working with mixed audio.

Whether it consistently delivers clean stems from dense mixes remains to be tested in production environments. Because, as always, new tools and innovations should be carefully tested before deployment in professional pipelines.

https://borisfx.com/products/crumplepop/

The post CrumplePop targets baked audio mixes first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Professionals experienced in teamwork will probably already be familiar with the following. But what about everyone else who, after initial successes, approaches projects that involve real money and real customers? Mistakes in the workflow and the need to fix them can push your real hourly wage well below the minimum promised by your government, not to mention the loss of your first important client.

We will highlight the challenges of roundtripping (i.e. the reciprocal handover of editing steps) with Premiere Pro (PPro for short) and DaVinci Resolve (DR for short). But the solutions are similar for other pairings, although the DR manual contains considerably more information on exchanging with Avid and even Final Cut Pro X than for Premiere. The two manufacturers probably don’t like each other that much …

The Problem

Unfortunately, some semi-informed people in the infinite expanses of the Internet keep claiming that such a co-operation is quite simple. But what’s much worse is that some project participants pick up on such information and even believe it (kind of reminds you of Corona, doesn’t it?). If these people then have something to say in the project – perhaps even more than those who are better informed – the whole thing can become exhausting. There’s little point in trying to talk a team member who really wants to do the rough cut on their own device out of their usual programme if the production is behind it.

It’s better to warn this person about the risk of working with original files – possibly even on the chip from the camera – and having to look at dull clips in log (and grumble about the camera person). You’d better tell them that you’ll provide them with carefully backed up and prepared material for the edit, which will also run on a less powerful laptop or even a tablet (yes, Luma Fusion can export an XML). The biggest remaining risk then is that the person on the other end uses effects that are lost in transit. In addition to the ones we’ve done here, you’ll need your own tests and then precise agreements on what is and isn’t allowed. Hard cuts always work, but even a fade can cause problems.

Hand over Entire Projects?

Forget it! First of all, we must unfortunately clarify what does not work: You can’t transfer projects between different NLEs. No! Nope! No way! Nada! The project management and their file formats are too different, as are the individual tools and their possibilities. You don’t even have to assume that the manufacturers are deliberately closing themselves off. These systems have literally grown over decades, and file management is ultimately the foundation of non-destructive video editing. Nobody changes this without absolutely compelling reasons.

Technical development alone means that software is usually not even fully compatible with its own previous versions. Even if some programs offer to save in an older format, it is better for everyone involved in the project to use the same version. If it is necessary for reasons of hardware performance for someone to work with an older version, the same procedures and tips apply as below, just as if you were dealing with different software, unless compatibility is expressly guaranteed by the manufacturer. Even then, we recommend carrying out your own tests. We are not alone in this opinion: ProVideo Coalition.

In addition, each manufacturer has its own solutions for working with specialised software, i.e. for compositing, audio editing (DAW) or video compression. Adobe has After Effects, Audition and Media Encoder with Dynamic Linking – not always entirely painless, as you can find out in the relevant forums. Apple has Motion, Logic Pro and Compressor, but in essence this only involves the semi-automatic transfer of rendered files or files to be compressed. Logic Pro can read XML files from FCPX, but even here there are stumbling blocks, as you can read at macProvideo. DaVinci Resolve goes the furthest by having integrated Fusion and Fairlight years ago. However, until today the separate version of Fusion is still more stable, the transfer can be done via the VFX Connect Clip and is then similar to the procedure with FCPX and Motion.

I won’t go into sound editing here, but if you want to work with Logic Pro, you can read the article above and take the diversion via FCPX if necessary. The same applies to Audition, see Larry Jordan‘s workflow here. The topic of working with Pro Tools would require a separate, extensive article by an audio specialist (no, it’s not uncomplicated either, even though this is repeatedly claimed). And if it doesn’t always work within the family, how is it supposed to work with the competition? As I said: Forget it! Anyone presenting serious tips and workflows on the internet will therefore talk about timelines and not entire projects.

Editing Material

For all non-conformists around here: Make friends with the term conform! This requires a clear division of labour, detailed agreements and careful testing of the workflow, but then you can definitely cut with one system and do the colour design with the next. As a rule, versions of the camera clips that are easier to save and edit are created for this purpose – the offline clips. The resulting edited versions have to be precisely linked to the camera originals for grading. DR was originally a pure colour grading system. It therefore offers a wide range of options for combining edited versions from other systems with the originals via re-conform, which the manual describes in detail in Chapter 56 “Conforming and Relinking Clips”.

The most common one is probably the collaboration between Premiere for editing and Resolve for colour grading, simply because of their widespread acceptance, as both programs are available for PC and Mac. We don’t want to start a religious war here about who is better (or has the fairer business model). The fact is that some people have been editing on PPro for years, but DR has the more comprehensive grading. Even though both programs largely (but by no means completely) understand the same video formats, you only really need the full quality of elaborate RAW or high-resolution log files when grading. An online/offline workflow is particularly helpful if you are not sitting next to each other, being connected to shared storage.

Creating Offline Material in Resolve (Proxies)

It is therefore advisable to use DR to capture and back up the originals. The Clone Tool is available for the backup if you don’t want to use one of the specialised programs such as ShotPut Pro. After backing up to several physically separate media, import the clips into a timeline with the appropriate frame rate.

This is where the first pitfall occurs: even though Resolve can handle a timeline with mixed frame rates (fps = frames per second), this is not recommended for roundtripping. Since such clips with deviating fps are often only intended for slow motion, the originals should be set to the target speed in the Clip Attributes. This results in the best image quality without any additional computing effort. In principle, Resolve can also handle different fps rates when importing from PPro, but this only makes sense if the final render is also carried out in Resolve.

