Media Station|PT Guide
Version 2.7
contents
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Video Output Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Supported Video Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Support for Avid Interplay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Support for Avid Unity ISIS and MediaNetwork Storage Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Avid Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
About the Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 2. Installing Media Station|PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Media Station|PT Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Upgrading Media Station|PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Overview of Media Station|PT Installed as a Standalone Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Overview of Media Station|PT Installed as a Video Satellite System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Overview of Media Station|PT Installed on the Same Computer as Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Installing Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Making Ethernet Connections with Video Satellite Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Full-Screen Playback of Video in Media Station|PT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Installing Media Station|PT Software on Windows XP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Installing Media Station|PT Software on Mac OS X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Authorizing Media Station|PT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Authorizing the Video Satellite Option in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Formatting Video Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Connecting and Configuring Media Station|PT to a Unity Storage System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Configuring Media Station|PT as a Client of an Avid Interplay System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Authorizing Media Station|PT After Installing for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Launching Media Station|PT for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Contents iii
Chapter 3. Basic Media Station|PT Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starting a New Project with Media Station|PT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Changing Video Output Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Capturing Audio and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Re-Digitizing an Existing Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Digitizing from an EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Importing Non-MXF and Non-OMFI Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Entering Full-Screen Playback Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Down-Converting an HD Project to SD Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Assembling Clips in a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Exporting Audio and Video from Media Station|PT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Transcoding HD Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Importing Audio and Video into Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Editing Audio in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Exporting Audio from Pro Tools for Media Station PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Importing Audio into Media Station|PT from Pro Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Synchronizing Audio with a Media Station|PT Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Methods of Exporting Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Chapter 4. Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Cross-Mounting Media Storage on Remote Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Opening Sequences for Playback on a Video Satellite System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Opening an Avid Sequence from a Volume Supporting Direct Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Opening an Avid Sequence from a Volume Not Supported for Playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Saving, Recalling, and Using Export Settings to Export AAF Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Opening an AAF Sequence for Playback on a Video Satellite System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Using a Video Satellite in an Avid Interplay Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Connecting Pro Tools and a Video Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Matching Media Station|PT and Pro Tools Settings in a Video Satellite System . . . . . . . . . . 115
Linking or Unlinking Pro Tools and a Video Satellite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Capturing Audio and Video with a Video Satellite System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Re-Digitizing an Existing Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Digitizing from an EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Laying Back Audio and Video to Tape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Exporting Audio and Video as a Digital Movie from a Video Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
iv Media Station|PT Guide
chapter 1
Introduction
Avid Media Station|PT software is designed ex-
clusively for audio-related post-production work
either as a standalone application or in conjunc-
tion with Pro Tools and Avid Mojo SDI,
Avid Mojo, or Digidesign AVoption|V10 (re-
ferred to here as Avid video peripherals).
Video Output Options
Media Station|PT lets you output video using ei-
ther of the following configurations:
• Playback to an external video monitor (Avid
video peripheral required)
• Full-screen playback on your primary or sec-
ondary computer monitor via DVI output
Media Station|PT Limitations
Media Station|PT has the same basic engines and
components as the full line of Avid editing ap-
plications (such as Media Composer and
Avid Xpress Pro). However, it has been tailored
to the needs of the audio post-production work-
flows described in this guide and therefore has
the following limitations when compared to
other non-linear video editing applications:
Playback to an External NTSC or
PAL Video Monitor
(Avid Video Peripherals Only)
Media Station|PT requires an Avid video periph-
eral for high-quality, frame edge-aligned play-
back of SD video (or 1080 HD video converted to
SD video) to an external NTSC or PAL monitor.
• Editing is limited to inserting, overlaying,
lifting, and cutting.
When outputting 1080 HD video using this con-
figuration, you can either transcode an HD se-
quence to SD video or down-convert an entire
HD project to SD video in real-time. Transcod-
immediate but results in lower quality output.
• Effects can be rendered, but not added or
edited.
720p projects cannot be converted to SD.
See “Transcoding HD Sequences” on
page 66 or “Down-Converting an HD
Project to SD Video” on page 54.
Chapter 1: Introduction
1
Full-Screen Playback via DVI
Output to a Computer Monitor
Supported Video Resolutions
Media Station|PT supports the import, capture,
and playback of all video resolutions and frame
rates (including HD video) supported by Avid
Media Composer:
With a supported video card installed,
Media Station|PT provides full-screen playback
of SD or HD video through a DVI port to your
primary or secondary computer monitor.
• Avid DNxHD (10-bit and 8-bit 4:2:2) at 1080i
at 59.94, 50 fps; 1080p at 25, 24, 23.976 fps;
720p at 59.94, 23.976 and 50 fps
When you play back video on a monitor with a
refresh rate that differs from the video frame
rate (as is often the case during playback of
video through a DVI output), the output yields
visual artifacts and offsets in synchronization
between audio and video. For example, this oc-
curs during playback of a 24 fps video clip on a
DVI monitor with a refresh rate of 75 Hz.
Media Station|PT supports the import, play-
back, and export of DNxHD video. DNxHD
capture is not supported.
• Native DVCPRO HD support for 1080i 59.94,
50 fps; 720p at 59.94, 23.976 and 50 fps Na-
tive XDCAM HD support for 1080i at 59.94,
50 fps; 1080p at 25, 23.976 fps
If your workflow requires high-quality play-
back, you must output video through an
Avid video peripheral to an NTSC or PAL
monitor.
• Native HDV support for 1080i at 59.94, 50 fps;
1080p; 720p at 29.976 fps
• All standard-definition Avid OMF and MXF
video files
For detailed information on the quality of
DVI output to your primary or secondary
monitor, see “Video Frame Rate vs. Monitor
Refresh Rate” on page 45.
The oldest class of ABVB files (ABVB
“MFM” files) are not supported in
Pro Tools. These files were created with ver-
sions of Media Composer lower than 7.0,
and do not have the .omf extension.
• Avid IMX MPEG50, MPEG40, MPEG30, and
OP1a files
• DV50, DV25 and DVC Pro 25 resolutions
compressed with the Avid codec, including:
• DV25 411: DV25 interlaced scan at 4:1:1
sampling (for NTSC 30i and PAL 25i
projects)
• DV25 420: DV25 interlaced scan at 4:2:0
sampling (for PAL 25i projects)
• DV25p 411: DV25 progressive scan at 4:1:1
sampling (for NTSC 23.976p and NTSC 24p
projects)
2
Media Station|PT Guide
• DV25p 420: DV25 progressive scan at 4:2:0
sampling (for PAL 25p and PAL 24p
projects)
Supported Frame Rates and Avid
Project Types
Media Station|PT supports the import, capture,
and playback of video at the following rates:
• All standard-definition Avid Multi-Cam
Resolution files
• 23.976p NTSC
• 24p NTSC
• The following video resolutions created with
the Avid DV, JFIF or MXF video codecs:
• 30i NTSC
• 1:1 (Uncompressed JFIF/MXF)
• DV50
• 24p PAL
• 25p PAL
• DV25 4:1:1
• 25i PAL
• DV25 4:2:0
• 720p/23.976
• 720p/29.97 HDV
• 720p/50
• DV25P 4:1:1
• DV25P 4:2:0
• 15:1s 4:2:2
• 720p/59.94
• 1080p/23.976
• 1080p/24
• 14:1P 4:2:2
• 28:1P 4:2:2
• 35:1P 4:2:2
• 1080p/25
• 1080i/50
For detailed information on supported
resolutions and frame rates, see Avid
Media Station|PT online help or visit the Avid
website (www.avid.com).
• 1080i/50 HDV
• 1080i/59.94
• 1080i/59.94 HDV
To launch online help:
HD projects that are interlaced have an ac-
tual frame rate that is half that implied by
the format description. For example, a
1080i/50 project has a frame rate of 25 fps,
so an AAF sequence destined for this project
should be exported from Pro Tools at 25 fps.
In a progressive HD project, the true frame
rate is implied in the project name. For ex-
ample, a 720p/59.94 project has a frame
rate of 59.94 fps, so an AAF sequence des-
tined for this project should be exported from
Pro Tools at 59.94 fps.
• Choose Help > Online Help (Windows) or
Help > Avid Media Station|PT Help (Mac).
Chapter 1: Introduction
3
Support for Avid Interplay
Support for Avid Unity ISIS
and MediaNetwork Storage
Systems
Both Media Station|PT and Pro Tools support in-
tegration with Avid Interplay.
Avid Unity ISIS and Unity MediaNetwork are
high-speed network storage systems that let
multiple users store and share media through a
gigabit Ethernet connection (for ISIS) or fibre
channel connection (for MediaNetwork).
Avid Interplay lets Pro Tools and Avid editors in-
tegrate the complete workflow of each project
by managing assets, tracking versions, and pro-
viding powerful metadata and commenting ca-
pabilities. Interplay also automates the data
flow, eliminating errors and shielding users
from complex import/export steps.
Media Station|PT and other Avid applications
can use a Unity system to share the same media
as follows:
When connected to an Interplay system,
Media Station|PT can:
• Stream audio and video media in real time
• Check out projects and sequences from Inter-
play, and export media as needed for Pro Tools
• Share Pro Tools, Avid, AAF, OMF, and MXF au-
dio and video sequences
• Check in projects and sequences, including fi-
nal audio created in Pro Tools
• Share AAF sequences using the Avid Interplay
asset management system (Avid Interplay sys-
tem required).
When equipped with the Pro Tools Avid Inter-
play Option, Pro Tools can:
• Open AAF sequences formatted specifically
for Pro Tools directly from Interplay.
• Export audio tracks directly back to the se-
quence on Interplay, either adding to or re-
For detailed workflows, see the following sec-
tions:
Pro Tools” on page 69
• “Importing a Sequence into Pro Tools from In-
terplay” on page 75
• “Exporting Edited Audio Tracks to Interplay
from Pro Tools” on page 81
• “Importing Pro Tools Audio Files Back into
Media Station|PT from Avid Interplay” on
page 84
4
Media Station|PT Guide
Projects Projects are where you organize a num-
ber of bins. Bins can also be shared between
projects.
Avid Terminology
This section provides a brief glossary of Avid
terms and, where applicable, their Pro Tools
counterparts.
In one project, you could create a new bin to
hold all of your video clips and a bin to hold
your sound effects, and a bin for sequences. You
could close that project, open a new project and
open the sound effects bin from the first project
to use the same audio in a different sequence.
Projects are stored at a user definable location.
Clip A Clip references one or more media files
which play in synchronization, for instance a
video file and its two audio tracks. Clips are
stored in bins.
Subclip A Subclip in Media Station|PT is like a re-
gion in Pro Tools: it is a shorter version of the
clip from which it was created. Subclips are also
stored in bins.
Source Monitor The Source Monitor is the Video
window above the Timeline (on the left). Use
the Source Monitor to select what will be added
to the sequence in the Timeline
Avid Sequence An Avid sequence is equivalent
to a Pro Tools session: It is a collection of clips
and subclips organized in a Timeline. Sequences
are stored in bins.
Record Monitor The Record Monitor is the Video
window above the Timeline (on the right). Play-
back of the sequence in the Timeline is viewed
in the Record Monitor.
AAF/OMF Sequence AAF and the older OMF are
standards designed specifically for exchanging
sequences between applications.
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools can import and
play AAF or OMF sequences. Media Station|PT
can export Avid sequences as AAF or OMF se-
quences for import into Pro Tools. Pro Tools can
export tracks from a session as an AAF or OMF
sequence for import into Media Station|PT or
other Avid editing applications.
Timeline The Media Station|PT Timeline shows
the assorted audio and video elements arranged
in a linear sequence, as in Pro Tools.
Client Monitor The client monitor is an external
NTSC, PAL, HD or DVI monitor used to display
the video output of Media Station|PT.
Bins Bins are like folders where you organize
clips and sequences. Bins are stored in the indi-
vidual project folders.
Chapter 1: Introduction
5
Pro Tools and Avid Counterparts
AAF, OMF, and MXF Basics
Pro Tools and Avid use different terms to de-
scribe the same items. For example, a Pro Tools
session is equivalent to an Avid sequence. The
following table lists common Pro Tools ele-
ments and their Avid equivalents.
AAF and OMF files are mechanisms for storing
and retrieving media data and metadata so that
projects can be freely exchanged between differ-
ent applications and platforms (such as between
Pro Tools and Avid video editing applications).
Pro Tools and Avid terminology counterparts
Media data and metadata enable an application
that receives AAF and OMF sequence files to au-
tomatically and quickly reassemble the compo-
sition. A simple metaphor for this approach is
that media data files are the pieces of a puzzle
and metadata is the set of instructions for as-
sembling the puzzle.
Pro Tools
session
Avid (AAF/OMF)
sequence
whole file region
region
master clip
subclip
plug-ins
real-time audio effects
In the simplest case, only an AAF or OMF se-
quence is exchanged. If this sequence points to
existing media files, the size of the sequence file
is relatively small and the export/import process
is relatively fast.
automation
automation gain (clip-based
gain or key-frame gain)
Bounce to Disk
Video Mixdown
AAF and OMF sequences can also have media
data embedded in them. This creates a single,
larger file that is slower to export and import,
but which may be easier to manage than thou-
sands of files stored on different volumes.
Whole audio files in the Pro Tools Regions
List normally appear in bold type. However,
master clip audio files imported from AAF
or OMF sequences into Pro Tools will not
appear in bold type even though they are
whole audio files.
Pro Tools supports AAF and OMF sequences that
contain embedded audio media.
Pro Tools with DigiTranslator does not support
AAF or OMF sequences containing embedded
video media, except if you are importing such
sequences into a video satellite track. In such
cases, video metadata is imported into the track.
For the purposes of this user guide, AAF se-
quences are emphasized and referenced over
the older OMF sequence standard.
6
Media Station|PT Guide
MXF
AAF
MXF is a media file format. There are MXF video
files and MXF audio files, but there are no “MXF
sequences.” An AAF sequence may refer to or in-
clude MXF media files, but OMF sequences can-
not refer to or include MXF files.
AAF sequences are the best way to exchange
projects and maintain valuable metadata. An
AAF sequence can refer to OMF and/or MXF me-
dia files, or have OMF and MXF media files em-
bedded within them. There is no such thing as
an AAF audio or video media file.
Media Station|PT Support for MXF Media
Media Station|PT Support for AAF Sequences
Media Station|PT supports MXF media as fol-
lows:
Media Station|PT supports AAF sequences as fol-
lows:
• Create MXF media when capturing, transcod-
ing, rendering, or using other methods to cre-
ate media.
• Import and export of AAF sequences with em-
bedded video files (MXF or OMF) and/or au-
dio files (MXF, WAV, or AIFF).
• Import of MXF media files created in other
Avid applications
• Import and export of AAF sequences that refer
to external (linked) video files (MXF or OMF)
and/or audio files (MXF, WAV, or AIFF)
• Export of MXF audio and video files
Pro Tools Support for MXF Media
Pro Tools Support for AAF Sequences
Pro Tools supports MXF media as follows:
• Import of MXF video and audio media
• Export of MXF audio media
With DigiTranslator 2.0, Pro Tools supports AAF
sequences as follows:
• Import and export of AAF sequences that con-
tain embedded or refer to external (linked)
MXF, WAV, or AIFF audio files
Pro Tools cannot export video files of any type.
Video files digitized in Pro Tools are technically
of the MXF format, but are intended only for use
in Pro Tools and are not tested for compatibility
with other applications.
• Import of AAF sequences that refer to external
(linked) MXF or OMF video files
• Video satellite systems only: Import of AAF se-
quences containing embedded video to a sat-
ellite track, in which case Pro Tools imports
only the metadata (cuts and clip names) and
not the video
Pro Tools does not export video files, tracks or
metadata as part of AAF sequences.
Chapter 1: Introduction
7
Embedded Media
OMF
Exporting to OMF or AAF with embedded media
results in one large OMF or AAF file containing
both the metadata and all associated media files.
However, it is important to note that file size is
limited to 2 GB.
OMF is both a media file and sequence format.
OMF media files can be audio or video.
Media Station|PT Support for OMF Media and
Sequences
Media Station|PT supports OMF media and se-
quences as follows:
Media Data (Media Files)
Media data represents raw audio or video mate-
rial and is stored in individual media files. Every
time you record a piece of video or audio mate-
rial into an application, you are creating a media
file containing media data. Audio media data is
stored as samples (such as 44,100 or 48,000 sam-
ples per second of recording) while video media
is typically stored as frames (24, 25, or 30 frames
per second of recording).
• Import and export of OMF sequences with
embedded OMF video files and WAV or AIFF
audio files
• Import and export of OMF sequences that re-
fer to external (linked) OMF video files and
WAV or AIFF audio files
Pro Tools Support for OMF Media and
Sequences
The size of each media file depends on how
much audio or video material it contains. For
example, if you record ten minutes of continu-
ous video material at a high resolution, you
might end up with a video media file that is
1.8 GB in size, whereas a one minute recording
at the same resolution might result in a 180 MB
file. Media files tend to be large, since high qual-
ity audio and video signals are data intensive.
Video data generally requires considerably more
storage than audio data.
With DigiTranslator 2.0, Pro Tools supports
OMF media and sequences as follows:
• Import of OMF video files created by
Media Station|PT or other Avid applications
• Export of OMF audio files
• Import and playback of OMF sequences that
refer to external (linked) audio files or contain
embedded audio files
• Import and playback of OMF sequences that
refer to external (linked) OMF video files
• Export of OMF sequences that refer to exter-
nal (linked) audio files or contain embedded
audio files
• Video satellite systems only: Import of OMF
sequences containing embedded video to a
satellite track, in which case Pro Tools imports
only the metadata (cuts and clip names) and
not the video
• Pro Tools does not export video files, tracks or
metadata as part of OMF sequences.
8
Media Station|PT Guide
MXF Media Data Locations On the volumes you
have designated for media storage,
Media Station|PT stores all MXF media:
• For AAF or OMF sequences, information
about automation (clip-based gain or key-
frame gain).
• When stored locally, MXF media is placed
in the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder.
Media Station|PT can also read MXF media
located at Avid MediaFiles/MXF/2, Avid
MediaFiles/MXF/3, and so on.
Embedded Media and Linked
Media
There are two ways to handle media files when
exporting AAF or OMF files:
• When stored in a shared environment,
MXF media is placed in a folder called
Avid MediaFiles/MXF/client.1 (where client
represents the name of the client com-
puter).
• Embedded media (in which the media files
are embedded in an AAF or OMF sequence)
• Linked media (in which media files are ref-
erenced by an AAF or OMF sequence)
This guide refers to the root folder name (Avid
MediaFiles) whenever referencing this folder.
Pro Tools with DigiTranslator 2.0 lets you im-
port AAF or OMF sequences containing embed-
ded audio files. You can also import AAF or OMF
sequences containing embedded video files, but
only if you are importing them to a video satel-
lite track. In such a case, only the video meta-
data is imported.
OMF Media Data Locations On the volumes you
have designated, Media Station|PT stores all
OMF media in the OMFI MediaFiles folder.
Metadata
Metadata is used to describe:
• Information about each media file. This
may include sample rate, bit depth, region
names, the name of the videotape from
which the media file was captured, and
even time code values that specify where a
file was used in a Pro Tools session.
• Information about Pro Tools sessions or
other sequences, including what files are
used, where they appear in a Timeline, and
automation.
• For AAF or OMF sequences, metadata also
includes information about unrendered
AudioSuite effects (such as real-time EQ) on
Avid workstations. Pro Tools skips unren-
dered effects on import. Rendered effects
are media files, that can be imported or
skipped on import into Pro Tools.