Other changes such as speed ramping can be problematic (more on this later). If, on the other hand, clips are to retain their different fps or the other party wants to work with more complex fades and effects, you should point out possible problems and allow for additional work. It is better to limit yourself to simple cuts and fades for this approach during offline editing in PPro and to do more complex work together on a well-equipped Resolve workstation. Then you just have to make sure that your originals all contain a correct timecode (TC for short). They shouldn’t all start with 0:00:00:00, which usually indicates unreadable TC or none at all, and should have unique names.

Separately recorded sound should already be prepared (and checked) in Resolve, synced by TC, with Waveform or, if necessary, by hand. The best way to do this is to create a timeline with the maximum number of audio tracks that any of your clips require. Then put all the clips, e.g. for a working day, into a timeline as a day roll and the originals into an appropriately named bin. If the recordings are in a log format or the camera operator used a special LUT when recording, you should convert them to Rec. 709 or include the LUT so that there are no complaints regarding the picture from uninformed people. DR offers extensive options for the naming and bin arrangement of such clips with its “Smart Bins”.

It is best to include the TC and the file names in the image, so that you have an additional option to check for placement (unless the recipients object). The automatic creation of proxies in DR is now capable of such “burn-in” for the tasks described here, by activating “Render timeline effects” while rendering with the option “Individual clips”. If you have a very high shooting ratio, you can save lots of space by first sitting down with your partners to cull, creating a rough cut and consolidating it using Media Management. Be sure to link to the new clips and render the result as proxies first. Unfortunately, there is no option when transcoding with Media Management to burn information into the image or make an initial colour correction in Media Management itself. You therefore have to output the timeline as individual clips via the Deliver page.

The sound always comes across as the original without corrections, but if desired in several tracks or even in separate files. Linear PCM in 48 kHz is recommended as the format; also with a higher bit depth or sample rate if some sources allow this. For the image, use an I-frame codec that does not place too much load on the receiver’s computer and is readable in any case. MOV (and not MP4) is recommended as the container because there are no problems with the TC track. ProRes is suitable as a codec for all systems, but CineForm or DNxHD/HR is just as good for PCs. MXF in OP1A as a container is also okay for Premiere (but as MXF OP-Atom only for Avid). Surprisingly, PPro can write ProRes into MXF, while DR doesn’t offer that combination.

These codecs are easily scalable in terms of quality and file size, but are of course larger than H.264/265. Nevertheless, you should avoid such GOP codecs, because depending on the hardware performance, they may run worse on the target computer. Even when producing in 4K or UHD, offline editing can be done in HD if the originals have been checked for image sharpness beforehand. As DR allows two installations, you can run the transcoding on a weaker second computer, as it blocks the workstation for a little longer depending on the hardware. DR will point out any missing clips. If your proxies carry the same name and are in a subfolder named “Proxy” under the one with the full-res originals, DR can switch between them automatically.

Attention, Pitfalls!

Some semi-professional cameras pack a non-standard TC into an MP4 header, which is then not read everywhere. It often happens that TC in MP4 is recognised by PPro, but not in FCPX, for example. If you determine with MediaInfo that there is a TC, you can re-wrap the material to MOV, then the TC should be fully readable. This can be done quickly and losslessly with a tool such as Shutter Encoder (donationware), even in batch processing.

If there is no TC at all, you can use QTchange from Videotoolshed to add one to the MOV based on the creation time. This is not necessarily accurate enough for sound synchronisation, but at least it is close. Alternatively, you can find a few Python scripts in the Resolve forum. It is also quite bad when amateur cameras keep assigning the same names after changing the storage medium. This can often be fixed in one of the camera menus, but if it has already happened, it is better to also use the “Reelname” or “Reelnumber” field in the metadata (in PPro and FCPX this is called “Tape” or “Tape name”).

This field should always be used to ensure the link back to the originals. In the professional sector, it is usually already filled in by the cameras, but they do not generate duplicate clip names anyway. If this information is missing, it can be added in QtChange too. However, it is not read by every programme. If this is not the case, as in Resolve, you must place the clips of each memory chip in a separate bin and use this specifically for conforming (Conform from Bin). Now you can pass the rendered material through for editing. But how do the editing decisions get back to Resolve from PPro, FCPX or other editing programmes?

Via EDL

The oldest method is an EDL (Edit Decision List), which recognises a maximum of 2 video tracks and 4 mono audio tracks. The most common format is CMX3600, named after an editing control system from the 1980s when people still worked with three mechanical tape machines. This is practically always understood, but unfortunately only consists of the TC information for hard cuts and any crossfades, plus the clip names. Some of the other fades are named in the EDL, but they become fades in DR. Any effects are ignored.

Anyone who turns up their nose at such a stone-age format should realise that it is quite useful for a very reliable and uncomplicated transfer method. However, this requires a clear division of labour and discipline (how awful). It is also not ideal for RAW formats and not perfect for roundtripping, but rather a one-way street from editing to grading if the material or parts of it have not been prepared in Resolve (see above). Rather, the editors cut the originals in their favourite program and render a high-quality version in one piece at the end.

Advantages: All the options that the editing programme is capable of, including resizing, speed ramps, frame rate adjustments, etc., are baked into a single film file at this point. Titles, motion graphics or VFX can also come from a programme such as After Effects. This rules out any misunderstandings on the side of the target software. However, you should switch off any grading attempts beforehand, as the transfer to Resolve may take place in a slightly reduced colour space (and probably not without good reason).

For sources with high compression and a maximum colour depth of 10 bits, such as from filming photo devices or mobile phones, DNxHR HQX 10 bit or ProRes 422 HQ is completely sufficient for transfer. For better sources, DNxHR 444 12 bit or ProRes 4444 (for pixel peepers with a lot of storage space also in XQ) is used. This film should, however, be finally approved as far as editing and effects are concerned, because now only the grading is done. For this purpose, an EDL is also output for the timeline, which is imported into DR as a pre-conformed EDL in addition to the film. In the last step, you have to point to the folder of the clip from PPro. DR then splits everything into individual cuts again, allowing colour grading for each clip.