Chapter 1: Introduction
9
In order to export frame accurate audio regions,
Pro Tools splits the audio media on frame
boundaries and fills any gaps with silence. The
following illustration shows the resulting audio
regions that are exported to Media Station|PT.
Frame-Rate Accurate Video
Editing and Sample-Rate Accurate
Audio Editing
Media Station|PT edits with frame accuracy.
This means that in a 30-fps project, you can edit
at 30 different locations for every one second of
video. Pro Tools edits with sample rate accuracy.
In a 48-kHz session, there are potentially 48000
locations to edit for every second of audio.
When you use Export Selected Tracks as
OMF/AFF to export tracks from Pro Tools with
Enforce Avid Compatibility enabled, a number
of additional media files labeled Sample Accu-
rate Edit appear in the Avid bins. These are the
additional media files that Pro Tools creates to
ensure that Media Station|PT receives frame-ac-
curate audio. You also see the sample-accurate
edit media files if you zoom in on the imported
audio in the Timeline.
When Pro Tools exports an AAF or OMF compo-
sition destined for an Avid application, it must
ensure that the audio files line up on frame
boundaries. To do this, it might have to split an
existing audio region into three clips. For exam-
ple, the following illustration shows a 5-frame
video clip and a corresponding audio region. In
Pro Tools, the audio regions might not line up
on video frame boundaries.
One Pro Tools audio region
5 frame video clip
The original audio region does not line up on video frame boundaries
Figure 1. Original audio region
New audio region
with padded silence
New audio region
with padded silence
Three exported audio regions
5 frame video clip
Exported audio regions line up on video frame boundaries
Figure 2. Exported audio region
10 Media Station|PT Guide
Supported Avid Video Peripherals
System Requirements
Media Station|PT supports the following Avid
video peripherals:
System requirements vary depending on how
Media Station|PT is installed:
• Avid Mojo SDI
• As a video satellite of a separate Pro Tools sys-
tem
• Avid Mojo
• Digidesign AVoption|V10
• As a standard system, which can be installed in
either of the following ways:
When using an Avid video peripheral, the fol-
lowing is required:
• As a standalone application
• An NTSC/PAL black burst generator
• Installed on the same computer with your
Pro Tools system
Digidesign Audio Peripherals
(Optional)
Requirements also vary depending upon the op-
tional peripherals installed.
Media Station|PT plays audio via your com-
puter's built-in audio outputs through
Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI's analog audio out-
puts, or through AVoption|V10's optical out-
puts, and can capture audio via the Avid Mojo
or Avid Mojo SDI.
Video Satellite System
Requirements
• Digidesign-qualified Windows computer
• iLok dongle for the related Pro Tools sys-
tem
• Avid Application Key (dongle)
Supported Digidesign Audio
Peripherals
• Avid video peripheral (required for high-
quality video output)
For the highest-quality audio input and output,
Media Station|PT supports the following Digi-
design audio peripherals:
Standard System Requirements
• Digidesign-qualified Mac or Windows com-
• 192 I/O
puter
• 192digital I/O
• 96 I/O
• Avid Application Key (dongle)
• Avid video peripheral (required for high-
quality video output)
Using Digidesign audio peripherals with
Media Station|PT requires the following:
• Digidesign-qualified version of Pro Tools
HD software
Avid Video Peripherals
For high-quality frame edge-aligned playback of
SD video (or 1080 HD video converted to SD
video), you must add the I/O capabilities of an
Avid video peripheral, which includes compos-
ite, component, S-Video and SDI.
• Pro Tools HD Core Card
• Digidesign SYNC I/O or SYNC HD
Chapter 1: Introduction 11
Compatibility Information
Conventions Used in This
Guide
Digidesign can only assure compatibility and
provide support for hardware and software it has
tested and approved.
All Digidesign guides use the following conven-
tions to indicate menu choices and key com-
For a list of Digidesign-qualified computers, op-
erating systems, hard drives, and third-party de-
vices, as well as information about specific ver-
sions of ATTO and nVidia software, refer to the
support pages at the Digidesign website
(www.digidesign.com).
mands:
:
Convention
Action
File > Save
Choose Save from the
File menu
Control+N
Hold down the Control
key and press the N key
Control-click
Hold down the Control
key and click the mouse
button
About the Pro Tools Guides
In addition to the printed guides that came with
your system, PDF versions of the Pro Tools
guides are installed automatically with
Pro Tools. To view or print the PDF guides, you
can use Adobe Reader or Apple Preview.
Right-click
Click with the right
mouse button
The following symbols are used to highlight im-
portant information:
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
most from your system.
Important Notices include information that
could affect your data or the performance of
your system.
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in
this guide or other Pro Tools Guides.
12 Media Station|PT Guide
About www.digidesign.com
The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com) is
your best online source for information to help
you get the most out of your system. The follow-
ing are just a few of the services and features
available.
Product Registration Register your purchase on-
line. See the enclosed Digidesign Registration
Information Card for instructions.
Support and Downloads Contact Digidesign
Technical Support or Customer Service; down-
load software updates and the latest online
manuals; browse the Compatibility documents
for system requirements; search the online An-
swerbase; join the worldwide Pro Tools commu-
nity on the Digidesign User Conference.
Training and Education Become a certified
Pro Tools Operator or Expert; study on your
own using courses available online, or find out
how you can learn in a classroom setting at a
certified Pro Tools Training Center.
Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign
products; download demo software; learn about
our Development Partners and their plug-ins,
applications, and hardware.
News and Events Get the latest news from
Digidesign; sign up for a Pro Tools demo.
To learn more about these and other resources
available from Digidesign, visit the Digidesign
website (www.digidesign.com).
Chapter 1: Introduction 13
14 Media Station|PT Guide
chapter 2
Installing Media Station|PT
This chapter describes how to install
Upgrading Media Station|PT
Media Station|PT software and related peripher-
als.
This section describes how to prepare your sys-
tem for upgrading from a previous version of
Media Station|PT or Media Station|V10.
Media Station|PT
Configurations
Preserving Existing User Settings
Before Upgrading from
Media Station|V10
You can use Media Station|PT in three different
configurations, as follows:
Media Station|PT handles user settings differ-
ently from Media Station|V10. For optimal per-
formance, it is strongly recommended that you
create a new user profile after upgrading to
Media Station|PT.
Standalone Media Station|PT is installed on a
computer without Pro Tools installed, and func-
tions as a standalone application. When in-
stalled in this way on Windows XP, this config-
uration can easily be modified to become a
video satellite.
If you have user settings in Media Station|V10
that you do not want to lose, you can preserve
them before uninstalling Media Station|V10 and
then copy them into your new user profile after
installing Media Station|PT.
Video Satellite (Windows XP Only)
Media Station|PT is installed on a computer that
does not have Pro Tools installed, and functions
as a video satellite of Pro Tools.
Co-installed with Pro Tools Media Station|PT is
installed on the same computer with Pro Tools,
and can be launched when Pro Tools is not run-
ning.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 15
To preserve user profile settings before
uninstalling Avid Media Station|V10:
Uninstalling Pro Tools and Avid-
Related Software on Windows XP
1 Open the project in Media Station|V10.
Before upgrading, you must uninstall all earlier
versions of Pro Tools and Avid-related software.
2 In the Project window, click the Settings tab.
To uninstall software:
User Profile
Selection
pop-up
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Launch Add or Remove Programs.
menu
3 From the Currently Installed Programs list,
choose one of the following in any order:
• Digidesign Pro Tools HD
• AVoptionDNA
Project window (Settings tab)
• Avid Media Station|PT or Avid
Media Station|V10
3 Choose Special > Site Setting. The Site Setting
window opens.
• Avid DNADiags
• Avid Log Exchange
• EDL Manager
4 Drag the settings you want to preserve from
the Project window to the Site Settings window.
Site Settings window are automatically saved.
4 Click the Change/Remove button.
5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove
The settings you have added to this window will
now be available to copy back to the Settings tab
after Media Station|PT is installed.
the software.
If uninstalling Pro Tools, choose Pro Tools
and Digidesign Device Drivers when
prompted.
See “Creating a New User After Upgrading
from Media Station|V10” on page 40 for
more information.
6 Do one of the following:
• If you want to continue uninstalling addi-
tional software after the uninstall is com-
plete, select “No, I will restart my computer
later” and repeat this procedure until you
have uninstalled all of the software.
– or –
• If you are finished uninstalling all of the
software, restart the computer.
16 Media Station|PT Guide
2 Go to Applications/Digidesign/Pro Tools/
Pro Tools Utilities and double-click the
“Uninstall Pro Tools” file.
Uninstalling Pro Tools and Avid-
Related Software on Mac OS X
Before upgrading, you must uninstall all earlier
versions of Pro Tools and Avid-related software.
3 Click Continue to proceed with the uninstall.
4 Choose the type of uninstall you want to per-
Uninstalling Media Station|PT 1.8.2 or
Lower
form:
Safe Uninstall Leaves certain plug-ins and sys-
tem files needed for compatibility with some
Avid products.
The Media Station|PT 2.7 installer application is
not the same as the installer application used
with previous releases. Therefore, the 2.7 in-
staller cannot successfully uninstall
Media Station|PT 1.8.2 and lower. If you are up-
grading from version 1.8.2 or lower, you must
uninstall using a different installer on the
Media Station|PT 2.7 installer disc.
Clean Uninstall Removes all Pro Tools files, in-
cluding system files, Digidesign plug-ins, and
MIDI patch names. This is the recommended
option, especially when you are updating to the
latest version of Media Station|PT.
5 Click Uninstall.
To uninstall Media Station|PT 1.8.2 or lower:
6 Enter your Administrator password and click
OK.
1 Insert the Media Station|PT 2.7 installer disc
into your computer’s CD/DVD drive.
7 Click Finish to close the Installer window.
2 Locate and open the Other Installers folder.
3 Double-click the MediaStationPT Uninstaller.
4 Click Continue.
Uninstalling Pro Tools 7.1 and Lower
To uninstall Pro Tools 7.1 and lower on Mac OS X:
5 Select Uninstall from the pop-up menu.
6 Click Uninstall.
1 Make sure you have Administrator privileges
for the computer where Pro Tools is installed.
The older version of Media Station|PT is unin-
stalled. You can proceed with the installation of
Media Station|PT 2.7.
For details on Administrator privileges in
Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X docu-
mentation.
2 Do one of the following:
Uninstalling Pro Tools 7.2 and Higher
• Insert the Pro Tools Installer CD-ROM in
your CD-ROM drive. Double-click “Install
Pro Tools” or “Install Pro Tools TDM”
(whichever is appropriate).
To uninstall versions of Pro Tools 7.2 and higher
on Mac OS X:
1 Make sure you have Administrator privileges
– or –
for the computer where Pro Tools is installed.
• Click on the downloaded installer file.
For details on Administrator privileges in
Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X docu-
mentation.
3 Enter your Administrator password and click
OK to authenticate the installation.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 17
4 In the Installer window, choose Uninstall
If this is the case, you must update the
from the pop-up menu, and click Uninstall.
Avid Mojo firmware on a different computer.
The firmware cannot be updated on the PCIe
computer. (This will be true for all Avid Mojo in-
terfaces manufactured before January 2006.)
5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove
Pro Tools.
6 When finished, click Quit to close the Installer
window.
If you attach an Avid Mojo to your PCIe-
based Mac G5 or Mac Pro without following
these steps, the system will not recognize
the Avid Mojo and you will not be able to
run Media Station|PT.
7 Restart your computer.
Uninstalling Avid Xpress Pro
To update the firmware:
To uninstall Avid Xpress Pro on Mac OS X:
1 Connect the Avid Mojo to a non-PCIe Mac or
1 Insert the installer disc into your computer’s
any Windows XP computer.
CD/DVD drive.
2 On the computer connected to the Avid Mojo,
2 Locate and launch the Installer.
install Pro Tools 7.4 or Media Station|PT 2.7.
3 Click Uninstall.
3 Launch Media Station|PT or Pro Tools. This
updates the firmware in the video peripheral.
4 Follow the instructions to remove
Avid Xpress Pro from your computer.
A message box opens informing you that you
need to power cycle the Avid Mojo and quit the
application.
5 Restart your computer.
Updating Avid Mojo Firmware for a PCIe-
Based Mac
4 Turn off the Avid Mojo, then connect it to the
PCIe computer.
If you are using an Avid Mojo with an Apple
PCIe-based computer (such as Apple Mac Pro or
Mac G5 PCIe), the computer will not recognize
the Avid Mojo firmware if you are upgrading
from either of the following applications:
You are now ready to connect the Avid Mojo
(with updated firmware) to your PCIe-based
Power Mac G5 or Mac Pro system and install
Media Station|PT 2.7.
• Media Station|PT 1.6.1 or lower
• Pro Tools 7.0 or lower
Using an updated Avid video peripheral
ware, and you will need to update the firm-
ware again as described in this procedure.
See “Installing an Avid Video Peripheral”
on page 22 and “Installing
Media Station|PT Software on Mac OS X”
on page 30.
18 Media Station|PT Guide
To install Media Station|PT as a standalone
application, do the following:
Overview of Media Station|PT
Installed as a Standalone
Application
1 Install any optional hardware: See “Installing
Hardware” on page 22.
ing Media Station|PT Software on Windows XP”
on page 26 or “Installing Media Station|PT Soft-
ware on Mac OS X” on page 30.
When installed as a standalone application,
Media Station|PT comprises the following com-
ponents:
• A dedicated Media Station|PT computer
• Local and/or shared storage for audio and
video
When installed as a standalone application,
Media Station|PT on Windows XP can easily be
configured as a video satellite of Pro Tools. See
“Overview of Media Station|PT Installed as a
Video Satellite System” on page 20.
• Avid video peripheral (required for playback
to an external NTSC/PAL monitor, but not re-
quired for capture, export, or layback)
• Video reference (connected to the Avid video
peripheral and the VTR if present)
• Optional VTR
\
Shared
Storage
Local
Storage
Video Reference
(Black Burst)
Media Station|PT
CPU
(Video
Satellite)
Video I/O
VTR
External monitor
Deck Control or 1394
Figure 1. Diagram Media Station|PT installed as a
standalone application (with required components
connected via solid lines and optional components
connected via dotted lines)
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 19
• Avid video peripheral
Overview of Media Station|PT
Installed as a Video Satellite
System
• Video reference (connected to the Avid
video peripheral and the VTR if present)
• Optional VTR
(Windows XP Only)
• Ethernet connection, either directly through
Ethernet hub or via a larger Ethernet network
Pro Tools and a Media Station|PT video satellite
are known collectively as a video satellite system,
and comprise the following components:
Pro Tools:
• A dedicated Pro Tools computer with:
• Pro Tools|HD card
Hardware” on page 22.
• Pro Tools|HD audio interface
• SYNC HD or SYNC I/O
2 Make Ethernet connections between Pro Tools
and the video satellite system: See “Making
Ethernet Connections with Video Satellite Sys-
tems” on page 25.
• Video reference (connected to the
SYNC HD or SYNC I/O)
• Local and/or shared audio storage (local au-
dio storage required and shared storage op-
tional on Mac OS X)
3 Install Media Station|PT: See “Installing
Media Station|PT Software on Windows XP” on
page 26.
• Video Satellite Option installed
4 Authorize the Video Satellite option on any
Pro Tools machine that will be used to interface
with the video satellite: See “Authorizing the
Video Satellite Option in Pro Tools” on page 32.
• A dedicated Media Station|PT computer with:
• Local and/or shared storage for audio and
video
Shared
Storage
Ethernet connection (directly between two CPUs via hub or through LAN)
Video Reference
(Black Burst) or
tri-level sync
SYNC HD
Media Station|PT
(or SYNC I/O)
CPU
(Video
Satellite)
Video I/O
Pro Tools
CPU
Audio I/O
VTR
External monitor
Audio
Storage
Video
Storage
Speakers
Deck Control or 1394
Figure 2. Diagram of Pro Tools and a Media Station|PT video satellite system (with required components connected
via solid lines and optional components connected via dotted lines)
20 Media Station|PT Guide
Installing Media Station|PT on the
Overview of Media Station|PT
Installed on the Same
Computer as Pro Tools
To install Media Station|PT on the same computer
as Pro Tools:
When installed on the same computer,
Pro Tools and Media Station|PT comprise the
following components:
Started with HD Guide.
2 Install optional hardware: See “Installing
Hardware” on page 22.
• Local and/or shared storage for audio and
video
3 Install Media Station|PT: See “Installing
Media Station|PT Software on Windows XP” on
page 26 or “Installing Media Station|PT Soft-
ware on Mac OS X” on page 30.
• Avid video peripheral
• Video reference (connected to the Avid video
peripheral, SYNC HD or SYNC I/O, and the
VTR if present)
4 Install Pro Tools HD. See the Getting Started
• Optional VTR
with HD Guide.
• Pro Tools|HD card
\
• Pro Tools|HD audio interface
• SYNC HD or SYNC I/O
• Video Satellite option installed
Shared
Storage
Audio I/O
SYNC HD
(or SYNC I/O)
Speakers
Video Reference
(Black Burst)
Media Station|PT
and Pro Tools
CPU
Video I/O
VTR
External monitor
Video
Audio
Storage
Storage
Deck Control or 1394
Figure 3. Diagram Media Station|PT installed as a standalone application (with required components connected via
solid lines and optional components connected via dotted lines)
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 21
3 Connect one end of the FireWire cable to the
Host port on the Avid video peripheral, and con-
nect the other end to any internal FireWire port
on the computer.
Using EQ II and Dynamics II Plug-
Ins with Media Station|PT or
Pro Tools
When you install Pro Tools after installing Me-
dia Station|PT on the same computer, EQ II and
Dynamics II plug-ins are automatically moved
to the Unused Plug-Ins folder. If you want to
continue using either of these plug-ins with Pro
Tools or Media Station|PT, you must manually
move them back to the Plug-Ins folder
All FireWire ports on Digidesign-qualified
computers are connected to the same bus,
and the Avid video peripheral must be the
only device attached to this bus. If it is not
the only device attached to this bus, the
Avid video peripheral will not be recog-
nized. Therefore, you must install a PCI or
PCIe FireWire card if you need to connect
other FireWire devices. For more informa-
tion on where to connect a PCI or PCIe
FireWire card, follow the guidelines de-
scribed for Pro Tools in the Avid Video Pe-
ripherals Guide (located on your Pro Tools
installer disc) or on the Digidesign website
(www.digidesign.com).
Installing Hardware
This section describes installation procedures
for the following:
• Avid video peripheral
• Audio monitoring setups
• VTR
Monitoring Audio from
Media Station|PT
Installing an Avid Video Peripheral
To output high-quality video from
Media Station|PT, an Avid video peripheral is re-
quired.
Monitoring audio from Media Station|PT is dif-
ferent depending on how the software is being
used, as follows:
Standalone mode Use the audio I/O of your Avid
video peripheral. If no video peripheral is
present, use the I/O of your computer. Capture
and layback of DV-stream format audio and
video can be performed via the FireWire port.
To connect Avid video peripheral hardware:
1 Ensure that the Avid video peripheral is
turned off.
2 Connect the power cable for the Avid video
peripheral.
Video satellite mode The timing of the audio
output of Media Station|PT is plus or minus ap-
proximately 1/2 frame. While this is not as pre-
cise as the audio output of Pro Tools, it may still
be useful to listen to the audio output from
Media Station|PT in your Pro Tools session. If
desired, route the audio outputs from the video
peripheral into the analog or digital inputs of
22 Media Station|PT Guide
your Pro Tools audio peripheral. If using digital
inputs, be sure that the Pro Tools Clock Refer-
ence is set to the digital input, or pops and clicks
may occur.
Connecting a VTR with No Avid Video Peripheral
Present
If no Avid video peripheral is connected to the
system—but the VTR supports input and output
of audio and video as a DV-stream via
FireWire— connect the VTR directly to the
Media Station|PT computer.
Installed on the same computer as Pro Tools Use
the Digidesign audio peripheral as the audio I/O
for Media Station|PT.
To connect a VTR’s video I/O without an Avid video
peripheral:
Connecting a VTR
You can use Media Station|PT for capturing au-
dio and video from tape, or for laying audio and
video back to tape. There are four types of con-
nections which need to be made:
1 Connect one end of a 1394 (FireWire) cable to
the 1394 connector on the VTR.
This only supports DV video formats such
as DV25, DVCPro 100 and HDV.
• Video I/O
2 Connect the other end of the 1394 (FireWire)
cable to an available FireWire port on the
Media Station|PT computer.
• Audio I/O
• Deck Control
• Video reference (black burst)
Connecting Audio I/O to the VTR
Connecting Video I/O to the VTR
Media Station|PT Installed as a Standalone
Application with an Avid Video Peripheral
Connecting a VTR to an Avid Video Peripheral
If an Avid video peripheral is connected to the
system, connect the VTR’s video I/O to the Avid
video peripheral.
If Media Station|PT is installed as a standalone
application and connected to an Avid video pe-
ripheral, connect the audio inputs and outputs
on the VTR to the audio inputs and outputs on
the Avid video peripheral.
To connect a VTR’s video I/O to an Avid video
peripheral:
Media Station|PT Installed as a Standalone
Application with no Avid Video Peripheral
Present
1 Connect the Avid video peripheral Composite
IN, Component IN, S-Video IN, or SDI IN con-
nectors to the corresponding output or outputs
on your VTR.
If no Avid video peripheral is connected to the
system—but the VTR supports input and output
of audio and video as a DV-stream via
FireWire— connect the VTR directly to the
Media Station|PT computer.
2 Connect the Avid video peripheral Composite
OUT, Component OUT, S-Video OUT, or SDI
OUT connectors to the corresponding inputs on
your VTR.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 23
In this case, the serial 9-pin cable is not neces-
sary since the FireWire connection between the
VTR and the Media Station|PT client computer
is sufficient. (See your VTR documentation for
detailed support information.)
Media Station|PT Installed as a Video Satellite
or Installed on the Same Computer as Pro Tools
If Media Station|PT is installed as a video satel-
lite of Pro Tools or installed on the same com-
puter with Pro Tools, connect the audio inputs
and outputs on the VTR to the audio inputs and
outputs on the primary Pro Tools|HD audio in-
terface.
Connecting a VTR to Mac OS X
To connect a deck to a Mac computer:
1 Connect a Keyspan USA28x USB serial adapter
(not provided) to a USB port on the computer.
Configuring MachineControl with a VTR
If the VTR is DV-based (which means it accepts
Deck Control via FireWire), connect the VTR to
the Media Station|PT computer via FireWire.
You may need to install a Keyspan driver to
use the Keyspan USB serial adapter. See
your Keyspan documentation for details.
If the VTR requires 9-pin control, you need to set
it up differently.
2 Connect a male mini DIN-8 serial to male 9-
pin D-sub Deck Control cable (not included) to
the end of the adapter.
Connecting a Serial 9-Pin Cable from the
Media Station|PT Video Satellite to the VTR
The male mini DIN-8 serial to male 9-pin
D-sub Deck Control cable is included with
the Digidesign MachineControl option,
which is available separately from
Media Station|PT. See www.digidesign.com
for details.
Because the VTR is always controlled by
Media Station|PT in a video satellite system, you
need to connect the video satellite computer di-
rectly to the VTR.
To connect a VTR via 9-pin to a Windows com-
puter:
3 Connect the end of the cable to the deck.
„ Connect the computer’s COM port to the
deck, using a 9-pin RS-322 to RS-422 cable (not
provided).
Connecting Video Reference
If an Avid video peripheral is connected to the
Media Station|PT computer, it must have an ap-
propriate video reference signal (black burst).
The 9-pin RS-322 to RS-422 cable is in-
cluded with the Digidesign MachineControl
option, which is available separately from
Media Station|PT. See www.digidesign.com
for details.
Always make sure to connect the proper
black burst signal to your Avid DNA periph-
eral before opening a project.
Connecting a serial 9-pin cable is not necessary
if you are using a DV-based VTR that accepts
deck control commands via FireWire.
To connect a video reference signal to your VTR:
„ Connect a black burst or house sync output to
a video input on your VTR (preferably a refer-
ence video input).
24 Media Station|PT Guide
Using a LAN connection
Making Ethernet Connections
with Video Satellite Systems
Use a LAN in any of the following conditions:
• If the video satellite is located in a separate
room from the Pro Tools system
(Video Satellite System Only)
To exchange transport commands and files on
remotely mounted storage, the computers in a
video satellite system communicate via Ethernet
with the standard TCP/IP protocol using
100 Base-T or 1000 Base-T connections. The
computers may either be connected directly or
via a Local Area Network (LAN).
• If more than one Pro Tools system will be con-
necting to the video satellite
• If you want Pro Tools and Media Station|PT
computers on a LAN to access the Internet or
connect to other locations on your network
To connect a video satellite system to a LAN:
1 Connect both systems to a standard 100 Base-
T or 1000-Base-T Ethernet network as you would
any other computer.
Using a Direct Connection
Use a direct connection for any of these reasons:
• When the satellite will always be connected to
the same Pro Tools system
By default, both systems communicate via
TCP/IP port 28282, though that can be changed
if necessary.
• When a LAN is not available
• To avoid possible conflicts on the LAN with
other network traffic
If you find you need to enter the IP address
after each reboot, try turning off DHCP.
To connect the systems directly
1 Connect a CAT5e Ethernet cable between the
Pro Tools system and a standard Ethernet hub or
switch.
2 Connect another CAT5e cable between the
Media Station|PT system and the same hub or
switch.
Direct connection using a crossover Ethernet ca-
ble without a hub or switch may work with
some systems, but is untested.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 25
Full-Screen Playback of Video
in Media Station|PT
Installing Media Station|PT
Software on Windows XP
With a supported video card installed, you can
route HD or SD video to a DVI port and play
tor.
The Media Station|PT Installer DVD contains in-
stallers for the following optional software:
• Avid EDL Manager
• Avid LogExchange
If you are installing Media Station|PT on
the same computer as Pro Tools, install
Media Station|PT before installing
Pro Tools.
Due to limitations related to outputting
quality may not be suitable. See “Video
Frame Rate vs. Monitor Refresh Rate” on
page 45.
To install Media Station|PT software on
Windows XP:
1 Start your computer and log on to Windows
with Administrator privileges.
For detailed information on changing full-
on page 44.
2 If the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog ap-
pears (for any connected Pro Tools or Avid hard-
ware), leave it open.
If you are using Media Station|PT on a
Windows XP system and you want to con-
figure more than one monitor for full-screen
Monitor for Full Screen Playback” on
page 29
3 Insert the Avid Media Station|PT Installer
DVD into your computer’s DVD drive. The in-
staller should automatically open and launch.
For detailed instructions on installing
nVidia drivers for full-screen playback on
Windows XP, see “Installing nVidia Driv-
ers” on page 29.
Avid Media Station|PT Main Installer window
If the installer does not automatically open
and launch, locate the Launch.exe file on
the Avid Media Station|PT Installer DVD.
4 Click Install Avid Editor Suite to display the
next screen.
26 Media Station|PT Guide
5 Click Next to begin installation of Avid Log
21 Click Next to accept the default location for
Exchange.
AVX plug-ins.
6 If an Avid video peripheral is connected to the
computer and turned on, the system prompts
you to disconnect it. Turn off the Avid video pe-
ripheral. (It is not necessary to disconnect it.)
22 Select Typical for the Setup Type, then click
Next to complete the installation.
23 If a dialog appears with a message about Win-
dows Logo testing, click OK to accept.
(If another message appears indicating the test
did not pass, click Continue Anyway. It does not
affect the installation.)
7 Choose a country, then click Next.
8 If you agree with the license agreement, click
Yes.
9 Select the install location for Avid Log Ex-
change. For maximum reliability, select the de-
fault location on your system volume
(C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Log Exchange).
10 Click Next to install Avid Log Exchange to
your system.
Avid Media Station|PT Setup Message
11 When Avid Log Exchange finishes installing,
click Next to begin installation of EDL Manager.
24 Click Finish to restart your computer.
25 When the computer powers back on, log in
as Administrator.
12 Choose a country, then click Next.
13 If you agree with the license agreement, click
Yes.
26 If an Avid video peripheral is connected to
the system, turn it on.
14 Select the install location for EDL Manager.
For maximum reliability, select the default loca-
tion on your system volume (C:\Program
Files\Avid\EDL Manager).
The Found New Hardware Wizard appears.
If the Found New Hardware does not ap-
pear, ensure that the Avid video peripheral
is connected to your computer and turned
on. For more information, see the Avid
Video Peripherals Guide.
15 Click Next to install EDL Manager to your
system.
16 When EDL Manager finishes installing, click
Next to begin installation of Media Station|PT.
27 If you see a message asking whether Win-
dows can connect to Windows Update to search
for software, select the “No, Not This Time” op-
tion, and click Next.
17 Choose a country, then click Next.
18 If you agree with the license agreement, click
Yes.
19 Select the install location for
Media Station|PT. For maximum reliability, se-
lect the default location on your system volume
(C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Media Station PT).
20 Click Next.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 27
28 Click Next, and the Found New Hardware
Wizard will automatically search for and locate
the driver for the Avid video peripheral.
Setting Power Options Control to
Always On
After installing Media Station|PT, the applica-
tion prompts you to set the Power Options con-
trol panel to the Always On setting.
If the Found New Hardware Wizard cannot
find the driver for the Avid video peripheral,
manually locate the Flamethrower.sys file
at C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\
SupportingFiles\WindowsXPDriv-
ers\Win32.
To set the Power Options control panel to Always
On:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
29 Click Finish to complete the installation.
2 Double-click Power Options.
3 In the Power Options Properties dialog, select
Always On from the Power Schemes pop-up
menu.
Media Station|PT software will only run if an
Avid Media Station|PT Key (dongle) authorized
for this version of the software is connected to a
USB port on your computer.
4 Click OK.
If you have purchased Media Station|PT new,
the dongle is included in the box. If you are up-
grading to the latest version of
Media Station|PT, the box includes a card with
dongle upgrading instructions.
Disabling Drive Indexing for
External Audio and Video Storage
To use Media Station|PT with Avid video periph-
erals, it is strongly recommended that you dis-
able drive indexing for external audio and video
storage.
Installing Windows Media
Player 11 and QuickTime 7.1 or
Higher after Media Station|PT
To disable drive indexing for external media drives:
After installing Media Station|PT, the applica-
tion checks to make sure that you have
Windows Media Player 11 and QuickTime 7.1
or higher installed on the machine—and
prompts you if one or the other is not installed.
1 Choose Start > My Computer.
2 Right-click the selected external drives and
choose Properties.
3 In the Properties dialog, deselect “Allow In-
dexing Service to index this disk for fast file
searching.”
To download the Windows Media Player 11 in-
staller, visit www.microsoft.com. To download
the QuickTime installer, visit www.apple.com.
4 Click Apply.
5 When prompted to apply only to the volume
or to all folders and subfolders, select all folders
and subfolders, then click OK.
Disabling drive indexing for all folders and sub-
folders begins. This may take some time.
28 Media Station|PT Guide
Disabling Simple File Sharing
Disabling the nVidia Display Driver
Service
Ensure that you have turned off Simple File
Sharing in Windows.
To use Media Station|PT with Avid video periph-
erals, the nVidia Display Driver Service should
be disabled.
To turn off Simple File Sharing in Windows:
1 Click Start, and double-click My Computer.
To disable nVidia Display Driver Service:
2 In the My Computer window, choose Tools >
Folder Options.
1 Right-click My Computer, and choose Man-
age.
3 In the Folder Options dialog, click the View
tab.
2 Double-click Services and Applications.
4 Right-click NVidia Display Driver or NVidia
Driver Helper Service.
5 Click OK.
5 Click Properties.
Performing this procedure should help rem-
edy any issues that may occur if the Media
Tool does not display media files. See “Re-
storing Invisible Media Files in the Media
Tool” on page 83 for details.
6 Select Startup Type > Disable.
7 Click OK.
this service is enabled again.
Installing nVidia Drivers
Configuring More Than One
Monitor for Full Screen Playback
Installing nVidia drivers is required for using
Media Station|PT on Windows.
If you have the correct hardware installed (see
“Full-Screen Playback of Video in
To install the nVidia drivers:
Media Station|PT” on page 26), you can config-
ure more than one monitor for full-screen play-
back on Windows XP.
1 In Windows Explorer, navigate to:
C:\Program Files\Avid\Utilities\nVidia.
2 Double-click the executable installer file.
To configure more than one monitor for full screen
playback on Windows XP:
3 Follow the instructions to install the nVidia
drivers.
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click Display.
3 In the Display Properties dialog, click the Set-
tings tab.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 29
4 Set the resolution on both monitors to the
Installing Media Station|PT
Software on Mac OS X
same resolution (1280x1024 is recommended).
5 Click the Advanced button.
6 Click the specific nVidia tab.
If you are installing Media Station|PT on
the same computer as Pro Tools, install
Media Station|PT before installing
Pro Tools.
7 Select nView Display Settings and choose Du-
alview under nView Display Mode.
8 Click Apply.
To install Media Station|PT software on
Mac OS X:
9 Click Performance & Quality Settings.
10 From the View pop-up menu, ensure that the
Advanced Settings option is selected.
1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-
tor for the account where you want to install
Media Station|PT. For details on Administrator
privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X
documentation.
11 Ensure that the Hardware Acceleration op-
tion is set to Multi-Display Performance mode.
12 Confirm that Vertical Sync is set to Applica-
tion-Controlled.
2 Insert the Media Station|PT Installer DVD into
your DVD drive.
13 Click OK.
3 On the Media Station|PT Installer DVD, locate
and launch Media StationPT.mpkg.
Supported Video Cards
4 Click Continue.
See www.digidesign.com for detailed informa-
tion on video cards that support full-screen
playback.
5 In the Installer window, click Continue.
6 If you agree with the license agreement, click
Continue.
DVI Signal Distance Limitations
7 In the Select Destination page of the Installer
window, make sure the destination volume is on
your system drive.
Due to limitations with DVI signals, the signal
may degrade if the monitor is more than a few
meters away from the computer.
8 Click Continue.
If you experience signal degradation, you may
need to use a DVI extension booster or a DVI to
HDMI converter.
9 Click Install.
10 If you are prompted to authenticate the in-
stallation, type your password and click OK.
11 Click Continue Installation.
12 When installation is complete, click Restart.
30 Media Station|PT Guide
12 When installation is complete, click Close.
Installing Optional Software on
Mac OS X
See “Changing Video Output Settings for
Full-Screen Playback” on page 44 for de-
tailed information on switching between
two monitors for full-screen playback.
The Media Station|PT Installer DVD contains in-
stallers for the following optional software:
• Avid EDL Manager
• Avid LogExchange
Some optional software (such as EDL Man-
ager) is required for certain tasks described
in this guide (for example, “Digitizing from
an EDL” on page 52).
Authorizing Media Station|PT
dongle) to authorize Avid Media Station|PT.
If you have upgraded to
To install optional software on Mac OS X:
Media Station|PT 2.7 from a previous ver-
sion of Media Station|PT and you already
have a dongle, see “Authorizing Media Sta-
tion|PT After Upgrading from a Previous
Version” on page 31.
1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-
tor for the account where you want to install
Media Station|PT. For details on Administrator
privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X
documentation.
To authorize Media Station|PT software:
2 Insert the Media Station|PT Installer DVD in
your DVD drive.
„ Before launching the application, insert the
Avid Application Key (USB dongle) into an avail-
able USB port on your computer.
3 On the Media Station|PT Installer DVD, navi-
gate to the Other Installers folder, and launch
Avid Log Exchange Install or EDL Manager(TM)
Install.
On Windows systems, a dialog displays a mes-
sage indicating that the computer is identifying
and recognizing the dongle.
4 Click Continue.
5 In the Installer window, click Continue.
Authorizing Media Station|PT
After Upgrading from a Previous
Version
6 If you agree with the license agreement, click
Continue.
7 In the Select Destination page of the Installer
window, make sure the destination volume is on
your system drive.
After upgrading to Media Station|PT 2.7, you
must update your Avid Application key (don-
gle). To do this, you will need to obtain an up-
dater file from Avid’s web page, www.avid.com.
8 Click Continue.
9 Click Install.
After upgrading the Avid Application key to
authorize Media Station|PT 2.7, the up-
dated dongle may not properly authorize
previous versions of Media Station|PT.
10 If you are prompted to authenticate the in-
stallation, type your password and click OK.
11 Click Continue.
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 31
Obtaining the Dongle Updater
Updating the Avid Application Key
(Dongle)
To obtain your updater file:
You only need to run the updater program on
one platform (Windows or Macintosh). Once
the dongle has been updated it will enable both
the Windows and Macintosh versions of your
Avid software.
1 Install but do not start your Avid software.
2 Connect the Avid application key (dongle) to
the USB port on your system.
3 Use one of the following methods to deter-
The key on the upgrade activation card can only
be used once. The DBHelper.exf file that you ob-
tained via e-mail and download will only up-
grade your specific dongle.
mine your system ID and serial number:
• The system ID and serial number are on the
tag attached to your dongle. If you have a
dongle labeled with both PC and Macin-
tosh System IDs, use the PC system ID and
serial number, even if you are using a Mac-
intosh computer.
To update your dongle on Windows:
1 Place the DBHelper.exf file at:
• If the tag is no longer attached to your don-
gle, run the DongleDumper program to ob-
tain the System ID and Serial Number
values. The DongleDumper program is lo-
cated at Program Files\Avid\Utilities\
Program Files\Avid\Utilities\DongleUpdater.
2 Run the DongleUpdater.exe file located in the
same folder.
To update your dongle on Mac OS X:
DongleDumper\DongleDumper.exe
1 Place the DBHelper.exf file at:
Applications/Utilities/DongleUpdater.
(Windows) or Applications/Utilities/Dongle
Dumper/DongleDumperSuperPro (Mac OS X).
2 In the same folder, launch DongleUpdater.
4 Go to the following web page:
5 Follow the online instructions to obtain your
dongle updater file. You will need to supply the
system ID, serial number, and the upgrade key
that is on the bottom of the upgrade activation
card included in the Media Station|PT package.
Authorizing the
Video Satellite Option in
Pro Tools
(Video Satellite System Only)
You can download a dongle updater file
(DBHelper.exf). It will also be e-mailed to you.
The Video Satellite option is authorized using
the iLok USB Smart Key (iLok), manufactured by
PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc.
iLok USB Smart Key
32 Media Station|PT Guide
The iLok is similar to a dongle, but unlike a don-
gle, it is designed to securely authorize multiple
software applications from a variety of software
developers.
4 Transfer the license from your iLok.com ac-
count to your iLok USB Smart Key by doing the
following:
• Insert the iLok into an available USB port
on your computer.
This key can hold over 100 licenses for all of
your iLok-enabled software. Once an iLok is au-
thorized for a given piece of software, you can
use the iLok to authorize that software on any
computer.
• Go to www.iLok.com and log in.
• Follow the on-screen instructions for trans-
ferring your licence to your iLok.