Disadvantages: You cannot colour grade picture-in-picture effects or superimposed graphics separately in DR. There are two options for this: You can either adjust the colours in the editing program using its tools or, if there are only a few elements that require time-consuming correction, you can place them individually at the end of the timeline (preferably separated by a short black) and grade them in Resolve. The result can then be inserted back into the original programme at the desired position. The same applies to dissolves, because the two clips are not accessible separately for the fade period. DR recognises a dissolve based on the EDL, but this contains clips that have already been mixed. If necessary, a sliding correction with keyframes can serve as a workaround here. This technical limitation is hardly noticeable with short dissolves.

In addition, the metadata of the camera originals is not available in DR, so you have to take care of the colour management yourself. This method is therefore not suitable if you have sources in RAW or changing log formats. With semi-professional cameras, this hardly matters because information about their image profiles is usually missing in DR anyway. Careful note-taking and good coordination are therefore required. However, the EDL itself provides some clues, as at least the names of the originals appear there, which usually allow the camera to be identified. Although DR also offers two quite powerful methods for automatically recognising cuts, these are not 100% reliable for fast action or some effect transitions and are more recommended for archive material for which an EDL no longer exists.

The big advantage: There are no misunderstandings between the programmes, and formats that DR does not like on PC (such as DV), or generally incompatible ones like MPEG-2 or ProRes RAW, can be used. Any changes to the cut must be made in DR. However, these are limited to hard cuts with a change of position or shortening, as the original files are not accessible to DR in this way – and therefore no extensions or new transitions. For titles and graphics, however, you can pass a duplicated timeline without these elements to DR, render the result from the grading and add the rest in the original editing software. Finally, you can adjust their colours and contrast directly without having to use DR.

Darren Mostyn has the best tutorial on this, but even he is somewhat superficial and does not mention many problems. Ultimately, we are dealing with destructive editing here, whereas any modern editing system (NLE) works non-destructively in that you can access the unaltered (and hopefully saved) original files at any time. Such restrictions are certainly not to the taste of anyone who is used to the endless tweaking of digital media right up to the last minute. If all the material was initially prepared by DR and delivered to PPro, access to the original files also works via regular import of an EDL, but XML can do much more.

Via XML

The abbreviation stands for Extensible Markup Language, so it is a universal language that is not only suitable for editing information. As an open standard, it is used for a wide variety of data descriptions and is (somewhat) readable for both humans and computers. Apple has already used it in Final Cut Pro 7 for the exchange of editing information. This oldest format (XML 1.0) has developed into a quasi-standard and is the only one that PPro reads or outputs if Final Cut Pro XML is selected for export. These files transport much more information than an EDL, but are still compact enough to be sent by e-mail or cloud service. Unfortunately, you should still not expect the target programme to understand all of the source’s options. We have therefore thoroughly tested how well PPro and DR understand each other via XML.

Premiere to Resolve

In Premiere, we simply select the desired sequence and go to File > Export > Final Cut Pro XML. We can still assign a name, but DR does not read it anyway, instead the one in the XML file. PPro kindly creates a text file called FCP translation results, but this is largely worthless: there are far fewer references than there are actual problems. A tip for importing: First load all sources into the media page, sorted neatly into bins if you like. Then load the XML from Premiere via Import > Timeline, but switch off the automatic import of the media. You can also change the name of the timeline here. If only it were that easy in Premiere (see below)!

At first glance, we are pleased that all video and audio tracks of a timeline with over 4 hours arrive without errors. Even timeline markers are included. Although they are all blue, their position and duration are correct, and a comprehensive commentary text also arrives – a very welcome tool for team coordination (called notes in DR). Clip markers, on the other hand, don’t work. Another communication aid is to switch off video tracks (this does not work for audio tracks). That’s helpful, because you can simply place Adobe-specific items such as titles or linked After Effects clips on a deactivated track for export.

As for fades, there is of course the cross-dissolve (sadly only the “video” version, “film” may look nicer), a fade to white or black and even a wipe from PPro is coming across as an edge wipe. Caution: Temporally asymmetrical transitions get centred on the cut. All other transitions become crossfades. This is stated in the aforementioned protocol, but does not fully correspond to the information in the DR manual. Regarding filters, even standards such as a Gaussian blur or unsharp masking do not come across, even if both NLEs offer them. Perspective effects are also lost, although both programmes are capable of those too.

Level changes of the audio tracks are ignored, but video opacity values are even transferred with keyframes. Only very slight deviations can be detected in all functioning keyframes, but do not tinker with the interpolation method! Even speed changes arrive including keyframes, but don’t get too excited: linear interpolation is arriving in DR, as with the other animated values. At best, you can use it to suggest what you want, but the aesthetic fine-tuning has to be done during final production. Still images are lost, so you should turn them into video clips at the source. Finally, stereo audio tracks get turned into mono for no apparent reason. You’ll need to reconfigure them in the Clip Attributes.

A smaller pitfall is the TC of the timeline. It normally starts at zero for PPro and at one hour for DR – this can easily be changed on import, in the project or for the single timeline. Scaling and position, even rotation, are coming across, including animation. There is another issue to take care of: PPro has two methods to scale a clip to the timeline resolution. If the clip is set to “Scale to frame size” that is a virtual scaling and it will not be observed in the XML, accordingly the clip will arrive in DR at its original size. “Fit to frame” will look just the same in PPro, but the clip will be scaled in DR too.