5 Launch Pro Tools.
The iLok USB Smart Key is not supplied
with your plug-in or software option. You
can use the one included with certain
Pro Tools systems (such as Pro Tools|HD
systems), or purchase one separately.
6 If you have any installed unauthorized plug-
ins or software options, you are prompted to au-
thorize them. Follow the on-screen instructions
to complete the authorization process.
If you have not already completed authorizing
your software by following the instructions on
the Activation Card, complete the steps in this
section.
Formatting Video Storage
The following table describes requirements for
formatting video storage drives for use with
Media Station|PT:
To authorize the Video Satellite Option using an
Activation Code:
Video Storage Formatting Requirements
Media Station|PT System
Format
1 Locate the enclosed Activation Card. The
unique code on this card will allow you to re-
trieve your iLok license.
Requirements/Recommendations
HFS+
NTFS
Required for Mac OS X
2 If you do not have an existing iLok.com ac-
count, visit www.iLok.com and sign up for an
iLok.com account.
Recommended for Windows XP
FAT 32
Supported only when using Satel-
lite or Standalone mode
(co-installed with Pro Tools not
supported)
3 Transfer the license for the Video Satellite Op-
tion to your iLok.com account by doing the fol-
lowing:
FAT 32
FAT 16
Supports playback but not record
in Pro Tools
• Visit http://secure.digidesign.com/activa-
tion.
Not supported for either
• Input your Activation Code (listed on your
Activation Card) and your iLok.com User
ID. Your iLok.com User ID is the name you
create for your iLok.com account.
Media Station|PT or Pro Tools
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 33
Connecting and Configuring
Media Station|PT to a Unity
Storage System
Authorizing Media Station|PT
After Installing for the First
Time
Connecting and configuring a Media Station|PT
workstation as a client of an Avid Unity ISIS or
Avid Unity MediaNetwork system involves the
same steps as setting up a similar Pro Tools
workstation.
Use the included Avid Application key (USB
dongle) to authorize Avid Media Station|PT.
To authorize Media Station|PT software:
„ Before launching the application, insert the
Avid Application Key (USB dongle) into an avail-
able USB port on your computer.
For detailed information, see the Pro Tools Unity
ISIS Guide or the Pro Tools Unity MediaNetwork
Guide. Both guides are available on the Pro Tools
installer DVD.
On Windows systems, a dialog displays a mes-
sage indicating that the computer is identifying
and recognizing the dongle.
Configuring Media Station|PT
as a Client of an Avid
Interplay System
Launching Media Station|PT
for the First Time
(Windows XP Only)
Updating Firmware When
Configuring a Media Station|PT workstation as a
client of an Avid Interplay system involves the
same process as configuring a Media Composer
workstation as a client of such a system.
Launching Media Station|PT
(Avid Video Peripherals Only)
On launch, Media Station|PT checks that the ap-
propriate version of the firmware is installed on
any attached Avid video peripheral. If the cor-
rect version of the firmware is not installed,
Media Station|PT automatically installs the cor-
rect version of the firmware. Once the update is
complete, you will be prompted to quit
Media Station|PT and power-cycle the Avid
video peripheral before the update will take ef-
fect.
For detailed instructions on connecting and
configuring a Media Station|PT workstation as a
client of an Avid Interplay system, see your Avid
Interplay administrator or refer to the Interplay
installation instructions for Media Composer in
the following user guides:
• Avid Interplay Software Installation and Con-
figuration Guide
• Avid Interplay Best Practices Guide
If you are upgrading from
Media Station|PT 1.0 to Media Station|PT
2.7 with an AVoption|V10, you may be
prompted twice to update the firmware. En-
sure that you follow the steps to completely
update the firmware.
34 Media Station|PT Guide
Avid Mojo Firmware for PCIe Macs
If you attach your Avid Mojo to a PCIe-based
Mac but Media Station|PT does not recognize
the Mojo when launched, you need to properly
update the Avid Mojo firmware.
See “Updating Avid Mojo Firmware for a
PCIe-Based Mac” on page 18.
Selecting a Default Folder for Data
Created by Media Station|PT
On launching the first time, Media Station|PT
prompts you to define a location where applica-
tion data will be stored by default. In order to al-
low users without administrator privileges to ac-
cess this data, it is recommended that you
choose the default location (My Documents).
Chapter 2: Installing Media Station|PT 35
36 Media Station|PT Guide
chapter 3
Basic Media Station|PT Workflows
Avid Media Station|PT software is designed ex-
clusively for audio-related post-production work
using Pro Tools with or without Avid Mojo SDI,
Avid Mojo, or AVoption|V10 (referred to here as
Avid video peripherals).
• Import an audio and video AAF sequence into
Pro Tools.
• Export an audio AAF sequence from Pro Tools
back to Media Station|PT.
• Synchronize imported audio with a clip or se-
quence.
This chapter describes workflows for all
Media Station|PT configurations, which let you:
• Start a new project and adjust any necessary
settings.
• Export audio and video sequences as Quick-
Time or other format digital files.
• Capture NTSC, PAL, or DV-based HD video di-
rectly from tape.
Workflows that apply specifically to using
Media Station|PT in video satellite mode
are described in Chapter 4,
“Media Station|PT Video Satellite Work-
flows.”
• Open and re-digitize an existing sequence
from an Avid editing system (such as Media
Composer Adrenaline).
• Digitize audio and video from an EDL by cre-
ating an Avid sequence with Avid EDL Man-
ager™.
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools cannot run
simultaneously on the same computer. If
both applications are installed on the same
computer, quit Pro Tools before launching
Media Station|PT, and quit
• Import QuickTime and other non-OMFI me-
dia files.
• Assemble clips into a sequence.
Media Station|PT before launching
Pro Tools.
• Export an AAF sequence for import to
Pro Tools, including:
• Export templates
Media Station|PT provides the same digitiz-
ing and batch digitizing capabilities as all
Avid video editing systems.
• Manual export, including effects rendering
and transcoding
• Video mixdown
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 37
Setting up each project can be time-consuming,
but once properly configured, projects can make
working in Media Station|PT much faster.
Media Station|PT software can output all
frame rates of NTSC and PAL, but cannot
output an NTSC master from a PAL source,
or output a PAL master from an NTSC
source.
If you consistently use the same audio and video
settings, you may be able to set up one project
which handles all of your sequences. This will
save time configuring Media Station|PT. If you
work with different video formats, you will need
to configure a different project for each.
Getting More Information
For more information about specific features
and functions of Media Station|PT, search the
online help.
If you installed Media Station|PT on the
same computer as Pro Tools, ensure that
Pro Tools is not running before launching
Media Station|PT. Exit Pro Tools before
launching Media Station|PT, and exit
Media Station|PT before launching
Pro Tools.
To launch online help:
• Choose Help > Online Help (Windows) or
Help > Avid Media Station|PT Help
(Mac OS X).
For more information about Avid media cap-
ture, layback, import, and export, see the Avid
Media Composer Adrenaline Input and Output
Guide available from the Avid Web site
(www.avid.com).
When launching Media Station|PT on a
computer that also has Pro Tools installed,
it is recommended that you mute the audio
monitors during launch to prevent pops and
clicks that may occur while
Media Station|PT is starting.
Starting a New Project with
Media Station|PT
Running other applications simultaneously
with Media Station|PT can cause unpredict-
able behavior, including AV sync problems,
frame dropping and audio stuttering. It is
suggested that you not launch other appli-
cations when Media Station|PT 2.7 is run-
ning. This can occur with or without the use
of Satellite mode.
Each project in Media Station|PT has a variety of
settings for audio and video formats. These set-
tings are stored on a per-project basis, and need
to be set for each new project. One project can
contain may sequences (the equivalent of a
Pro Tools session) and the contents of each se-
quence is completely independent, but within a
project each sequence must have the same video
format and frame rate.
38 Media Station|PT Guide
To start a new project, or select an existing
project:
3 Do one of the following:
• To display projects that only the current
user profile can access, select the Private
option.
1 Launch the Avid Media Station|PT software.
You will be prompted to create a new project or
select an existing project.
– or –
• To display projects which are accessible to
all users, select the Shared option.
4 Do one of the following:
• Select the project and click OK.
– or –
• To create a new project, click the New
Project button. In the New Project dialog,
name the project, select the format appro-
priate for your video monitor and preferred
frame rate, and click OK.
In Media Station|PT, 29.97fps is referred to
as 30i. The “I” stands for interlaced. “P”
stands for progressive scan.
Select Project dialog
The selected project opens. The name of the
project appears in the upper left-hand corner of
the Project window.
2 Select a user profile by doing one of the fol-
lowing:
• Choose Create User Profile from the User
Profile pop-up menu, and enter a new user
name in the Create User Profile dialog.
– or –
Bin window
Project window
If you have upgraded from
Project and Bin windows
Media Station|V10, user settings have
changed. It is recommended that you create
a new user and then copy any preserved set-
tings from Media Station|V10 into your
new user settings. See “Creating a New User
After Upgrading from Media Station|V10”
on page 40.
To the right of the Project window is the first bin
for the Project.
To view the bins in a project:
„ Click the bins tab in the Project window. Dou-
ble-click any listed bin to view its contents.
Each user can configure Media Station|PT to suit
their needs without affecting other users' set-
tings on the same workstation.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 39
To view and edit Project Settings:
3 Click the Capture tab.
„ Click the Settings tab to view the Project set-
tings, including Audio and Export settings.
Creating a New User After
Upgrading from Media Station|V10
Because user settings have changed from the last
version of Media Station|V10, it is strongly rec-
ommended that you create a new user setting to
achieve optimal performance.
Avid Media Station|PT Media Creation dialog
4 Select the MXF (or OMF) option, depending
on the file type of video you want to capture.
(Both types are compatible with Pro Tools, but
MXF is recommended because it is more widely
supported.)
If you preserved certain user settings before up-
grading, you can copy those settings back into
your new user profile.
To copy preserved user settings after installing
Media Station|PT:
5 Choose a video resolution from the Video Res-
olution pop-up menu.
1 Launch Media Station|PT and create a new
user. See “Starting a New Project with
Media Station|PT” on page 38.
6 If you want to apply the file type and resolu-
tion settings you made to all tabs on this dialog,
click Apply to All.
2 Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
Unless you click Apply to All, this setting will
only affect video that you capture from tape—it
will not force conversion of video that you im-
port.
3 Choose Special > Site Setting. The Site Setting
window opens, displaying any user settings that
you copied to it before uninstalling
Media Station|V10.
7 Click the Toggle Storage button so that two
volumes are showing, and select the volumes
where the audio and video media will be stored.
(Bear in mind that while Media Station|PT is de-
signed to play audio and video from the same
drive, Pro Tools requires separate drives for au-
dio and video.)
4 Select all settings that you want to copy into
your new user settings, and drag them to the Set-
tings tab.
5 Click Replace to replace all existing settings.
Configuring Video Settings
8 If you want to apply the audio and video me-
dia drive settings you made to all tabs on this di-
alog, click Apply to All.
You can configure video settings that determine
whether you capture MXF or OMF video.
To configure the video settings for a project:
9 Click OK to save your settings and close the
window.
1 Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
2 Double-click Media Creation in the Settings
list.
40 Media Station|PT Guide
Media Creation settings are saved with the
project. You will need to configure the Video
Project Settings for each new project.
Audio Project Settings are saved with the
project. You will need to configure the Audio
Project Settings for each new project.
To save time, you can re-use the same
project for all of your audio and video cap-
turing, and simply create new bins and se-
quences as needed.
D-Control and D-Command
Configuration Requirements
When monitoring the audio from
Media Station|PT via a Digidesign audio periph-
eral and a D-Control or D-Command system, it
in order to properly output audio.
Configuring Audio Settings
To configure the audio settings for a project:
1 Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
To change Media Station|PT Audio Project
Settings for D-Control or D-Command:
2 Double-click Audio Project in the Settings list.
3 Click the Main tab in the Audio Project Set-
tings window.
1 Start Media Station|PT and open a new project
as described in “Starting a New Project with
Media Station|PT” on page 38.
2 In the Project window, click the Settings tab
and double-click Audio Settings.
3 In the Audio Project Settings dialog, click the
Output tab.
Audio Project Settings dialog, Main tab
4 Set the Sample Rate, Audio File Format, and
Sample Bit Depth. MXF and OMF WAVE (BWF)
are the recommended audio file formats because
they are widely supported and maintain the
most metadata.
Media Station|PT Audio Project Settings dialog
5 Verify other settings as required. For most
projects, the default settings are recommended.
6 After configuring the Audio Project Settings,
close the window.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 41
4 Do one of the following:
7 Just as you did in the Grp 1 channels, click the
channel pop-up menus in the second group,
and change all stereo pairs so that tracks alter-
nate top to bottom between channel 1 (CH1)
and channel 5 (CH5).
• If the Stereo button is visible, click the Ste-
reo button to reveal the Mono button, then
click the Mono button to reveal tracks A1
through A8 in stereo pairs with their se-
lected channels.
8 Click the Grp 2 button to display Grp 3 and re-
– or –
peat as above.
• If the Mono button is already visible, click
the Mono button to reveal tracks A1
through A8 in stereo pairs with their se-
lected channels.
9 Close the Audio Project Settings dialog when
you are finished.
Saving D-Command or D-Control Audio
Project Settings
Once you have modified Audio Project Settings
for optimal usage with D-Command or D-Con-
trol, it is recommended you save these settings
so that they can be retrieved at any time. Other-
wise, you will have to configure these settings
each time you create a new project.
To save your D-Command or D-Control Audio
Project configuration settings:
Channel
buttons
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab.
Media Station|PT Audio Project Settings dialog
2 Create and open a new settings file by choos-
ing File > New Settings File. An “Untitled” set-
tings file window opens.
5 Click the channel pop-up menus, and change
all stereo pairs so that tracks alternate top to bot-
tom between channel 1 (CH1) and channel 5
(CH5).
3 Drag the Audio Project setting from the
Project window to the untitled settings file win-
dow to copy it.
4 Choose File > Save Copy of File As.
5 In the Save As dialog, type a name for this set-
tings file.
6 Navigate to a location where other users can
easily locate this file. (The recommended loca-
tion is the default Avid Users folder.)
Channel pop-up menus alternating top to bottom
between channels 1 (CH1) and 5 (CH5)
7 Click Save.
6 Click the Grp 1 button to display the second
group of tracks.
42 Media Station|PT Guide
To open and import D-Command or D-Control Audio
Project settings into a new project:
To change Sync Lock to Reference:
1 In Media Station|PT, choose Tools > Video
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab.
Output Tool.
2 Choose File > Open Setting File.
2 In the Sync Lock pop-up menu, select Refer-
ence.
3 Navigate to the location of the setting file
(.avs), and select it.
4 Click Open. A window with the title of the
saved D-Control or D-Command settings opens
in Media Station|PT.
5 Drag the name of the setting from the new
window to the list of settings beneath the Set-
tings tab in the Project window.
6 In the dialog that appears, click Replace to
overwrite the Audio Project setting in the cur-
rent project with the setting you just opened.
Setting Sync Lock for
Avid Mojo SDI
Video Output Tool
When you create a new project with
Media Station|PT connected to an
Avid Mojo SDI, Sync Lock in Media Station|PT
defaults to Internal. It is recommended that
Sync Lock be changed to Reference to allow the
Avid Mojo SDI to lock to external video refer-
ence.
Changing Video Output
Settings
This section describes how to change the follow-
ing video output settings for projects in
Media Station|PT:
• Video quality
This setting will be retained for the duration of
the project, but will need to be reset each time
you start a new project.
• Full-screen playback settings
It is not necessary to follow these steps when
creating new projects with Avid Mojo or
AVoption|V10
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 43
Changing Video Quality
Changing Video Output Settings
for Full-Screen Playback
The Media Station|PT Timeline includes a Video
Quality icon that lets you change the video
quality. This setting is saved for each project.
The Full Screen Playback Settings dialog lets you
make the following optional changes for out-
putting full screen playback:
• Change the video output monitor (if you have
more than one monitor connected)
Draft quality
• Prevent frame-tearing in full screen playback
• Adjust luminance for standard computer
monitors
Best Performance
quality
To change video output options:
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab.
Full quality
2 Double-click the Full Screen Playback setting.
Video Quality icon (at the bottom of the Timeline)
3 To designate the video output monitors in a
multiple monitor setup, drag the Full Screen
Playback Settings dialog so that it is displayed
on the monitor you want to designate as the
video output monitor.
Click the icon to change the video quality as fol-
lows:
Draft Quality (Yellow/Green) Outputs a 1/4-reso-
lution picture to all the monitors, but allows
more real-time video effects. This is the default
setting for every new project.
Best Performance Quality (Yellow) Outputs 1/16-
resolution and supports the most real-time ef-
fects, but is the lowest-quality output.
picture via the attached video peripheral. The
DVI output is always Draft quality unless you se-
lect both Full Quality in the Video Quality Menu
and Display both fields in the in the Full Screen
Playback dialog. When combined with the Dis-
play Both Fields option in the Full Screen Play-
back Settings dialog (see “Changing Video
Output Settings for Full-Screen Playback” on
page 44), this setting provides full-resolution
output to the DVI port.
Select
Monitor
Full Screen Playback Settings dialog
4 Choose Select Monitor.
Performing a Digital Cut always changes
the output to the tape deck to Full Quality
automatically.
44 Media Station|PT Guide
5 You can also change the following options:
Frame “Tearing” & Video “Stutter” Frame “tear-
ing” is the horizontal distortion on rapidly mov-
ing or heavily edited sequences. Video “stutter”
Display Both Fields When combined with the
Full Quality setting in the Video Quality icon
(see “Changing Video Quality” on page 44), this
setting provides full-resolution output to the
DVI port.
You can remedy one of these issues at a time
(but not simultaneously) using the Flip On Ver-
tical Sync option, located in the Full Screen Play-
back Settings dialog.
Flip On Vertical Sync If you notice that your
video output is “tearing” (horizontal distortion
on rapidly moving or heavily edited sequences),
See “Changing Video Output Settings for
Full-Screen Playback” on page 44.
select this option.
.
Changing these settings may cause sync is-
sues or cause the video output to stutter.
Audio/Video Synchronization Offset Audio/video
synchronization varies slightly with each frame.
sync of up to 1/2 frame or more. This is normal
whenever using the output of a computer's
monitor card, and does not affect capture, edit-
ing, or layback.
Expand Luminance for Computer Displays If you
are outputting full screen playback to a standard
computer monitor, select this option for a more
accurate video image. If you are outputting full
screen playback to a professional quality moni-
tor through Component, DVI, or HDMI out-
puts, you may want to deselect this option.
For more information, see “Changing Video
Output Settings for Full-Screen Playback”
on page 44.
6 Click OK to save your changes and close the
dialog.
Video Frame Rate vs. Monitor
Refresh Rate
Capturing Audio and Video
Media Station|PT lets you capture video and au-
dio by:
When you play back video on a monitor with a
refresh rate that differs from the video frame
rate (as is often the case during playback of
video through a DVI output), the output yields
visual artifacts and offsets in synchronization
between audio and video. For example, this oc-
curs during playback of a 24 fps video clip on a
DVI monitor with a refresh rate of 75 Hz.
• Manually capturing audio and video
• Re-digitizing an existing sequence
• Digitizing from an edit decision list (EDL)
Manually Capturing Audio and
Video
If your workflow requires high-quality playback,
you must output video through an Avid video
peripheral to an NTSC or PAL monitor.