You can set this behaviour in the presets before importing media to your PPro project to make it the default. But please don’t change the anchor point, that would ruin everything. Behind this is a fundamental difference: PPro is working in absolute pixel values, while DR is resolution independent (generally) and works in percentages. Unfortunately, only linear interpolation is used here too, so it is not always looking nice. Scaling of different source sizes can be set in the DR project too, or be fixed in the Inspector. Also pay attention to the resolution of the timeline, or it will be switched to the format of the largest video source.

Resolve to Premiere

Pay attention to the format when exporting from DR: Only FCP 7 V5 XMLs are accepted by PPro via the import command. First of all, the positive: Not only do all tracks and even still images arrive here, but also the information for muting audio or deactivating video tracks. However, this almost exhausts the communication options: only clip markers are received, but they are useless without any text or names, and duration markers are not received at all. At least you don’t have to limit communication to notes on paper: right-click on the timeline and select Timelines > Export > Timeline Markers to EDL to get a list of timecodes, comment texts and the colour specification as text (note: no clip markers).

Crossfading is possible, but only in the standard version (video). Dip to colour usually becomes a black fade, but with pure white it also works in this direction. Edge wipe comes across, even with a change of direction, but don’t get overconfident straight away: A free choice of angle becomes the next 45-degree step. Opacity, zoom, position and rotation including keyframes only work if the project in PPro has already been set accordingly. If the individual clip is subsequently rearranged in DR, all keyframes are removed. Here too, the anchor point must remain in the centre, otherwise you get nonsense – without any warning. Speed ramps seem to work at first glance, but they are completely wrong. Filters: Forget them! Adjustment layers too.

What can be easily deactivated in DR can be a bit annoying in PPro: Every time a timeline is re-imported, some clips are re-imported as duplicates, even though they already exist. At some point, you may end up with an endless list of identical clips. But there is a workaround if it happens to you: Create a temporary project, load your XML timeline there, link all the media that may still be missing and save it. Now switch to the original project, go to the temporary project in the Media Browser and link it using Dynamic Link. You can now navigate to the imported sequence and open it in the source window. It can then be dragged into the current project without reloading all clips. Cumbersome, but clearer in the end. All this considered, the path from PPro to DR works much better than the other direction.

Advice

It should be clear that this information can only be a snapshot, as both NLEs are constantly being further developed. We have tested with DaVinci Resolve 19.1.3 and Premiere Pro 25.1 and have by no means tried out all the transitions and filters – this could fill several pages. In chapter 55 of the Resolve manual under “Preparing to Move Your Project to DaVinci Resolve” there are detailed tables on this, but in our own tests they were by no means correct in all points (although Premiere is hardly mentioned anyway).

It is therefore essential to carry out extensive workflow tests with your own material and all the desired design tools. If this is not respected by the production company, it is better to keep your hands off the project or make it clear in the contract that the corresponding additional services will be charged by the hour. Of course, with the XML method, only the information is handed over for editing and not the video material. We must therefore ensure ourselves that it can be found by the other system. This can be particularly confusing under Windows if the respective drive has been assigned a new letter. The link commands in the respective NLE usually solve the problem.

To be sure that the whole edit has arrived correctly, a reference clip should always be rendered on the source system, preferably again with TC and clip names burnt in. You can load this in DR as “offline” in the left-hand viewer, then it is linked via TC and runs constantly synchronised with the right-hand image of the timeline (pay attention to the start TC!). Alternatively, you can right-click on “Difference” in the timeline viewer. Then everything except the burn-ins should remain black when scrolling through if no errors have occurred.

Updated on September 10th, 2025

As of today, DR is supporting ProRes RAW too, so it can be transferred and used on both sides.

The post What about Roundtrips? Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.

… so “edited with Avid” in Klingon. J. J. Abrams is currently in charge of “Star Trek” and “Star Wars”. This shake-up in the fan scene led to expectations for the second instalment of the Star Trek reboot that can hardly be fulfilled. Nostalgia fans, who for decades have tried to interpret every twitch and accept poodles with unicorns glued on as aliens, meet blockbuster filmgoers with an affinity for bikini scenes.

What do all J. J. Abrams films have in common? Exactly: they all have Maryann Brandon as editor. Since the acclaimed series “Alias”, the two – and Mary Jo Markey – have worked as a team in the editing room. That’s unusual, to say the least. We had a chat with the editors. Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey were mainly responsible for the editing. Rita DaSilva and Julian Smirke, the two “first assistant editors”, also took part in the interview.

DP: What was your workflow like on “Star Trek Into Darkness” and what will you keep for future projects?

Rita DaSilva: Our lab prepared the dailies for us, we then got the files in a bin on a hard drive, which we then shovelled into Avid. Me and Jules (Julian Smirke) then checked the footage to make sure everything was there and took a look at syncro, metadata and so on. That usually works, but if there are any problems, it’s much easier to fix them at that stage before Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey – the editors in charge – touch the data. Since Maryann and Mary Jo have very different approaches, I and Jules have already adjusted the sorting accordingly – while one of the editors has already started script syncing. During the actual cutting, the VFX editor then loaded all the comps that were needed directly into Avid and created a good view that satisfied both the editors and the director, and when the OK came, we passed it on to the respective VFX studio for the scene.

DP: And how did 3D come into play?

Rita DaSilva: Since the film was being converted to 3D, we had to give everything to the 3D conversion company as early as possible, i.e. shots with and without VFX. And once a week there were VFX and 3D “review sessions” in which the director J. J. Abrams looked at the shots. These edited shots were also cut at the same time in Avid, and the film was developed further in many places at the same time. We also edited in 5.1 surround sound and our 2nd assistant editors were an invaluable help in getting the sound right. Fortunately, we also had a sound designer and re-recording mixer from Skywalker, who has been with Bad Robot (the production company) for a long time. We learnt an awful lot from him in terms of noises, speech and sound. Me and Jules mostly used the soundtracks from the first “Star Trek” for background sounds and SFX specifically for “Star Trek Into Darkness”. But whenever we couldn’t find something, we had sound designers who developed and recorded the sounds. We also had the conforming done directly at Bad Robot by a Mistika specialist and his assistant. And even one of the VFX departments and the music editor are based directly at Bad Robot. Of course, this made work incredibly easy for Jules and me, because we could discuss everything on foot and through short official channels.

DP: What did your editing suite look like and what can you recommend for the ideal workplace?

Julian Smirke: On “Star Trek Into Darkness” we all worked with Media Composer. We started with MC 5.5.3 and ended up with MC 6.5.2 – with all the updates that came out in between, of course. During our production time, Avid released things that helped us a lot, such as 5.1 audio. We used that right away for an evolving temporary sound mix throughout the post-production span. Everything was stored on a 64 TB ISIS 5000 and each system had an Avid Nitris DX as hardware.

I always work with a standing desk. With 12-hour days, I just can’t manage to sit for 12 hours at a time, it makes my bones ache. Apart from that, I like working with Wacom tablets, but that’s a “can”, not a “must”. We always use Filemaker Pro in the team, and I recently discovered “Keyboard Maestro” from one of our assistant editors, Nate Orloff. Similar to Autohotkey on Windows, it allows you to sequence different actions on a hotkey on Mac – and it saves an incredible amount of time, which means that dailies sync faster and get to the editor quicker.

Rita DaSilva: Well, it’s important to me that there’s a comfortable sofa in the room. I also need pleasant lighting and perfectly adjusted monitors – and of course I need to be as close as possible to Mary Jo’s editing suite. And – after this project – I would like to continue editing at Bad Robot again. We’ve been working here for 14 months now, and much more important than a comfortable armchair are motivated, imaginative colleagues – of which there are plenty here.

DP: What’s on your “Swiss army knife USB stick”?

Rita DaSilva: One of the assistant editors wrote a script called “EDL to Subcap Converter” that we all used excessively on this film. Whenever we needed to export Quicktimes with VFX names in the file name, we used this script instead of exporting manually. This script uses the EDL and converts it to the Avid DS Subtitle format. This was a phenomenal time saver. You can find it at www.evanschiff.com .

Julian Smirke: Will Files helped with the temp sound design and mix, and from him came three RTAS (Real Time Audio Suite) in Avid, which were great for us. This automatically brightened up the soundtrack in the frequencies of human voices, cleaned it up and made the dialogue more audible, especially in the big action sequences. That was enormously helpful.

And some more scripts from Evan Schiff, which Rita has already mentioned. They were incredibly helpful in synchronising the two editing locations. The main editing suite is here on Bad Robot, but during the shoot we were on set with J. J. Abrams – and keeping the two in sync was absolutely essential. We had to make sure that all the files, all the bins and all the projects were up to date, on both locations. And with Evan’s scripts, we have been able to eliminate the “human error” – in the past, everything was typed by hand … Now it’s neither time-consuming nor error-prone!

DP: You edited with Media Composer – was that your first attempt with Avid?

Julian Smirke: MC7 was unfortunately not yet available when we were in the hot phase – we ended up working on 6.5.2. However, I have to say that I’m very happy with the version – and we incorporated the 3D functions and 5.1 features directly into the “sharp” production workflow. Our team has been working with Avid for a long time – Maryann and Mary Jo edited “Mission: Impossible III” (2006) on Avid Meridien in OS9.

DP: In your opinion, does an editor need to master as many tools as possible? Or is specialised knowledge always the trump card?

Maryann Brandon: I use very few tools. Of course it helps to know different options and approaches when planning your workflow, but I’ve focussed on using Avid as efficiently as possible. Even though I sometimes wish I was a bit more tech savvy, for speed reasons my main focus has to be on using the tools for editing and story.

Julian Smirke: I don’t think more tools make you more efficient. You just have a wider range of tools that may be better suited to the task. On “Star Trek Into Darkness” we edited in Avid Media Composer, sound design and music editing came from Pro Tools, our VFX artists work with Nuke, After Effects, Maya and many, many other programmes. We used Cinesync for the VFX reviews. Mistika for 2D and 3D conforms – and we’re just at the beginning of the list here. All of these programmes are exciting, cool and definitely worth the learning time. But at the end of the day, I think there’s no substitute for the security that a well-known programme package offers. Because only when the technology takes a back seat can I as an editor concentrate fully on the material.

DP: Having already worked with J. J. Abrams: Does the job get easier when you already know the director?

Julian Smirke: This mainly applies to editors, but I can also say from my own experience, having worked with J. J. Abrams on all his feature films, that it gets easier and more enjoyable to work with him every time. You know what the other person expects and you find your own tone.

Maryann Brandon: It depends on the director. If someone is open to ideas and adapts the scenes, the job becomes a lot easier. That’s the case with J.J., who is very open to ideas and suggestions, gets on well with people and is happy to accept the team’s input and integrate it into the overall picture. I think that’s a stroke of luck – but in general you can work with any director who has a vision while he’s shooting. Then you already have a shared interest in the end product and can make something out of it.

DP: You’ve also worked together as a team before – for example on the films “Star Trek” (2009) and “Super 8” (2011) – does that help when working and are teams for certain tasks something that studios absolutely have to form?