Before capturing audio and video from tape, en-
sure that you have made the following connec-
tions:
The artifact and audio/video sync issues occur as
follows:
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 45
For connections with an Avid video peripheral, do
the following:
To configure the Capture Tool for manual capture:
1 Choose Tools > Capture to open the Capture
1 Connect the composite, component, S-Video,
SDI or FireWire cables from the desired outputs
of the video deck to the corresponding inputs
on the video peripheral.
Tool.
2 Connect the audio source to the inputs of
your primary Pro Tools audio interface
Reveal
triangles
For connections without an Avid video peripheral,
do one of the following:
„ For FireWire-based connections, connect the
FireWire cable directly to the Firewire port on
the Media Station system.
Since video and audio are streamed in one signal
via FireWire connections, it is not necessary to
connect any audio inputs.
Avid Media Station|PT Capture Tool
2 Ensure that all the reveal triangles on the left
side of the Capture Tool window are pointing
down so that all of the controls are visible.
If you are capturing HD video, the video source
must be connected directly to the
Media Station|PT computer via FireWire (1394)
cable.
3 If necessary, click the Capture/Log Mode but-
ton to select Capture mode (CAP).
For more information, see the Getting Started
guide and the guide for your Pro Tools audio in-
terface.
Record Capture/
Toggle Overwrite TimeCode
Log Mode Source
Enable
Configuring the Capture Tool
When using the Capture Tool, you may hear a
variety of clicks or pops when doing any of the
following:
• Changing Video Resolutions
• Logging clips
Video
record
enable enable
Audio
record
Video input
source
Audio input
source
• Selecting Tape
Avid Media Station|PT Capture Tool (Record controls)
• Going in/out of Batch Capture
• Opening/closing the Capture Tool.
In order to avoid these clicks and pops, it is best
to lower the volume of your speakers.
46 Media Station|PT Guide
4 If necessary, enable control of the tape deck by
clicking the Toggle Source button so that it does
not display a circle with a slash.
8 Choose the resolution of video you wish to
capture from the Res pop-up menu. For exam-
ple:
• 1:1 is uncompressed and has the best qual-
ity, but takes up the most storage space and
requires several drives to play back cor-
rectly.
5 Below the Record button, click the record en-
able buttons as needed to record your video, au-
dio, and time code inputs. (V is for video, A1–A8
are for audio, and TC is the time code channel).
• 20:1 takes up the least amount of storage
space, but has the lowest quality picture.
The TC (time code) button should always
be enabled, even though no time code is be-
ing sent.
• DV25 has a good quality picture with a
moderate level of compression.
• 10:1m and 4:1m are multi-cam resolutions
and should not be used if the video will be
exported to Pro Tools.
6 Choose the video and audio input sources
from the Video Input and Audio Input pop-up
menus.
• Resolutions beginning with 720p, 1080i, or
1080p are all HD resolutions and should
not be used if the video will be exported to
Pro Tools.
7 Select the bin where you wish the captured
clips to appear.
This setting does not affect where the cap-
tured files are stored. All captured media
files are stored in the OMFI Media Files
folder (for OMF media) or Avid MediaFiles
folder (for MXF media) on the volumes de-
termined in the Media Creation dialog. A
bin in Media Station|PT is analogous to the
Audio region lists in Pro Tools, except that a
project in Media Station|PT may have an
unlimited number of bins, and clips may be
organized between the bins as best suits the
user.
Toggle
Video
Audio
Storage storage
storage
Avid Media Station|PT Capture Tool (Storage controls)
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 47
9 Click the Toggle Storage button so that two
volumes are showing, and select the volumes
where the audio and video media will be stored.
The available recording time for each volume
displays next to it.
12 Insert the tape into the VTR.
Media Station|PT will present a list of tapes al-
ready associated with this project and ask you
which tape you have inserted.
Media Station|PT can play audio and video
from the same volume while Pro Tools re-
quires audio and video to be stored on sepa-
rate drives. When capturing on a computer
that also has Pro Tools installed, ensure
that you choose different drives for audio
and video.
On the video volumes you have selected,
Media Station|PT stores captured video files in
the Avid MediaFiles folder (for MXF video) or
the OMFI MediaFiles folder (for OMF video).
Select Tape dialog
10 If the VTR is not correctly identified in the
Capture Tool’s Transport controls, choose Auto-
Configure from the source pop-up menu. (Click
Yes to auto-configure the VTR with the Capture
Tool and display its name.)
13 Do one of the following:
• Select one of the displayed tape names and
click OK.
– or –
• Click New to add a new tape to the list.
Delay Audio
14 To check your inputs and levels, do the fol-
Source
pop-up
menu
lowing:
• Click Play on the transport controls. Video
should appear in the Record Monitor and
your client monitor.
Tape
Name pop-
up menu
• Choose Tools > Audio Tool to meter audio
input levels.
Avid Media Station|PT Capture Tool (Transport controls)
• Adjust the audio output levels of your VTR
if necessary.
11 Ensure that Delay Audio is set to 0 Frames.
You are now ready to capture.
Capturing Audio and Video
To capture audio and video:
1 Ensure the Capture Tool has been configured
for capturing. (See “Configuring the Capture
Tool” on page 46.)
48 Media Station|PT Guide
2 To record, do one of the following:
The flashing red light indicates recording is in
progress.
• Use the Transport Controls to queue the
tape to the position at which you wish to
start capturing, then click Record. The VTR
will start playback, and Media Station|PT
will begin capturing as soon as the tape
comes up to speed.
During recording, video will appear out of
synchronization with audio. However, au-
dio and video will be synchronized during
playback.
While capturing video from a VTR con-
nected to the DV port, Media Station|PT
does not output audio, but the audio will be
included in the digitized clip.
Delay Audio
Source
pop-up
menu
3 Click the Record button again (or press the
ESC key) to stop.
Tape
Name pop-
up menu
4 Type a clip name and optional comments in
the Name and Cmnt fields. These can be entered
before recording is started, while recording, or
by clicking on the clip’s name or comment field
in the bin after recording has completed.
Avid Media Station|PT Capture Tool (Transport controls)
• Use the Transport Controls to begin play-
back on the VTR, then click Record when
you are ready.
• Use the Mark In and Mark Out controls to
select a specific portion of video to capture
and click Record. (See “Selecting a Portion
of Video to Capture” on page 50.)
Avid Media Station|PT Capture Tool (Name/Comments)
5 To view the captured clip, do one of the fol-
lowing:
Mark Out
Mark In
Go to Out
Go to In
• Double-click the captured clip in the bin to
open it into a pop-up window.
– or –
• Drag the clip to the Source Monitor.
Clear
Display
6 Preview the clip in any of the following ways:
• Click the Play button (or press the Space-
bar) to play or pause.
• Click the Rewind button (or press the
Home key) to return to the beginning.
Mark Memory Go To Memory
Duration
• Drag the scrub cursor to move back and
forth through the clip.
Record
Mark In and Mark Out controls (and Record button)
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 49
3 The exact length of the clip to be captured ap-
pears in the Duration display.
Selecting a Portion of Video to Capture
The Mark In and Mark Out controls in the Cap-
ture Tool let you select a portion of video to cap-
ture.
4 You can also do the following:
• To automatically queue the tape to the
Mark In point, click Go to In.
To select a portion of video to capture:
• To automatically queue the tape to the
Mark Out point, click Go to Out.
1 In the Capture Tool, use one of the following
methods to mark the position where you want
the capture to begin:
• To automatically mark a specific frame (not
to be reflected in the capture), click Mark
Memory.
• Press the Spacebar (or click Play) to start
playback on the VTR, and click Mark In at
the desired position.
• To clear any of the Mark In, Mark Out, or
Mark Memory points, click Clear Display
next to the appropriate button.
• Use the Transport controls to queue the
tape to the position at which you wish to
start capturing, and click Mark In.
5 You are now ready to begin capturing, as de-
scribed in “Capturing Audio and Video” on
page 48. When you begin capturing, the VTR
queues to the In point and begins capturing
video, then stops automatically when it reaches
the Out point.
• Type a time code value in the Mark In field.
2 Use one of the following methods to mark the
position where you want the capture to end:
• If the VTR is playing back, click Mark Out
at the desired position.
Working with Captured Video
• Use the Transport controls to queue the
tape to the position at which you wish to
end capturing, and click Mark Out.
Once you have captured audio and video clips
into a bin, you can:
• Type a time code value in the Mark Out
field.
Pro Tools.
• Add captured clips to an existing sequence,
then send that sequence to Pro Tools.
Mark Out
Mark In
Go to Out
Go to In
• Export the clips as media files for importing
into Pro Tools.
For more information, see “Assembling Clips in
a Sequence” on page 55 or “Exporting Audio
and Video from Media Station|PT” on page 58.
Clear
Display
Mark Memory Go To Memory
Duration
Mark In and Mark Out controls
50 Media Station|PT Guide
4 Select or deselect the Offline Media Only op-
tion as required. The result of the batch capture
depends on a combination of this setting and
the resolutions for audio and video chosen in
the Audio Project Settings and Media Creation
dialogs:
Re-Digitizing an Existing
Sequence
Media Station|PT can open sequences created
on other Avid editing systems (such as Media
Composer Adrenaline). However, you may want
to re-digitize some or all of the media files be-
cause they were the wrong resolution, missing,
or corrupted.
• If the Offline Media Only option is se-
lected, only those files which are offline
will be re-digitized using the settings se-
lected in the Audio Project Settings and
Media Creation dialogs.
To re-digitize either a sequence or individual clips:
• If the Offline Media Only option is not se-
lected and the resolution settings in the
capture tool are the same as the original
files, the original files will be discarded and
replaced by the new files.
1 Choose Tools > Capture and configure or ver-
ify the settings as you would for manual capture
(see “Configuring the Capture Tool” on
page 46).
• If the Offline Media Only option is not se-
lected and the resolution is different from
the original files, new media will be re-
corded at the new setting and the original
files will be left intact. The new files will be
substituted for the old files in the sequence.
2 In the bin, select the sequence or clips to re-
digitize.
3 Select Clip > Batch Capture.
5 Type a handle length in the Handle Length
field. This extends the beginning and end of the
captured file by the specified number of frames.
Setting an adequate handle length is useful if
you need to trim an edit past the end of the orig-
inal clip boundaries. Adding handles creates a
new, longer clip in the bin, even if you are using
the same resolution as the original clip being re-
digitized.
Batch Capture dialog
6 Click OK.
Media Station|PT prompts you to insert the re-
quired tapes as needed and notifies you when
the capture is complete.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 51
6 Verify the settings (input, resolution, and
drive settings) for the clips to be digitized. For
more information, see “Configuring the Cap-
ture Tool” on page 46
Digitizing from an EDL
Media Station|PT includes Avid EDL Manager
software, which lets you open an EDL from an-
other editing application, create a Media Sta-
tion|PT sequence from that EDL, then re-digitize
the sequence.
7 Select the sequence in the bin.
8 Choose Clip > Batch Capture.
Media Station|PT will prompt you to insert the
first tape for the batch capture.
To create a sequence from an EDL, and digitize the
sequence:
For more information, select Help > EDL
Manager Help. Also, see the Avid® EDL
Manager User’s Guide available from the
Avid Web site (www.avid.com).
1 While Media Station|PT is still running,
launch EDL Manager by choosing Start > All Pro-
grams > Avid > EDL Manager (Windows) or nav-
igating to Applications/Avid EDL Manager
(Mac).
2 Open the EDL to be digitized:
Importing Non-MXF and Non-
OMFI Media Files
• If the EDL resides on a standard disk, select
File > Open in EDL Manager, and navigate
to the EDL.
Media Station|PT can import many different
types of graphics, audio and video files (such as
QuickTime). On import, new MXF and OMF
media files are created and stored on the speci-
fied volumes. You can select the video resolu-
tion in the Import dialog. Audio resolution is de-
termined by the Audio Settings for the current
project (see “Configuring Audio Settings” on
page 41).
• If the EDL is saved on an RT-11 disk in a
CMX, GVG, or high-density GVG
(HDGVG) edit controller format, insert the
RT-11 disk and select File > Read from RT11
Disk.
3 Click the left-pointing arrow in the EDL Man-
ger window. Media Station|PT will become the
active application.
EDL Manager window
4 Select the bin where you wish to store the new
sequence, and click OK.
5 In Media Station|PT, choose Tools > Capture
to open the Capture Tool.
52 Media Station|PT Guide
To import non-OMFI media files into
Media Station|PT:
5 Select the Audio Import Options.
Unlike Pro Tools, Media Station|PT sup-
ports audio files of mixed sample rate and
bit depth in the same sequence. Therefore, it
is not necessary to convert all audio files to
the same sample rate and bit depth on im-
port into Media Station|PT. You will have
the option to convert audio files to a single
sample rate and bit depth when you export
them from Media Station|PT, and again
when you import them into Pro Tools.
1 Open the bin where you want the imported
file to be stored.
2 Select File > Import.
6 Select the volumes to store the new media
files. Pro Tools requires that audio and video
media must be stored on physically separate
drives. Click the button to the left of the volume
selector until there are separate selectors for au-
dio and video, then select the desired drives for
each.
Select Files to Import dialog
Separate drives for audio and video
3 In the Select files to Import dialog, locate and
select one or more files to import.
7 Click Open.
4 Select the video resolution for selected files.
The selected files are imported into the selected
bin.
When importing QuickTime DV25, you can
save time by importing it as DV25. The pro-
cess of converting Quicktime DV25 to Avid
DV25 is optimized to be significantly faster
than other conversions. Since both
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools with Avid
video peripherals support mixed video reso-
lutions in the Timeline, it does not matter if
the other video clips in your project are dif-
ferent formats, as long as they are the same
frame rate.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 53
see dropped frames during playback after down-
converting HD video, you can remedy this by
transcoding to an SD format or creating a video
mixdown.
Mode
If you have configured one or more monitors for
full-screen playback through a DVI port, you
can enter full-screen playback mode.
See “Full-Screen Playback of Video in
Media Station|PT” on page 26 for details.
See “Transcoding HD Sequences” on
page 66 or “Creating a Video Mixdown” on
page 67.
To enter full-screen playback mode:
1 In Media Station|PT, ensure that the
To change an HD project’s Project Type:
DNA/1394 button in the timeline is set to 1394.
1 Open the Project in the Avid editing applica-
tion.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select Special > Full Screen Playback.
2 In the Project window, click the Format tab.
– or –
3 Choose a corresponding SD resolution from
the Project Type pop-up menu. For example, in
an NTSC 1080i/59.94 project, switch to a 30i
format and in a PAL 1080i/50 project, switch to
a 25 format.
• Press Control+Shift+F (Windows) or Com-
mand+Shift+F (Mac).
If using two monitors, both monitors must
be set to the same resolution when using
this feature.
Down-Converting an HD
Project to SD Video
(Media Station|PT with an Avid Video
Peripheral Only)
Project window, Format tab
If you want to output HD 1080 video, you can
down-convert it in real-time to SD video and
play it back through an Avid Mojo SDI,
Avid Mojo, or AVoption|V10.
Because no SD equivalent exists for 720p
projects, they cannot be converted to SD
prior to exporting. If you export an AAF se-
quence from a 720p project in
Media Station|PT, Pro Tools can import
only the video metadata. Or, you may wish
to only export the audio.
Avid video peripherals output only standard
definition images with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
When playing back files with different as-
pect ratios (such as 16:9), the image will be
stretched to 4:3. Some professional monitors
can compensate for this by letterboxing the
image.
54 Media Station|PT Guide
itor to locate the first frame of the portion of the
clip that you want to edit into the sequence:
Sequence
• To begin playing the clip, click Play (or
press the Spacebar). (Click Play or press the
Spacebar again to Pause.)
Once you have used Media Station|PT to capture
or import a clip, you can add it (or selected por-
tions of it) into a new or existing sequence.
• To move to the beginning of the clip, click
Rewind (or press the Home key).
See “Exporting Audio and Video from
Media Station|PT” on page 58 for informa-
Media Station|PT.
Forward (or press the End key).
• To nudge by frame, click Step Forward 1
Frame or Step Backward 1 Frame (or press
the Left/Right Arrow keys).
You can export a captured clip directly from
Media Station|PT without having to first
add it to a new sequence. See “Exporting Au-
dio and Video from Media Station|PT” on
page 58.
• To scrub, click and drag the cursor beneath
the Source Monitor. (Enable the Caps Lock
to hear audio while scrubbing.)
Step Forward 1
Frame
Adding Clips to a New Sequence
Rewind
Mark Cursor
In
Mark
Clip
You can add an entire clip (or a selected portion
of it) to a new sequence.
To add clips to a new sequence:
Fast-
Forward
Play/
Pause
Clear
Both
Marks
1 Choose Clip > New Sequence to create a new
sequence.
Step Backward 1
Frame
Mark
Out
2 In the bin, name the sequence and drag it to
the Record Monitor.
Source Monitor controls
3 Drag the original clip to the Source Monitor.
5 Click Mark In to mark the In point (the first
frame of the selected portion) at the current po-
sition of the cursor.
6 Using the same controls, locate the last frame
of the portion of the clip that you want to edit
into the sequence.
7 Click Mark Out to mark the Out point (the last
frame of the selected portion) at the current po-
sition of the cursor.
Media Station|PT main window
You can also select the entire clip by clicking
Mark Clip.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 55
The portion of the clip between the In point and
the Out point is now selected for editing into
the sequence.
4 Under the Source Monitor, use the controls to
set the In and Out points marking the portion of
the clip that you want to edit into the existing
sequence. (See “Adding Clips to a New Se-
quence” on page 55 for detailed information on
using the controls.)
You can also click the Clear Both Marks
button to clear the In and Out points.
8 Click the Record Monitor to select it, and press
the Home key to move the cursor to the begin-
ning of the new sequence.
If the In or Out points have not been
marked, the sequence will include every-
thing after the cursor.
9 Click the Overwrite button. The selected por-
tion of the clip in the Source Monitor is edited
over the new sequence in the Record Monitor.
5 In the Timeline, ensure that the Source Track
Enable buttons are properly aligned with the
Timeline Track Enable buttons.
If it is necessary to align the Source and Timeline
tracks, click on the Source track button and drag
to the Timeline track button.
Overwrite
Overwrite button
Linking Source
track to Time-
line track
Adding Clips to an Existing
Sequence
You can add a clip (or a portion of clip) to an ex-
isting sequence.
To add clips to an existing sequence:
Source track
linked to Time-
line track V1
1 Open the bin containing the existing se-
quence.
2 Drag the sequence from the bin to the Record
Monitor. The sequence appears in the Timeline
below the Source and Record Monitors. (If the
Timeline does not appear, choose Tools > Time-
line.)
Aligning the “V1” Source video track with the “V1”
Timeline video track
In order for a track in the clip to be edited
into the linked track on the Timeline, both
the Source Track Enable button and the
Timeline Track Enable button must be en-
abled (purple).
3 Drag the desired clip from the bin to the
Source Monitor.
56 Media Station|PT Guide
6 In the existing sequence, choose any of the
following methods to set the starting position at
which the selection in the Source Monitor will
be added:
To delete clips from a sequence:
1 In the Timeline, click the clip you want to de-
lete so that the cursor appears between its
boundaries.
• Drag the cursor in the Timeline to the de-
sired position.
• In the Record Monitor, use the controls
(similar to the Source Monitor controls) to
queue to the desired position.
• In the Timeline or the Record Monitor,
press the Home key to move to the begin-
ning of the sequence, or press the End key
to move to the end of the sequence.
Cursor in clip boundaries in Timeline
2 Click the Track Enable buttons on the left side
of the Timeline so that all audio and video tracks
in the Timeline are selected (purple).