Maryann Brandon: Yes, a permanent team that knows the processes – and also understands why they are the way they are – makes it very easy to switch between films. But I believe that a studio that has chosen a director should also let that director choose the other people involved. That way, logical hierarchies develop naturally within the team and you spend your working time with people you can work with. Julian Smirke: That makes a huge difference to efficiency. If you work with each other, you can adapt to each other at the interfaces and know what the other person needs. And in some cases you can do a lot up front, which is particularly helpful for us who work with the editors – we know what they need before they say it, and “downtime” and waiting times are reduced. But I don’t think a studio should be particularly involved – our industry works with people you already know anyway, and that kind of thing forms organically.

DP: In light of the Rhythm&Hues debacle, do you see too much focus on directors and actors in blockbusters that are largely VFX?

Maryann Brandon: Well, I’ve gotten out of the habit of expecting anything in that regard. I’m just as involved in the actors and their work as I am in the VFX or the grading. The success – at least the aesthetic success – of a film is the interplay of all these aspects, as well as a good script and good acting. But in my opinion, effects and sound contribute enormously to the impression a film makes.

Julian Smirke: Definitely. Editing is the most underrated aspect of filmmaking, and yet one of the most important.

DP: You’ve been editing since the early 90s – what has changed the most for you and where will we be editing in 20 years’ time?

Maryann Brandon: The most obvious difference, of course, is that there is no more film in the editing room (laughs). But I think editing physical film was the best possible training ever. When you did a cut in the workprint, it was an actual cut. Now I can look at 40 versions of a scene and choose which of the cuts and shots I like best. And for the future, I hope that we will continue to work together as a team on location. The back and forth between colleagues is the best way to work creatively. So many great scenes and edits in “Star Trek” came from discussions between the editing, VFX and sound departments. So the role of the editor hasn’t really changed overall. I still read the script as often as I need to, and I still can’t get involved in the design of a scene until the director has given his vision. In my opinion, the main difference lies in the CGI scenes, which have to be finished much earlier. I’m always on set for these scenes so that I can say exactly what needs to be done during the rough cut.

DP: You’ve switched between TV series like “Felicity”, cinema films and TV films. What’s the difference, and can you really cut “slower” in the cinema?

Maryann Brandon: I switched between media types for a number of reasons – it depended on the script idea, among other things, and the rest of the project depends on that. Differentiating by output medium doesn’t help in my opinion. A good cut looks good on any medium if it supports the story. But I can say that editing for TV was an important lesson. You really learn to work there, with the short production times and small segments and the immovable deadline of the broadcast date. That trains your instincts on how to get a good cut quickly. DP: Is there a fundamental difference for you in cinema films, for example between “MI:3”, “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “How to Train Your Dragon”? Maryann Brandon: There is only a difference in editing between live action and animated films. In live action film you take things away, in animated film you add things, which of course completely changes the possibilities of an editor. Simply requesting shots or a few more frames – as an editor, that’s a real pleasure!

DP: You were director and producer on “Alias”, sound editor, production assistant and much more. Do you have to know the other steps of production to be a good editor? And as an aspiring editor, should you also be involved in projects outside of the editing room?

Maryann Brandon: It’s always important to gain as much experience as possible from all areas of filming – that’s the only way to understand the complexity and potential stumbling blocks of the different steps. And only when you see that – at least in my opinion – do you realise what makes a scene special or how you have to shoot the scene so that it “works”. There is no substitute for practical experience.

DP: A question of taste: what is your favourite scene in “Star Trek Into Darkness”?

Maryann Brandon: (Spoilers!) That’s hard to say. The film is a series of cuts that are all equally good for me. I think the rhythm turned out particularly well. Good editing is best when it’s not even noticeable. But the way the scene in the conference room turned out, just before Pike dies – we arranged it so that Kirk only finds out after the fight with Harrison/Benedict Cumberbatch. That makes the shock for Kirk much clearer. And I also think the opening scene is very well done – a great introduction of all the important characters.

DP: And now the most obvious question: were you already a Trekkie before working on “Star Trek”?

Maryann Brandon: I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore aficionado, but I did watch the original series as a kid, of course – along with “Twilight Zone”, “Outer Limits”, “Lost In Space”, “Night Gallery” and “Chiller Theatre”. Still, I enjoyed working on “Star Trek” – it may not be the “Final Frontier”, but it’s still a universe you enjoy being in.

Julian Smirke: I was more of a fan of the “Next Generation”, so of course I was familiar with the world. And of course I’ve seen all the films. After such a template, it’s an honour to work on the latest iteration of the Star Trek films.

The post Maljaʼ tayʼ Avid first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: Avid Media Composer has recently been updated to version 2022.7. One special feature that our colleague Scott Simmons from Provideo Coalition has noticed is that Media Composer now also offers keyboard mappings for competitor programmes Premiere Pro and Resolve. According to Scott, keyboard mappings installed by developers are nothing special, at least for competitor products in the video editing sector. However, this is a novelty for Media Composer. Until now, Avid has refrained from offering its users keyboard layouts from competitors.

What can you expect in the article? In the article entitled “Avid Media Composer updated to 2022.7, now with competing keyboard layouts”, Scott Simon puts the different keyboard layouts to the test – and compares them with each other. Beyond the keyboard clatter, Avid Media Composer 2022.7 offers numerous bug fixes and other new features. See also the points below:

• New match frame results: for group and multi-group subclips
• Use multiple monitors at the same time: user-defined workspaces are offered for this in the settings
• Select filler: via the segment tools. These have been added to the timeline menu
• For nested clips: clip notes are displayed in the timeline
• New enablers: with improved design

Click further: Scott Simon’s complete article is worth reading and can be found on provideocoalition.com. For everything else about Avid Media Composer 2022.7, check out the ReadMe, the release note, and Avid’s knowledge base. We last reported on Avid Media Composer on 12.01.2022, when version 2021.12 was released.