7 Choose one of the following methods to add
the selected portion of the clip at the location of
the cursor:
• Click the Overwrite button to paste the se-
lected clip over any existing material in the
Timeline.
Timeline
Source
Track
Enable
Track
Enable
– or –
buttons
buttons
• Click the Splice-In button to paste the se-
lected clip into the Timeline, and push all
the clips which come after the insertion
point later in the Timeline (analogous to a
Shuffle edit in Pro Tools).
Track Enable buttons
3 Above the Timeline, do one of the following:
• Click the Mark In and Mark Out buttons to
set the In and Out points.
– or –
• Click the Mark Clip button to automati-
cally highlight the entire clip.
Splice-In
Overwrite
Mark
In
Mark
Clip
Overwrite and Splice-In buttons
8 To add another clip to the sequence, repeat
the preceding steps.
Mark
Out
Deleting Clips from a Sequence
Record Monitor controls
When you delete a clip from a sequence, all se-
lected (purple) audio and video track layers of
the clip are removed from the sequence.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 57
4 Do one of the following:
Exporting Audio and Video
from Media Station|PT
• Click the Extract button (Scissors) to re-
move the clip and shuffle the following
clips earlier to close the gap (analogous to a
shuffle edit in Pro Tools).
To export sequences from Media Station|PT for
import into Pro Tools, you can choose from the
following methods:
– or –
• Click the Lift button to remove the clip and
leave the following clips at their current
time code location.
• Using the Send To templates to export an
AAF sequence
• Manually exporting an AAF sequence
• Creating a video mixdown
• Exporting an AAF sequence directly to an
Interplay server (Avid Interplay system re-
quired)
Extract
Lift
• Checking a sequence into Avid Interplay
for Pro Tools (Avid Interplay system re-
quired)
Extract and Lift buttons
To undo your last action, choose Edit >
Undo, Control+Z (Windows), or Com-
mand+Z (Mac). Media Station|PT has 32
levels of Undo.
Using the Send To Templates to
Export an AAF Sequence
The Send To Templates let you create an AAF se-
quence that references audio and video files.
Deleting Clips, Sequences and
Media
To use the Send To Digidesign Pro Tools
templates:
To delete a clip, sequence, or media file from
Media Station|PT:
1 Select a sequence in a bin.
1 Select the item to delete in the bin.
2 Choose File > Send To > Media Station|PT to
Pro Tools, then choose one of the following op-
tions:
2 Press the Delete key.
Use the Select Unreferenced Clips command
in the menu at the bottom of the bin to se-
lect all clips which are not referenced by any
sequence.
Link to Audio and Video Creates an AAF se-
quence that links to existing audio and video
wherever possible and only creates new media
files for effects that have not been rendered. This
is the fastest and most storage-efficient way to
export a sequence.
58 Media Station|PT Guide
Choose this option for a scenario in which
Pro Tools will link to the same media files as the
current Media Station|PT sequence. Use this set-
ting if the media files are currently stored on
volumes that are suitable for Pro Tools media
playback.
Choose this option when exporting a sequence
for a Pro Tools system that does not have an
Avid video peripheral attached.
VIdeo Mixdown - Link to Audio Creates an AAF
sequence that links to existing audio and in-
cludes editing metadata as well as a video mix-
down in the video format defined by Media Cre-
ation settings. When imported into Pro Tools,
the video mixdown and metadata are displayed
in two separate video tracks on the Timeline.
Choose this option for any of the following sce-
narios, in which Pro Tools can link directly to
audio files:
• Co-install system
Send To dialog (LInk to Audio and Video options shown)
• Video satellite system with video storage
mounted on the Pro Tools computer
3 If you want to view or change export settings,
click the Options button, and then make any
changes. If you make any changes, you can use
the Save As Template button to create a new
template.
• Shared storage environment
Link to Video and Audio with QuickTime Creates
an AAF sequence that links to existing audio,
and creates a new QuickTime movie.
This workflow assumes that you use the de-
fault values. This means that you are ex-
porting using the Project sample rate, audio
file format, and sample bit depth.
4 Click Set.
5 Navigate to the location where you want the
AAF sequence to reside.
6 Click OK.
7 Media Station|PT exports the files to the desti-
nation folder. If Media Station|PT has to
transcode video files to a new resolution, render
effects or perform audio file conversions, a new
sequence appears in the bin with the name file-
name.Export.01, and a new master clip appears
in the bin with the name filename.new.01.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 59
To render all effects in Media Station|PT:
Manually Exporting an AAF
Sequence
1 Drag the sequence to the Record Monitor. All
elements of the sequence can be viewed in the
Timeline. Unrendered effects appear in the
Timeline as small squares with blue or green
dots. Rendered effects appear in the Timeline as
a square with no colored dot.
Manually exporting an AAF sequence from
Media Station|PT involves more steps than us-
ing the Send To templates, but it provides more
flexibility.
You will need to render all video effects be-
fore manually exporting the sequence.
2 If there are any audio effects to render, choose
Tools > AudioSuite to open the AudioSuite dia-
log, which can be left open in the background
while you work.
Rendering All Effects
Though it is not possible to add or edit video or
audio effects in Media Station|PT, you may need
to export a sequence with effects that were cre-
ated on another Avid editing system. Before you
can export the sequence, you must render all ef-
fects. Media Station|PT can only render those ef-
fects which are currently installed.
3 Click the Track Enable buttons on the left side
of the Timeline so that all audio and video tracks
in the Timeline are selected (purple).
Media Station|PT contains all of the standard
Avid video effects. Third-party effects must ei-
ther be installed for Media Station|PT by the
user, or rendered by the Media Composer editor
before opening the sequence in
Enabled tracks are colored purple
Media Station|PT.
4 Click in the Timeline, and press the Home key
to move the cursor to the beginning of the se-
quence.
For more information on rendering effects
in Avid products, see the Avid Effects Guide
included in your Avid application package.
5 Click the Mark In button to mark the In point
at the beginning of the sequence.
Mark In
Mark Out
Mark In and Mark Out buttons
6 Press the End key to move the cursor to the
end of the sequence.
7 Press the Mark Out button to mark the Out
point at the end of the sequence.
60 Media Station|PT Guide
8 Choose Clip > Render In/Out (if the command
2 Click the Track Enable button to select the
appears grayed out, click in the Timeline again).
track that holds the effect.
9 In the Render Effects dialog, choose Effect
Source Drive from the Drive pop-up menu. This
will write the rendered effect to the same vol-
ume as the original files.
Track
Enable
button
3 Click the Remove Effect button.
Render Effects dialog
Remove
Effect
Remove Effect button
This selection keeps audio files on audio stor-
age and video files on video storage. If you se-
lect only one volume, both the rendered audio
and video files will be stored on the selected
volume, which could cause playback errors
with Pro Tools.
Exporting a Sequence
Once all effects have been rendered, export the
sequence as an AAF sequence.
To manually export an AAF sequence:
10 Click OK.
1 Select the sequence in the bin.
11 To play the sequence with the rendered ef-
fects, press the Home key to move the cursor to
the beginning of the sequence, then click the
Play button (or press the Spacebar) to play.
2 Select File > Export.
Removing Third-Party Effects from a
Sequence
If you open a sequence that has a third-party
video or audio effect that you cannot render,
you can remove the effect.
To remove an effect from a sequence:
1 Click the effect in the Timeline so that the cur-
sor is placed over the small effect box.
Export As dialog
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 61
3 Type a name and select a location for the ex-
6 In the Video Details tab, select one of the fol-
ported sequence.
lowing from the Export Method pop-up menu:
4 Select Export to Pro Tools from the Export Set-
tings menu at the bottom of the Export As dia-
log.
Link to (Don’t Export) Media The Pro Tools ses-
sion will link to the same video files as the cur-
rent Media Station|PT sequence. Use this setting
if the video files are currently stored on a vol-
ume suitable for Pro Tools video playback.
5 Click the Options button to open the Export
to Pro Tools Settings dialog. Verify the settings:
• For Export As, select AAF.
Copy All Media New complete video files will be
• Select the Include All Video Tracks in Se-
quence option. When the sequence is im-
ported into Pro Tools. All of the video
tracks will be “flattened” so that the im-
ported sequence shows only a single video
stream.
created on the designated volume.
Consolidate Media Similar to Copy All Media,
but only the parts of the video clips which are
actually used in the Timeline are copied. Use
this setting to copy the video files to a volume
suitable for Pro Tools video playback.
• Deselect the Include All Audio Tracks in Se-
quence option if you do not want to export
any audio.
Video Mixdown The exported AAF sequence will
reference a video mixdown with or without its
corresponding metadata for individual edits.
The following settings may also appear under
the Video Details tab, depending on the selected
export method:
Media Destinations Choose where to store cop-
ied video files.
Handle Length Extends the beginning and end
of the consolidated file by the specified number
of frames. This lets you trim edits later, though
the sequence would need to be re-edited in
Media Station|PT. (Pro Tools does not support
trimming video regions, so you can save space
and time by setting this to 0.)
Render Video Effects Always select Render Video
Effects. If you already manually rendered effects,
selecting this option will not create new files. It
is highly recommended that all effects be ren-
dered before exporting the sequence. (See “Ren-
dering All Effects” on page 60.)
Export Settings – Export To Pro Tools dialog, Video
Details tab
62 Media Station|PT Guide
Transcode Video To Use this only if you need to
change the video resolution. Pro Tools supports
most SD resolutions supported by
Embedded in AAF This option embeds the video
media in the AAF sequence that is exported from
Media Station|PT.
Media Station|PT, and even supports mixed res-
olutions in the Pro Tools Timeline, so in most
cases there is no need to spend extra time
transcoding the video. However, if you have
video of a resolution which is not currently sup-
ported by Pro Tools (such as DVCPro HD or
HDV) or you want to play back HD video to an
external monitor via an Avid video peripheral,
use this setting to transcode it to a supported
resolution.
Pro Tools cannot play video that is embed-
ded in an AAF sequence, but it can read the
video editing metadata when imported into
a satellite track. Do not use this option if
you want to import the video itself into
Pro Tools. (See “Opening an AAF Sequence
for Playback on a Video Satellite System”
on page 110.)
If your Pro Tools system is running on a
slower computer, you may be able to reduce
some of the CPU load in Pro Tools by
transcoding the video to 1:1 on export. 1:1
video is uncompressed, and consequently it
does not need to be decompressed before
playing back. However, 1:1 video requires
significant amounts of storage space.
Media Destination section of the Video Details tab
7 Click the Audio Details tab, and select one of
the following from the Export Method pop-up
menu:
While new video files are typically stored in the
OMFI MediaFiles folder (for OMF media) or the
Avid MediaFiles folder (for MXF media), some
workflows let you choose a different target des-
tination for video in the Media Destination sec-
tion of the Video Details tab, as follows:
Link to (Don’t Export) Media The Pro Tools ses-
sion will link to the same audio files as the cur-
rent Media Station|PT sequence. Use this setting
if the audio files are currently stored on a vol-
ume suitable for Pro Tools audio playback.
Copy All Media New complete audio files will be
created on the designated volume.
Media Drive This option exports media to the
OMFI MediaFiles folder or Avid MediaFiles
folder on a connected storage drive. Select the
Use Media Creation Settings option to use the
default settings, or deselect that option to
choose a media drive from the pop-up menu.
Consolidate Media Similar to Copy All Media,
but only the parts of the audio which are actu-
ally used in the Timeline are copied. Use this set-
ting to copy the audio files to a volume suitable
for Pro Tools audio playback.
Folder This option exports video media to a spe-
cific folder. Select the Use Same Folder as AAF
File option to export the video media into the
same folder you designated for exporting the
AAF sequence, or deselect this option to select a
specific folder location for the media.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 63
The following settings may also appear under
the Audio Details tab, depending on the selected
export method:
Embedded in AAF This option embeds the audio
media in the AAF sequence that is exported from
Media Station|PT. Unlike embedded video,
Pro Tools can import and play audio which is
embedded in an AAF sequence. Embedding au-
dio within the AAF sequence makes file manage-
ment much simpler because there is only one
file to move—the sequence. There is a limit of
2 GB for embedded AAF.
Render All Audio Effects Select the Render All
Audio Effects option so that all audio effects are
rendered before export. If you already manually
rendered effects, selecting this option will not
create new files. It is highly recommended that
all effects be rendered before exporting the se-
quence. (See “Rendering All Effects” on
page 60.)
Pro Tools cannot play video that is embed-
ded in an AAF sequence, but it can read the
video editing metadata when imported into
a satellite track. Do not use this option if
you want to import the video itself into
Pro Tools. (See “Opening an AAF Sequence
for Playback on a Video Satellite System”
on page 110.)
Include Rendered Audio Effects Select the In-
clude Rendered Audio Effects option. Otherwise,
audio files without any AudioSuite effects from
the original sequence—even if those effects were
previously rendered.
8 Click Save or Save As in the Export Settings di-
alog:
Convert Audio Sample Rate/Bit Depth/File For-
mat Select Project for any of these, and the cur-
• Click Save to use the specified settings
whenever Export to Pro Tools is selected
from the Export Settings menu. These set-
tings will also be used when choosing any
of the options located at File > Send To >
Media StationPT to Pro Tools.
rent Audio Project Setting will be used. (See
“Configuring Audio Settings” on page 41.)
While new audio files are typically stored in the
OMFI MediaFiles folder (for OMF audio) or the
Avid MediaFiles folder (for MXF audio), some
workflows let you choose a different target des-
tination for audio in the Media Destination sec-
tion of the Audio Details tab, as follows:
• Click Save As to save these settings as a pre-
set with a different name. These settings
can then be recalled in the Export dialog. If
you click Save As instead of Save, the Ex-
port to Pro Tools settings will not be
changed.
Media Drive This option exports audio media to
the OMFI or Avid MediaFiles folder on con-
nected storage. Select the Use Media Creation
Settings option to use the default settings, or de-
select that option to choose a media drive from
the pop-up menu.
9 Click Save in the Export As dialog. (The Export
Settings cannot be saved until you have selected
a target drive for both audio and video.)
Folder This option exports audio media to a spe-
cific folder. Select the Use Same Folder as AAF
File option to export the media into the same
folder you designated for exporting the AAF se-
quence, or deselect this option to select a spe-
cific folder location for the media.
64 Media Station|PT Guide
When the export is complete, you are ready to
import the file into Pro Tools.
4 Use the controls underneath the Source Mon-
itor to locate the first frame of the portion of the
clip that you want to edit into the sequence.
For more information on opening and im-
porting AAF sequences in Pro Tools, see
“Importing Audio and Video into
Step Forward 1
Frame
Pro Tools” on page 71. For more informa-
tion on the Import Session dialog, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Rewind
Mark Cursor
In
Mark
Clip
To export only part of a sequence:
Fast-
Forward
Pause
Clear
Both
Marks
1 Choose Clip > New Sequence to create a new
sequence.
Step Backward 1
Frame
Mark
Out
2 In the bin, name the sequence and drag it to
the Record Monitor.
Source Monitor controls
See “Adding Clips to a New Sequence” on
page 55 for detailed information on using
these controls.
5 Click Mark In to mark the In point (the first
frame of the selected portion of the clip) at the
current position of the cursor.
Media Station|PT main window
6 Using the same controls, locate the last frame
of the portion of the clip that you want to edit
into the sequence.
3 Drag your original sequence to the Source
Monitor.
7 Click Mark Out to mark the Out point (the last
frame of the selected portion of the clip) at the
current position of the cursor.
You can also select the entire clip by clicking
Mark Clip.
8 Click the Record Monitor to select the empty
sequence, then press the Home key to move the
cursor to the beginning of the sequence.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 65
9 Click the Overwrite or Splice-In button. The
selected portion of old sequence is edited into
the empty sequence in the Record Monitor.
Transcoding an HD sequence to SD video is a
slower process than down-converting an HD
project in real-time, but yields better video qual-
ity.
See “Down-Converting an HD Project to SD
Video” on page 54 for details.
To transcode HD resolution video to SD resolution
video:
Splice-In
Overwrite
Overwrite and Splice-In buttons
1 Open the Project in Media Station|PT.
10 Follow the preceding steps for exporting the
new sequence (see “Exporting a Sequence” on
page 61).
2 In the Project window, click the Format tab.
3 Choose a corresponding SD resolution from
the Project Type pop-up menu. For example, in
an NTSC 1080i/59.94 project, switch to a 30i
format and in a PAL 1080i/50 project, switch to
a 25 format.
Transcoding HD Sequences
You can use Media Station|PT to transcode a
1080 HD sequence to SD video for either of the
following purposes:
Playback of HD Video in Pro Tools Pro Toolswith
an Avid video peripheral can import and display
editing metadata in HD Avid video, but cannot
play back or display HD video frames. For this
reason, sequences exported from
Project window, Format tab
Media Station|PT HD projects should also in-
clude a video mixdown in an SD resolution cor-
responding to the original HD resolution if you
need to view the video in Pro Tools. Changing
the resolution of the video mixdown involves
changing the project’s Format type.
Because no SD equivalent exists for 720p
projects, they cannot be converted to SD
prior to exporting. If you export an AAF se-
quence from a 720p project in
Media Station|PT, Pro Tools can import
only the video metadata. Or, you may wish
to only export the audio.
Playback of SD Video from HD Sequences
4 Open the bin containing the sequence you
want to transcode, and select the sequence.
Media Station|PT with an Avid video peripheral
can play back SD video to an external NTSC or
PAL monitor, but cannot play back HD video to
an NTSC or PAL monitor. However, if you first
transcode an HD sequence to SD video, you can
output the transcoded video to an external
video monitor with frame edge-aligned accu-
racy.
66 Media Station|PT Guide
5 Choose Clip > Consolidate/Transcode.
Creating a Video Mixdown
Video mixdown combines a sequence (or por-
tion of a sequence) into one video file that re-
flects all edits and effects.
You can mix down multiple video tracks or a
single track. For mixdowns of multiple tracks,
the selected track and all tracks under it are com-
bined into one file that always reflects the top-
most visible track.
Track layers reflected
in video mixdown
Consolidate/Transcode dialog
6 In the Consolidate/Transcode dialog, do the
following:
Layered video tracks in a video mixdown
• Click the Transcode option.
Creating a video mixdown is analogous to
bouncing to disk in Pro Tools, except that
the video mixdown creates only video and
no audio.
• Select the Create New Sequence option.
• Choose the video resolution to which you
want to transcode the sequence from the
Target Video Resolution pop-up menu.
• Select the drive into which you want to
save the transcoded media.
To create a video mixdown:
1 Open the bin containing the sequence you
want to mix down.
Media is transcoded to SD and SD sequence is
created.
2 Drag the sequence to the Record Monitor. The
tracks comprising the sequence display in the
Timeline.
8 When Media Station|PT has finished
transcoding media, export the new sequence as
an AAF. (See “Exporting Audio and Video from
Media Station|PT” on page 58.)
Record and Source Monitors
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 67
3 Do one of the following:
5 Under the Record Monitor, click the Mark In
button to mark the In point at the beginning of
the sequence.
• To combine multiple video tracks into the
mixdown, select a video track, then click
the Record Track Monitor button next to
the track. Video tracks above the selected
track will not be included in the mixdown.
Mark
In
Record Track
Monitor
Mark
Out
Record Monitor controls
6 Drag the cursor to the position at which you
want the sequence to end. (Press the End key to
move the cursor to the end of the sequence.)
Record Track monitor
– or –
7 Click Mark Out button to set the Out point.
• To select only one video track for mix-
down, Control-click (Windows) or Com-
mand-click (Macintosh) the Record Track
Monitor button. The button will turn
green.
The portion of the sequence you have selected
will be mixed down.