The post Avid releases Media Composer 2022.7 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

Non-linear video editing with computers (NLE for short) has given us enormous freedom. Not only the fiddling with adhesive presses and cotton gloves, synchronised tape machines or even toxic carbon tetrachloride in magnetic magnifiers from the early days of videotape are a thing of the past. today, “cuts” are non-destructive and can be altered at will (sometimes all too often). But the whole thing has one disadvantage: the individual components are actually scattered around on storage media and are only accessed at lightning speed. If the end product is to be passed on or archived, a final rendering must therefore be carried out. Depending on the complexity of the visual processing and the codec used, this can sometimes take longer.

However, customers sometimes (or usually) have last-minute change requests. We ourselves are not perfect and sometimes only discover errors shortly before delivery. Careful quality control under human eyes is essential in any case because of technical errors. These can range from faulty field sequences to the erratic rendering errors of overheated graphics cards (just think of the infamous D700 in the MacPro). Such errors are particularly time-consuming because they can occur in completely different places when rendering again. In the final check, the entire file must therefore be reviewed one-to-one, even if only a short section has been corrected – sometimes it’s just a single line in the credits.

Experienced specialists in the fields of 3D animation and VFX, where the final rendering can take an extremely long time and errors often occur in completely unexpected places, therefore generally use numbered image sequences instead of contiguous individual files. This allows faulty parts to be specifically recalculated and inserted. However, such sequences take up an enormous amount of space and require very fast storage media for smooth playback. Errors during copying would also easily lead to shifts in image and sound or separate alpha masks. Compared to DPX master files (Digital Picture Exchange), ProRes 444 or DNxHR can be up to a factor of 10 smaller. In the broadcast sector, individual files in high-quality codecs are therefore in demand today, which usually also include numerous audio tracks and subtitles due to the international evaluation. What if it were possible to correct a section or individual tracks without affecting the rest of the content?

Until now, people have said: “That’s not possible!” Charles D’Autremont from Cinedeck proudly explains (presumably with a twinkle in his eye): “But we didn’t know that, so we did it.” The company does indeed have a unique selling point with CineXtools, even though Avid has announced a similar function for its NLE. However, this is still in beta testing and will only work with the company’s own system in the OP1a container anyway, while CineXtools support the common intermediate and broadcast codecs in both popular containers. In addition, they have already proven themselves at several large production houses, which is the most important thing for such a tool. The whole thing is open-heart surgery, so to speak, because the target file is irretrievably changed in the process. If you cannot rely on the integrity of all other parts afterwards, the enormous time advantage of a targeted quality control of the corrected parts alone is lost.

Technical requirements

The central condition for such an operation is that the file structure allows the exchange of any image sequences, even with changing content. This not only rules out temporal compression methods, but also codecs with pure I-frames but variable bit rate (VBR) are unsuitable. After all, you cannot rely on the content of an image to be exchanged being compressible to the same extent as the original image. What is needed is a framework for the individual images that corresponds to the maximum expected image content. Only codecs with a constant bit rate (CBR) fulfil this requirement. Apple’s ProRes, Avid’s DNxHD/HR and, as optional upgrades, Sony’s AVC-Intra and XDCAM-HD are currently supported. For XDCAM, only the versions with CBR are permitted. In addition to MOV (Quicktime), both versions of MXF are also suitable as containers, depending on the codec. While DNxHD/HR theoretically also allows VBR, in practice it always occurs in CBR, ProRes is usually output as VBR.

DaVinci Resolve also supports ProRes in CBR as an option for output under MacOS, as do the video products from Autodesk. Plug-ins from Cinedeck are available for Adobe and Avid, which enable output in CBR. Alternatively, CineXtools also offer re-wrapping from ProRes to CBR. In this process, only the container is filled with empty data so that the maximum permitted data rate can be accommodated – this is also known as padding. This is not a transcoding of the image material, which remains completely untouched (even if the generation losses with ProRes would be very low anyway). Due to Apple’s licensing policy, however, some ProRes functions are only available for MacOS, while the other parts of the program are available for PC and Mac and a CineXtools licence can even be transferred between the two systems. The programme’s system requirements are modest: OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) is sufficient on the Mac, while we tested on High Sierra. On the PC, everything from Windows 7 (64 bit) with Service Pack 1 or newer is possible. The programme is also frugal when it comes to hardware, even if transcoding and copying processes are of course significantly faster on powerful machines. During re-wrapping, the metadata in the header is also cleaned up in such a way that it should pass a quality check for broadcast – unfortunately, this is not a given with every NLE system.

If CineXtools is primarily used for quick last-minute changes, it makes sense to output all master files in CBR, even if they take up a little more space. In the test, the CBR version of a professionally produced short film with low-noise image quality and typically easily compressible elements (such as opening and closing credits) was around a third larger than in VBR due to the padding. On the other hand, the new tools save the space that new full-length render files would take up during corrections. If ProRes is frequently delivered in VBR, the re-wrapping by the CineXtools is primarily dependent on the disc throughput. When reading and writing the material to a single USB 3 hard drive, you have to expect considerable waiting times, whereas padding is done very quickly with two separate SSDs or fast RAIDs. Our test film took almost seven minutes on such a single hard drive, while the process on an SSD RAID connected via USB-C took 45 seconds. A free tool for re-wrapping with automation via watch folder has also recently become available. For projects where the length and format have already been determined but most of the content still needs to be created, CineXtools can prepare a suitable blank file with all the desired additional tracks using “Create Insert Media”.

The above conditions apply to the full-length master file. The patches to be inserted (i.e. the corrected sections) may also be in VBR and even in another of the above codecs and containers, as they may be quickly converted during insert (this is then logically a real transcoding). JPEG2000 in YUV with 4:2:2 subsampling is also accepted as a .mov file for patches
for patches. Even the support of several formats for single image sequences such as .dpx, .tiff and OpenEXR is in the works: we have already been able to try it out with .dpx in 10 bit and .tiff in 16 bit. Even different colour depths or colour spaces are accepted for patches, but this can certainly lead to image jumps when inserting into parts of existing scenes. The responsibility for this therefore lies entirely with the user, who should select the same output format and the same software as the original file if possible. Logically, insertions in the appropriate format without recoding are the fastest. Changes to audio or subtitle tracks are possible without affecting the picture, even with files in VBR. The resolution can be over 16,000 pixels, but must be the same for the patch and target file, as must the frame rate and line structure (interlaced or progressive). Sound to be inserted from external files must be in .wav format with 24 bit and 48 kHz, .aac or even .mp3 are not accepted.

The tools

First and foremost is “Insert Edit”, i.e. the insertion of patches into a film file. The term is not used here in quite the same sense as in conventional NLEs, as the area is not inserted in the target file, but overwritten in the same length. This is more of an “overwrite” in the modern sense, but it was no different with tape machines. Because of the similarity to working with tape, the manufacturer also likes to use analogue terms such as the classic “Black Striped” for an empty file – many users are obviously still familiar with this. Video, audio and captions can be selected in any combination as content to be changed, the timecode (TC for short) can be rewritten for patch and target (“Restripe”) and the reel tape ID of the target file can be corrected.

For audio, there are also extensive options for reassigning up to 32 channels in patch panel style, adding external sound files and, if necessary, crossfades for critical connections of the sound content. The target file can be renamed, but editing is still a change that cannot be undone. If you have enough time for copying, it is therefore better to work with duplicates.
The actual insert cut is very simple: For example, you specify an entry point in both windows and an exit point in one of them, and the area to be replaced is marked in both windows (known as a 3-point cut). The convention of band cuts applies here, i.e. the out point corresponds to the first image that is not changed. If the TC matches, the cut points can also be conveniently copied to the other window. Finally, there is an opportunity for a preview or to trigger the hot cut, which does not take place without a warning that the file will inevitably be changed. Incidentally, unlike a rendering process, the file can already be checked in a player while a somewhat longer insert is running elsewhere. This means that another person can continue quality control under time pressure while corrections are still being made.

A further tab (Multiple-Source Single Target) allows a whole list of patches to be inserted into a target file, so basically not just batch processing, but almost a rudimentary editing function. The target file can of course also be a “Black Tape” generated in the programme with “Create Insert Media”. With “Extract Audio to File”, you can extract audio tracks from existing films and write them to separate files; you can also select a different track assignment. The “Rewrap & Audio Versioning” tab is also basically self-explanatory: In addition to the conversion from VBR to CBR, comprehensive reassignment and the addition of audio tracks are offered, whereby their starting point can be redefined in relation to the TC of the target file. If required by the customer, this tool can also convert a CBR file back to VBR after correction. Pure audio inserts are also possible with VBR or GOP codecs anyway.

Finally, the programme also offers the option of editing or adding subtitles: Corrections are written directly into the file here. Subtitles as .mcc and .scc files are supported directly, as is extraction to sidecar files. Subtitles (or closed captions) can be imported in .cap format (Cheetah International) or as .scc files (Sonic), unfortunately not in the popular .srt format. But there are plenty of tools for converting subtitles: free online services such as subtitleconverter.net, subconverter.rest7.com or rev.com/caption. Those who are reluctant to entrust their texts to a third-party website will find professional tools in Subbit’s Subtitler (PC and Mac) or Annotation Edit Suite (Mac). Another option is the editing of metadata in accordance with the British broadcast standard AS-11 DPP (Digital Production Partnership), which is increasingly gaining acceptance in North America and Scandinavia.

Getting to know

While the available Quick Start PDF still looks a little immature and some links are missing, the manufacturer provides easy-to-understand and detailed video tutorials(cinextools.com/video-tutorials). They all look like Mac, but apart from ProRes conversions, everything works exactly the same on a PC. There is also a freely available basic version, which is limited to formats up to 10-bit colour depth, maximum 2K resolution and master files with two audio tracks. If you would like to get to know the full version better, you can request a one-week trial licence. Incidentally, the licence is issued using the iLok system familiar from Avid. This is somewhat cumbersome, but does not require a constant Internet connection, as is often required for production machines. The licence can be transferred to a computer via a temporary online connection or written to a dongle for full mobility.
The user interface still lacks clarity, with hardly any visual differentiation between important and less important buttons and information. Our test version also showed some minor quirks when controlling the Playhead in some formats. However, these are blemishes, activated tooltips make the individual functions quickly understandable and the core functions ran smoothly with clean source files. Unfortunately, it should be noted that some software and hardware manufacturers only loosely adhere to the standards, and FGPA-based cameras and field recorders in particular are notorious for this. It is therefore essential to use the test version to check whether your own workflow works without any problems. In our test, for example, the mixed insert between XDCAM-HD material and DNxHR in the MXF wrapper from DaVinci Resolve did not work reliably, while there were no problems in combination with DNxHD/HR in the MOV wrapper. However, Cinedeck is known for dealing with such problems quickly – this was also the case in our test.

Comment

At a time when editing programmes – albeit sometimes of dubious reliability – are being given away, the price of CineXtools seems rather steep. However, this programme is not aimed at amateurs and semi-professional users, but at users who will quickly amortise the price through massive time savings. This ranges from quality control for last-minute corrections to the creation of different versions from partially identical material, right through to internationalisation and multiple evaluation with subtitles or varying audio tracks. In addition to Technicolor PostWorks and NBC Universal’s “The Voice”, even pure audio houses such as RH Factor are already using the software. Anyone in DACH who is interested in CineXtools can order it from DVEAS (www.dveas.com).

The post The virtual glue press:CineXtools from Cinedeck first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.