8 Choose Special > Video Mixdown.
Record Track
Monitor (solo)
Record Track monitor
4 On the Timeline or in the Record Monitor,
drag the cursor to the position in the sequence
at which you wish the mixdown to start. (Press
the Home key to move the cursor to the begin-
ning of the Timeline.)
Video Mixdown dialog
9 From the Target bin pop-up menu, choose the
bin where you wish to store the master clip of
the video mixdown.
10 From the Target Drive pop-up menu, choose
the volume where you wish to save the video
mixdown. On the volume you select, MXF me-
dia are stored in the Avid MediaFiles folder, and
OMF media are stored in the OMFI MediaFiles
folder.
68 Media Station|PT Guide
11 Choose a file resolution for the video mix-
2 Do one of the following:
down from the Resolution pop-up menu.
• Select the sequence, and choose File >
Check In to Interplay for Pro Tools.
12 Click OK.
– or –
A progress bar displays as Media Station|PT saves
the video mix to the location and resolutions
you have specified.
• Right-click the sequence, and choose
Check In to Interplay for Pro Tools.
If you have previously used the Interplay Ad-
ministrator to set the Editor Export Settings for
Pro Tools plug-in for the project folder, the
Pro Tools Video Mixdown dialog appears.
Checking In a Sequence to
Interplay for Pro Tools
(Avid Interplay System Only)
This section describes how to use
Media Station|PT to check in a sequence to In-
terplay for Pro Tools.
To check in a sequence to Interplay for Pro Tools:
Video Mix dialog
1 In Media Station|PT, navigate to the bin con-
taining the sequence you want to export.
See the Pro Tools Avid Interplay Guide for
detailed information.
3 Select one of the following options:
New Video Mixdown Includes a video mixdown
in the exported sequence using the resolution
set in the Project Type pop-up menu of the
project window’s Format tab. Select this option
if you are working on an HD project. No video
effects will be rendered in the project.
Link to Existing Video Media Use this option
when effects have either been rendered or are
unnecessary for working in Pro Tools. (Ensure
that linked video can be played from the
Pro Tools system.) With this option,
Media Station|PT:
Bin containing the sequence to export
• Does not render any effects.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 69
• Determines whether the current resolution
matches the Transcode resolution in the Edi-
tor Export Settings for Pro Tools plug-in in the
Interplay Administrator. Depending on
whether the settings match, one of the follow-
ing occurs:
When you use Media Station|PT to check in a se-
quence to Interplay for Pro Tools, the system
chooses a destination folder in the Interplay da-
tabase based on the current Interplay view set-
tings, with the default destination folder as fol-
lows:
• If the settings either match or have not
been created for the check-in folder, the
system creates a sequence that links to the
existing media and does not create a video
mixdown or render any video effects.
Projects\project_name\bin_name
If your check-in destination folder is a folder for
which settings have not been defined, the sys-
tem displays the Pro Tools Export Settings dia-
log so you can specify the settings.
• If the settings do not match, the system
transcodes the sequence according to the
setting in the Export Settings for Pro Tools
plug-in and links the sequence to this new
media. The system also renders (or re-ren-
ders) all video effects to match the
transcode resolution. The application over-
rides the “Link To” option in order to guar-
antee that you have access to a resolution
supported by Pro Tools.
Pro Tools Export Settings dialog
Exported Files in Interplay
If this is the first time the you have checked in a
sequence to Interplay for Pro Tools for this
project, the system performs the following oper-
ations:
4 Click OK to check in the sequence to Interplay
for Pro Tools.
After Checking In a Sequence to
Interplay for Pro Tools
• Checks in the Avid sequence to the bin_name
folder.
The system exports the sequence from
Media Station|PT, and then checks in the se-
quence to Interplay.
• Creates a Pro Tools folder within the bin_name
folder.
• Checks in the files for the Pro Tools editor to
the Pro Tools folder.
If the Interplay folder containing the exported
sequence has been configured with video and
audio settings defined in the Editor Export Set-
tings for Pro Tools plug-in, those settings are ap-
plied to the sequence. (These settings can apply
to either the entire database or to one or more
folders, depending on how they are configured.)
70 Media Station|PT Guide
• Checks in a Pro Tools sequence to the
Pro Tools folder.
Importing Audio and Video
into Pro Tools
This section explains the basic steps of import-
ing an AAF sequence into a Pro Tools session.
Importing an AAF Sequence as a
Pro Tools Session
The name matches the name in the
Media Station|PT application bin
The easiest way of using Pro Tools to edit a se-
quence exported from Media Station|PT is to
open it as a new session.
Location of the Avid sequence and its associated
Pro Tools folder
The first time the sequence is exported, the sys-
tem appends the text “_v1_forPT” to the se-
quence name in the Pro Tools folder. Each sub-
sequent time the sequence is exported, it uses
the text “_v2_forPT,” “_v3_forPT,” and so on.
To open an AAF sequence as a Pro Tools session:
1 Launch Pro Tools.
2 Choose File > Open Session.
3 In the Open Session dialog, navigate to the
AAF sequence you want to import.
The following illustration shows the contents of
the Pro Tools folder after the first export.
4 Click Open.
“_v1_forPT” appended
to the sequence name
Red dots
Contents of Pro Tools folder (left pane) and sequence
listed in that directory (right pane)
The red dots in the illustration indicate that
the system has placed a reservation on the
files to prevent unauthorized deletion for a
fixed period of time. For more information,
see the Avid Interplay Access User’s Guide.
Pro Tools New Session dialog
5 Name your session in the File Name field.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 71
6 Select the I/O Settings to use for the session.
Several pre-configured I/O Settings are included
with your system, or you can select a custom I/O
Setting that you have created.
8 From the Audio Media Options pop-up menu,
choose how you want to import audio files into
Pro Tools:
• If the audio files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools can play back audio, select
Link to Source Media (Where Possible).
7 Click Save.
The Import Session Data dialog appears.
• If the audio files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools cannot play back audio,
select Copy from Source Media to copy all
audio to the Pro Tools audio storage or
Consolidate from Source Media to copy
only the portions of the audio used in the
Pro Tools Timeline to the Pro Tools audio
storage.
9 From the Video Media Options pop-up menu,
choose how you want to import video files into
Pro Tools:
• If the video files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools can play back video, select
• If the video files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools cannot play back video, se-
lect Copy from Source Media to copy all
video to the Pro Tools video storage.
Import Session Data dialog
10 Change other parameters as desired. For
more information, see “Exporting Audio from
Pro Tools for Media Station PT” on page 78.
Pro Tools lets you open and import AAF se-
quences that reference audio files with
11 Click OK.
mixed sample rates and/or bit depths. Audio
files will be converted to the highest sample
rate and bit depth of the files being imported
(for new sessions) or to the current sample
rate and/or bit depth (for existing sessions).
Pro Tools will create a new Audio Files folder, a
Fade Files folder, a Video Files folder, a
cache.wfm file, and a session file at the desig-
nated locations. This session will match the au-
dio file type, sample rate, and bit depth of the
audio in the AAF sequence you selected.
72 Media Station|PT Guide
3 From the Audio Media Options pop-up menu,
choose how you want to import audio files into
Pro Tools:
Importing an AAF Sequence into
an Existing Session
You can import an AAF sequence containing au-
dio and video into an existing Pro Tools session.
• If the audio files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools can play back audio, select
Link to Source Media (Where Possible).
Any video imported into Pro Tools must be
the same frame rate as video already placed
in the Timeline.
• If the audio files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools cannot play back audio,
select Copy from Source Media to copy all
audio to the Pro Tools audio storage or
Consolidate from Source Media to copy
only the audio used in the session to the
Pro Tools audio storage.
To open and import audio and/or video tracks from
an AAF sequence:
1 Open an existing Pro Tools session.
2 Choose File > Import > Session Data, and
choose the AAF sequence that you wish to im-
port.
4 From the Video Media Options pop-up menu,
choose how you want to import video files into
Pro Tools:
Pro Tools cannot play video that is embed-
ded in an AAF sequence, but it can read the
video editing metadata when imported into
a satellite track. Do not use this option if
you want to import the video itself into
Pro Tools. (See “Opening an AAF Sequence
for Playback on a Video Satellite System”
on page 110.)
• If the video files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools can play back video, select
Link to Source Media.
• If the video files reside on a volume from
which Pro Tools cannot play back video, se-
lect Copy from Source Media to copy all
video to the Pro Tools video storage.
5 In the Import Session Data dialog, deselect
any source tracks that you do not want to be im-
ported. (If you are importing Session Data from
AAF sequences, all tracks are selected by default.
If you are importing tracks from a Pro Tools ses-
sion, no tracks are selected by default.)
You can also open an AAF sequence by
dragging it from any location on your com-
puter or the DigiBase browser to the
Pro Tools Timeline.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 73
Drive Selection When Importing
Session Data
When using the Import Session Data dialog to
import audio files with Copy or Consolidate
Source selected in the Audio Media Options
pop-up menu, all new audio files are stored on
the volumes designated for their respective tar-
get tracks in the Disk Allocation dialog.
Importing Avid Video into
Pro Tools
You can import an OMF or MXF video file into
Pro Tools. You might do this, for example, to
import a video mixdown created in
Media Station|PT.
To import Avid video into Pro Tools:
Import Session Data dialog
1 Create a new Pro Tools session or open an ex-
isting session.
6 Click OK.
If there are any errors or region name trun-
cations, a dialog will appear asking you if
you want a detailed report of the changes.
Click Yes and choose where you want to
save the log.
2 Choose File > Import > Video.
3 In the Select Video File to Import dialog, lo-
cate the video file.
7 If your audio or video is on a volume that is
not suitable for playback (shown as a Transfer
volume in the Workspace browser), Pro Tools
displays a dialog that guides you to copy the me-
dia to a volume designated for Playback or
Record. (Click Yes.)
Pro Tools imports the audio and video to the
Timeline. Audio tracks with mixed sample rates
and/or bit depth are automatically converted to
the same sample rate and bit depth as the ses-
sion.
Select Video Files to Import dialog
4 Click Open.
Pro Tools imports the video file into the Video
track.
Now you are ready to edit the audio files in
Pro Tools.
74 Media Station|PT Guide
3 Navigate to the Pro Tools folder containing
the sequence you want to import.
Importing a Sequence into
Pro Tools from Interplay
(Avid Interplay System Only)
This section describes how to locate a sequence
that has been exported to the Interplay database
from Media Station|PT and import it into
Pro Tools. This section assumes that you have
already configured the Pro Tools Import settings
in the Interplay Administration tool.
Navigating to the sequence
For more information, see the Pro Tools
Avid Interplay Guide.
4 Right-click the sequence, and choose Import
to Digidesign Pro Tools.
If you do not establish Pro Tools Import Settings
before importing the sequence into Pro Tools,
you can select the appropriate values in the Im-
port Session Data dialog during the import pro-
cess.
When importing a sequence from Interplay into
Pro Tools, you can import into a new or existing
session.
Importing a Sequence into Pro Tools
from within Interplay
Importing a sequence into Pro Tools from within Access
Importing a Sequence from Interplay
from within Pro Tools
To check out the sequence and import it into
Pro Tools from within Avid Interplay Access:
This section describes to how to use Pro Tools to
import a sequence from Interplay. If you have
not yet opened Interplay Access and specified a
server to connect to, you must do that before
performing this procedure.
1 If you want to import the sequence into an ex-
isting session in Pro Tools, launch Pro Tools and
open that session.
2 Start Avid Interplay Access.
See “Importing a Sequence into Pro Tools
from within Interplay” on page 75 for de-
tailed information.
To check out the sequence and import it into
Pro Tools from within Pro Tools:
1 Start Pro Tools.
2 If you want to import the sequence into an ex-
isting session, open that session.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 75
3 Choose File > Import > Sequence from Avid
9 In the Interplay Engine Browser, locate and se-
Interplay.
lect the sequence that you want to import.
The Interplay Engine Browser appears.
Interplay
database
Interplay Engine Browser
4 In the Interplay Engine Browser, expand the
Interplay database by clicking the plus sign (+)
next to it.
Interplay Engine Browser (folder structure displayed)
Files that appear in greyed out text out are
not available for import into Pro Tools.
5 Expand the root folder of the database—usu-
ally titled AvidWG or a variation thereof—by
clicking the plus sign (+) next to its name.
10 Click OK.
The folder structure matches the structure in
Interplay Access.
11 If the Name the Session dialog appears, nav-
igate to the appropriate location either on local
storage or on a dedicated Unity workspace, and
click Save.
6 Expand the Projects folder.
7 Expand the project containing the sequence
you want to check out and import to Pro Tools.
The Logon to Interplay dialog appears.
8 Enter your username and password, and click
OK.
Name the Session dialog
Logon to Interplay dialog
This dialog does not appear if you are im-
porting a sequence into an existing session.
76 Media Station|PT Guide
12 If the Pro Tools Import Session Data dialog
appears, select the appropriate options and click
OK.
Pro Tools imports the sequence, copies any me-
dia (if the settings require copying), and displays
the imported sequence within the Pro Tools ses-
sion.
If the sequence was linked to media files on
unmounted volumes, the system provides a
warning and asks you to mount those vol-
umes before you proceed with copying or
linking to media.
Sequence imported from Interplay into the Timeline
Import Session Data dialog
This dialog does not appear if you config-
ured the Pro Tools Import Settings in the
Avid Interplay Administrator. Pro Tools au-
tomatically uses those settings to import the
sequence. (See the Pro Tools Avid Interplay
Guide for detailed information on configur-
ing Pro Tools Import Settings, and the Digi-
Translator Guide for detailed information
on setting options in this dialog.)
Editing Audio in Pro Tools
Audio files created in Media Station|PT are ei-
ther MXF files or OMF-wrapped AIFF or WAV
files, which Pro Tools cannot edit destructively.
When you use Pro Tools to perform a destruc-
tive edit (such as using AudioSuite processing to
replace the original sound), it creates a new copy
of the file and leaves the original untouched.
See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for de-
tailed information on editing audio files in
Pro Tools.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 77
3 Under OMF/AAF Options, choose AAF from
Exporting Audio from
Pro Tools for Media Station PT
the Export As pop-up menu.
4 Select Enforce Avid Compatibility.
In Pro Tools, you can export audio tracks for use
in Media Station|PT using any of the following
methods:
Enforce Avid Compatibility creates frame-accu-
rate edits, wraps the files as OMFI (unless you
choose MXF), and limits the sample rate options
to 44.1 or 48 kHz. Dithering without noise shap-
ing will be applied to files being exported from
24-bit to 16-bit.
• Exporting selected tracks as an AAF se-
quence
• Bouncing to disk
• Exporting edited audio tracks to Interplay
from Pro Tools (Avid Interplay system re-
quired)
For other export methods, see the Pro Tools Ref-
erence Guide.
Exporting Tracks as AAF
Sequences
Use Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF to ex-
port individual tracks or an entire Pro Tools ses-
sion in AAF format.
Tracks are exported in their entirety and
time selections are ignored.
Export to OMF/AAF dialog
Volume and pan automation is not retained
on export if Quantize Edits to Frame Bound-
aries is enabled (Avid Compatibility Mode).
An OMF sequence cannot reference MXF
media files. In the Export Selected Tracks as
OMF/AAF dialog, MXF is only available
when AAF is selected in the Export As pop-
up menu
The Movie track cannot be exported to AAF
or OMF from Pro Tools.
5 Ensure that the Target Project Time Code For-
mat pop-up menu displays the correct frame
rate for the Media Station|PT project.
To export selected audio tracks from Pro Tools as
an AAF sequence:
1 In Pro Tools, select the tracks you want to ex-
port in the Pro Tools session by Shift-clicking
the names of each track.
6 Click OK.
2 Choose File > Export > Selected Tracks as
OMF/AAF.
78 Media Station|PT Guide
7 In the Publishing Options dialog, type the
11 In the Please Choose a Folder for Converted
Pro Tools Comment and Sequence Name.
Audio Files dialog, do one of the following:
• If you are exporting to the same storage
that Media Station|PT will be accessing,
navigate to the OMFI MediaFiles folder
(AIFF or WAV files) or the Avid MediaFiles
folder (MXF files).
Publishing Options dialog
– or –
8 Click OK.
• If you are exporting to a location that is not
directly accessible to Media Station|PT,
navigate to a location where you can easily
find the audio files when you need to copy
them over to the Media Station|PT com-
puter.
Pro Tools will create a sequence with the name
you supply. (The Pro Tools comment appears in
the Media Station|PT bin in a Pro Tools Com-
ment column.)
9 In the Name the AAF/OMF File to Export dia-
log, navigate to a folder where you can easily lo-
cate the Pro Tools composition when it is time
to import it into Media Station|PT.
Navigating to the OMFI MediaFiles folder (OMF media)
or Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder (AAF media)
12 Click Use Current Folder (Windows) or
Choose (Macintosh).
Name the AAF File to Export dialog (OMF dialog not
shown)
Pro Tools exports the following files:
• The sequence is saved to the folder you des-
ignated.
Do not save the sequence to either the OMFI
Media Files folder or the Avid Media Files
folder.
• If you exported audio files directly to the
Media Station|PT video storage, related me-
dia is saved to the appropriate volume and
folder (OMFI MediaFiles or Avid Media-
Files/MXF/1) accessible to
10 Click Save.
Media Station|PT.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 79
13 Do one of the following:
3 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
• If you are using Media Station|PT on the
same computer as Pro Tools and are ready
to use it to import the files you just ex-
ported Media Station|PT, exit Pro Tools.
• If you were unable to save the audio por-
tion of the AAF sequence to storage that is
directly accessible from Media Station|PT,
copy the audio files from their saved loca-
tion to the OMFI MediaFiles folder (for
AIFF or WAV media) or Avid MediaFiles
folder (for MXF media) on a drive con-
nected to your Media Station|PT system
Exporting Audio Files Using
Bounce to Disk
Bounce to Disk dialog
4 Select the Enforce Avid Compatibility option.
Use the Bounce to Disk command to create pre-
mixed files of the current Pro Tools session. This
does not export the individual files on the Time-
line, but it does guarantee that the mix you hear
in Media Station|PT will be identical to the mix
you hear in Pro Tools, including all panning, ef-
fects and automation.
Enforce Avid Compatibility creates frame-accu-
rate edits, wraps the files as OMFI (unless you
choose MXF), and limits the sample rate options
to 44.1 or 48 kHz. Dithering without noise shap-
ing will be applied to files being bounced from
24-bit to 16-bit.
5 Choose a file type from the File Type pop-up
To export audio files using Bounce to Disk:
menu.
1 In Pro Tools, finalize the mix.
6 Click Bounce.
2 Select the time range of the session that you
want to export. (All audible tracks in that time
range will be included in the bounce, whether
they are selected or not.)
7 In the Publishing Options dialog, type the
Pro Tools Comment and Clip Name.
If you selected more than one region for export,
the Clip Name field will not be available and the
names of the regions will be used for the ex-
ported files.
Publishing Options dialog
80 Media Station|PT Guide
8 Choose the Target Project Time Code Format.
3 In the Export Comment dialog, type a com-
ment and click OK.
9 Click OK.
10 In the Save Bounce As dialog, navigate to the
volume you will use for audio playback in Media
Station|PT.
• For MXF audio files, ensure the file is saved
to the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder.
• For all other audio files, ensure the file is
saved to the OMFI MediaFiles folder.
Export Comment dialog
11 Click Save.
4 In the Replace or Add Selected Tracks dialog,
select a method for laying back edited audio ma-
terial into the Pro Tools sequence residing on
the Interplay server:
ported to two multi-mono audio files.
Replace with Selected Tracks Replaces the old
audio tracks in the Pro Tools sequence with the
edited audio tracks. Select this option if you do
not want to preserve the original audio in the se-
quence.
Exporting Edited Audio Tracks to
Interplay from Pro Tools
(Avid Interplay System Only)
“Importing a Sequence into Pro Tools from In-
terplay” on page 75 describes using Interplay to
import an AAF sequence created specifically for
use in Pro Tools. This section describes how to
use Interplay to export final audio from
Pro Tools back to that same AAF sequence so
that it may be easily imported into Media Sta-
tion|PT, Media Composer, or other Avid editors.
Add Selected Tracks Adds the edited audio
tracks to the Pro Tools sequence on the Inter-
play database. Select this option if you want to
preserve the original audio in the sequence.
When adding selected tracks, ensure that
the total number of tracks in the sequence
residing on the Interplay server does not ex-
ceed the total allowed number of tracks for
Media Station|PT—24 audio and 24 video
tracks.
It is recommended that you provide com-
pleted audio stems rather than audio tracks
with edits.
To export audio tracks from Pro Tools, and then
check in audio tracks to Interplay:
1 In Pro Tools, select the tracks that you want to
export into the Pro Tools sequence on Interplay.
2 Select File > Export > Selected Tracks to Se-
quence in Avid Interplay.
Replace or Add Selected Tracks
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 81
5 Click OK.
The Media Tool Display lets you scan all media
files in both the OMFI MediaFiles and Avid Me-
diaFiles folders.
A confirmation message box appears.
6 Click OK.
4 Select the Master Clips and the Media Clip op-
tions.
The sequence in the Avid Interplay database is
now ready to be checked out and imported by
Media Station|PT.
5 Under the Media Drives list, do one of the fol-
lowing:
• Select the drives that contain media files
for your project.
Importing Audio into
Media Station|PT from
Pro Tools
– or –
• Click All Drives to select all applicable
drives for scanning.
6 Under the Projects list, click All Projects to
scan all available media files.
Once you have exported audio files or sequences
from Pro Tools, you may import them into a bin
in Media Station|PT.
7 Click OK.
The Media Tool window appears, displaying the
media you selected.
Importing Audio Files into a Bin
To import audio files into Media Station|PT:
1 Launch Media Station|PT, and open the de-
sired project.
2 Open the bin into which you wish to import
the audio files from Pro Tools.
3 Choose Tools > Media Tool.
Media Tool
8 To sort the files in the bin by a specific column
(such as Name or Creation Date), right-click the
column and select “Sort on Column, Ascend-
ing” or “Sort on Column, Descending.”
9 In the Media Tool window, select the Stereo
(or multi-mono) master clip exported from
Pro Tools.
10 Drag the master clip to the bin.
Media Tool Display
82 Media Station|PT Guide
11 Close the Media Tool.
7 When the Media Tool displays the contents of
the media folders again, you can transfer the ex-
ported Pro Tools audio back into the appropriate
media folder.
12 To preview the contents of the imported au-
dio clip, double-click the audio clip in the bin.
The audio clip will open in a pop-up monitor.
Importing an AAF Audio Sequence
into a Bin
Restoring Invisible Media Files in the
Media Tool
(Media Station|PT on Windows XP Only)
To import an AAF sequence into Media Station|PT:
If you have not disabled Simple File Sharing on
Windows XP—and you have exported audio
from Pro Tools to either the OMFI MediaFiles or
Avid MediaFiles folder on a Windows-based
Media Station|PT system—you may notice that
those audio files or the entire contents of the
media folder become invisible in the Media
Tool.
1 Launch Media Station|PT, and open the de-
sired project.
2 Select the bin where you would like to import
the sequence.
3 Choose File > Import.
4 In the Select Files to Import dialog, navigate to
the sequence you wish to import, and ensure the
correct drive is selected for audio.
lowing these steps.
5 Click Open. The new audio sequence appears
in the selected bin, along with all related audio
clips.
To restore the visibility of media files in the Media
Tool:
One of the following occurs:
1 On the Media Station|PT machine, disable
Simple File Sharing as described in “Disabling
Simple File Sharing” on page 29.
• If you imported an AAF sequence containing
embedded audio, Media Station|PT automati-
cally copies the embedded audio to either the
Avid MediaFiles folder or the OMFI MediaFiles
folder.
2 Quit Media Station|PT.
3 In Windows Explorer, navigate to the OMFI
MediaFiles or Avid MediaFiles folder (whichever
folder you exported the audio files from
Pro Tools), and move those files to another loca-
tion (or delete them).
• If you imported an AAF sequence that refer-
ences audio—and Media Station|PT does not
have direct access to the audio—you must
copy the audio files from the Pro Tools audio
storage to either the Avid Media Files folder or
the OMFI MediaFiles folder.
4 Launch Media Station|PT.
5 Do the following:
6 To hear the contents of the imported audio se-
quence, double-click the audio sequence in the
bin. The audio sequence opens in a pop-up
monitor or in the Timeline (depending on your
Bin settings). Press the Spacebar to play.
• Choose File > Refresh Media Directories.
• Choose Tools > Media Tool.
6 If the Media Tool does not display the media
files, repeat the last step until the contents of the
media folders are visible again. You may have to
do this several times.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 83
Media Station|PT checks out the sequence and
imports it and its related files into the bin.
Importing Pro Tools Audio Files
Back into Media Station|PT from
Avid Interplay
Imported
sequence
(Avid Interplay System Only)
After you have checked the completed audio
stems from Pro Tools back into the AAF se-
quence on the Interplay server, you must import
the sequence back into Media Station|PT.
Video mixdown
created during
first check in to
Interplay
Original
sequence
To import the sequence into Media Station|PT:
1 In Media Station|PT, open the Interplay Win-
dow and navigate to the location of the
checked-in Pro Tools sequence.
Bin after import
3 You can now do one of the following:
• Add the new audio tracks into the original
sequence.
Pro Tools folder
Files checked in by
the Pro Tools editor
– or –
• Work with the imported sequence.
In this example, the Pro Tools audio tracks are
added into the original sequence.
If you plan to check in the sequence to Inter-
play for Pro Tools again, it is simpler to im-
port the audio into the original sequence.
Every time you export a sequence for
Pro Tools, the system appends the text
“_vx_forPT,” where x is the number of
times the sequence has been exported. It can
become confusing if several similar text
strings are appended to the name.
Interplay browser
Depending on edits made in Pro Tools, you
might see several audio files with names
containing the prefix “Sample accurate
edit.” For more information, see “Frame-
Rate Accurate Video Editing and Sample-
Rate Accurate Audio Editing” on page 85.
4 Load the imported sequence into the Source
monitor.
2 Drag the sequence into the bin.
5 Add the audio into the original sequence us-
ing standard editing techniques.
For more information, see the documenta-
tion (PDF or Help file) for
Media Station|PT.
84 Media Station|PT Guide
The following illustration shows the audio
tracks cut into the original sequence. In this ex-
ample, the original tracks are overwritten.
The following illustration shows Sample accu-
rate edit files in the Interplay Window.
Sample-accurate
edit audio files
Sequence in the Avid Timeline after overwrite
6 Now you can use Media Station|PT to make
any adjustments to the sequence and do the fol-
lowing:
• Create a digital cut.
• Perform a Send to Playout operation.
• Check in the sequence to Interplay for
Pro Tools if the Pro Tools editor needs to
work on the sequence again.
Sample-accurate edits in the Interplay window
Avid video editing applications edit with frame
accuracy. This means that when using
Media Station|PT to work on a 30-fps project,
you can edit at 30 different locations for every
one second of video. Pro Tools edits with sample
rate accuracy. In a 48 kHz session, there are po-
tentially 48,000 locations to edit for every sec-
ond of audio.
Frame-Rate Accurate Video Editing and
Sample-Rate Accurate Audio Editing
After a sequence has been exported back to In-
terplay from Pro Tools, a number of additional
media files appear in the Interplay Window and
in the bin. Some have names containing the
prefix Sample accurate edit. These are the addi-
tional media files that Pro Tools creates to make
sure that Media Station|PT receives frame-accu-
rate audio. Sample-accurate edit media files are
visible if you zoom in on portions of the im-
ported audio in the Timeline.
When Pro Tools exports a sequence, it must en-
sure that the audio media files line up on frame
boundaries. To do this, it might have to split an
existing audio clip into three clips. For example,
the following illustration shows a 5-frame video
clip and a corresponding audio clip. In
Pro Tools, the audio clips might not line up on
video frame boundaries.
1 Pro Tools
audio clip
5 frame
video clip
The original audio clip does not line up on video frame
boundaries
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 85
In order to export frame accurate audio clips,
Pro Tools splits the audio media on frame
boundaries and fills any gaps with silence. The
following illustration shows the resulting audio
clips that are exported to Media Station|PT.
2 Drag the original sequence to the Record
Monitor to see all elements in the Timeline.
New audio clips with
padded silence
3 exported
audio clips
Record and Source Monitors
5 frame
video clip
The original sequence displays in the Timeline.
Exported audio clips line up on video frame boundaries
Timeline
Track
buttons
To cut down on the number of sample accurate
edit files, the Pro Tools editor can perform a
Bounce to disk for each track (or a bus-record to
an audio track) rather than exporting tracks that
contain all of the audio edits.
Synchronizing Audio with a
Media Station|PT Sequence
Original sequence displays in Timeline
Once you have imported an audio file or se-
quence from Pro Tools into a bin in
3 Drag the imported audio clip or sequence
from the bin to the Source Monitor. New Source
Track buttons for the source appear to the left of
the Track buttons for the Timeline.
Media Station|PT, you can synchronize it with
video. This is especially useful for verifying sync
with the original video sequence, then laying
audio and video back to tape or creating a digital
movie with your final mix.
Source Timeline
Track
Track
buttons buttons
To synchronize an edited audio file or sequence
with the original video sequence:
1 Ensure that the audio exported from Pro Tools
is now residing in a bin within your current
project.
New track buttons
86 Media Station|PT Guide
4 Use the controls underneath the Source Mon-
itor to locate the first frame of the portion of the
clip that you want to edit into the sequence.
The portion of the audio source between the In
point and the Out point is now selected for ed-
iting into the sequence.
Step Forward 1
Frame
You can also click the Clear Both Marks
button to clear the In and Out points.
Rewind
Mark Cursor
In
Mark
Clip
8 Choose Clip > New Audio Track to add audio
tracks to the sequence. (This leaves any original
audio tracks in place to compare synchroniza-
tion.) Add a new track for each channel of audio
you want to add.
Fast-For-
ward
Pause
Clear
Both
Marks
Existing
audio
Step Backward 1
Frame
Mark
Out
tracks
Source Monitor controls
New audio
tracks
See “Adding Clips to a New Sequence” on
page 55 for detailed information on using
these controls.
Audio tracks in the Timeline
9 If necessary, click on the Source track buttons
and drag to the desired new Timeline track but-
tons so that the new media will be placed on the
correct tracks in the Timeline.
Enable the Caps Lock to hear audio while
scrubbing.
5 Click Mark In to mark the In point (the first
frame of the selected portion) at the current po-
sition of the cursor.
6 Using the same controls, locate the last frame
of the portion of the source that you want to
edit into the sequence.
Linking
Source track
to Timeline
track
7 Click Mark Out to mark the Out point (the last
frame of the selected portion) at the current po-
sition of the cursor.
You can also select the entire source clip or
sequence by clicking Mark Clip.
Source
Track linked
to Timeline
track
Aligning Source audio tracks with Timeline audio tracks
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 87
10 If the original audio tracks still display yellow
speaker icons, click the speaker icons in the
Track Enable button to mute them. The speaker
icons for the original tracks will disappear, and
the speaker icons should appear yellow in the
new tracks, indicating that they will be heard.
13 Under the Record Monitor, click the Clear
Both Marks button to remove any In and Out
points (if present).
Clear Both
Marks
Record Monitor controls
Speaker
icons
14 Click the Overwrite button to lay the audio
into the Timeline.
Clicking the speaker icons to disable Source tracks
11 If the video track and the original audio
tracks are enabled (gray), disable them and en-
able the new audio tracks (purple), by clicking
the correct audio track buttons (A1–A24). This
will ensure that only the new tracks will be af-
fected by any editing commands.
Splice-In
Overwrite
Overwrite and Splice-In buttons
The audio selected between the In and Out
points in the Source Monitor is laid into the
Timeline at the position of the cursor.
Disabled
tracks
Enabled
tracks
New audio tracks in Timeline
New audio tracks
from Pro Tools
12 In the Timeline, place the cursor at the posi-
tion where you want to lay the new audio into
the Timeline. (Press Home to move to the begin-
ning of the sequence.)
Timeline with new audio sequence
Timeline containing two empty audio tracks
88 Media Station|PT Guide
15 If you want to display audio waveforms in
the Timeline, click the Fast Menu (located on
the lower left hand corner of the Timeline), and
choose Audio Data > Energy Plot. Ensure that
the new audio tracks appear synchronized with
the originals.
Methods of Exporting Media
This section covers the following methods of ex-
porting media:
• Laying back audio and video to tape
• Exporting to XDCAM
Laying Back Audio and Video to
Tape
Pro Tools video playback is intended for moni-
toring purposes only, and is not suitable for pro-
fessional layback or broadcast, regardless of the
resolution or frame rate of the video. However,
video output from Media Station|PT is profes-
sional quality. Use Media Station|PT when you
need to output both audio and video to tape. To
avoid dropped frames, it is recommended that
all effects be rendered before performing a lay-
back.
Fast menu
Fast menu
16 If necessary, make sure the video track’s Mon-
itor button is enabled (purple). This will allow
you to view the video portion of the sequence in
the Record Monitor (or client monitor).
Monitor
button
To record audio and video to tape from
Media Station|PT:
1 Insert a video tape into your VTR. In most
cases, Media Station|PT will present a list of
tapes already associated with this project and
ask you which tape you have inserted.
Enabling the Video track
17 Press the Home key to move the cursor to the
beginning of the sequence and press the Space-
bar to play the sequence. The new audio should
be synchronized with the video.
After verifying the new audio sequence is cor-
rectly synchronized, you can do either of the
following:
• Lay audio and video back to tape using Dig-
ital Cut
• Export your sequence as a QuickTime,
MPEG, or other format digital movie.
Select Tape dialog
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 89
2 Do one of the following:
4 Set the In and Out points in the Timeline as
desired.
• Select one of the displayed tape names and
click OK.
5 Choose Output > Digital Cut. The Digital Cut
– or –
Tool appears.
• Click New to add a new tape to the list.
3 Ensure that the Device setting is set to Avid
DNA (if you are outputting through an Avid
video peripheral) or IEEE 1394 (if you are out-
putting through FireWire) by doing one of the
following:
• Click the DNA/1394 button in the Time-
line.
DNA/1394 button
Digital Cut Tool
6 In the Source Track buttons on the far left, se-
lect the top video track. Only the selected track
and the video tracks below it will be recorded.
DNA/1394 button (showing both DNA and 1394 status)
Source Record Record
Track
Track Enable
buttons buttons
Preview
– or –
• Select Special > Device > Avid DNA or IEEE
1394.
Selected Source tracks
7 Select the audio tracks you want to include.
Only the selected tracks will be included in the
recording.
8 Use the Record Track buttons on the right to
select which audio and video tracks to record on
the tape.
Avid DNA and IEEE 1394 options in the Device pop-up
menu
90 Media Station|PT Guide
9 Do one of the following:
15 Specify the Sequence Time to start recording
on the tape at the same time as the start of the
sequence. For example, if the sequence starts at
1:00:00 in the Timeline, Media Station|PT will
start recording when the tape reaches 1:00:00.
• To record the entire sequence to tape, select
the Entire Sequence option.
– or –
• To record the portions of the sequence you
marked with In and Out points to tape, en-
sure that the Entire Sequence option is de-
selected.
16 Specify the Record Deck Time to start record-
ing wherever the VTR is currently parked.
17 Specify the Mark In Time to start recording at
the address entered in the top window to the
right of the transport controls.
10 If you are laying back via a FireWire (1394)
connection (Special > Device > IEEE 1394), select
the appropriate output mode from the Output
Mode pop-up menu as follows:
18 Click the yellow Preview button to check
that all of the tracks you selected are playing and
that the insert points on the tape are correct.
• If all of the media on your Timeline is
DV25, or if it is all DV50, and all of your ef-
fects are rendered, you can achieve a
slightly higher quality of output by select-
ing DV25 or DV50 as appropriate.
19 To record using Local mode, press play on the
VTR. When ready, click the Record button in the
Digital Cut window.
– or –
– or –
• Otherwise, you must select the RT DV25 or
RT DV50 options to render and transcode
all of your video to that format.
To record using Remote mode, press Record in
the Digital Cut window. Media Station|PT will
queue the tape, play, then drop in at the appro-
priate location.
11 Select the Video Effect Safe Mode option.
This will warn you if any effects remain un-ren-
dered.
Be sure to record at least a few seconds of
black to the tape before performing a digital
cut. This will guarantee that the video tape
is correctly formatted when your digital cut
starts
12 Select the Stop on Dropped Frames option if
you want Media Station|PT to automatically
stop the tape if the audio and video does not
record correctly.
Exporting to XDCAM
13 Select the Add Black At Tail option.
You can export NTSC and PAL projects. Depend-
ing on the format (SD or HD), you need to use
the appropriate XDCAM device (if you export
SD media, use an XDCAM SD device; if you ex-
port HD media, you must use an XDCAM HD
device).
14 Select one of the following modes from the
Deck Control section:
Local Manually initiates record. This is useful if
you are recording to a tape which does not al-
ready have time code.
Remote Records to a tape that already has time
code. Media Station|PT will start the VTR and
drop into record at the specified time code.
Chapter 3: Basic Media Station|PT Workflows 91
To export to an XDCAM device:
If the target XDCAM disk you are exporting to
already has other clips on it, you are only al-
lowed to export a clip with the same number of
audio tracks. For example, if the target XDCAM
disk has a clip with 4 tracks of audio, you cannot
export a new XDCAM clip with 2 tracks. You ei-
ther have to reformat the disk and wipe it clean
or add two dummy tracks to your 2-track se-
quence before you export.
1 Connect your XDCAM device.
2 Select the appropriate mode on your XDCAM
device that corresponds to the video format that
you will be exporting.
For example, set your XDCAM device to 1080i
59.94 if you want to export a clip or sequence at
XDCAM-35 1080I/59.94.
8 Select a Video Format as follows:
3 Select the sequence or clips to export.
• For SD projects, select: DV-25, IMX30,
IMX40, or IMX50. For SD, a disk cannot
have mixed formats. For example, in order
to export IMX40, the disk must be format-
ted as IMX40.
4 With an XDCAM device connected to your
system, do one of the following:
• Choose Output > Export to Device > XD-
CAM.
• For HD projects, select XDCAM-35, XD-
CAM-25, or XDCAM-17. For HD, a single
disk can have clips with mixed bit rates
(17.5, 25, and 35 Mbits). Additionally, a se-
quence that is being exported to an HD
XDCAM disk can have mixed bit rates as
well.
– or –
• Right-click the clip or sequence in a bin
and select Export to Device.
If you have a sequence loaded in the Record
monitor, the sequence is exported when you se-
lect Export to Device from the Output menu.
If your exported sequence has more than two
audio tracks, only two tracks are exported, even
though the Sony XDCAM device is capable of
handling 4 to 8 tracks. If your sequence has
more than two tracks, they are mixed down dur-
ing export.
The XDCAM Export Settings dialog box opens.
5 Do one of the following:
• If you want to export only the portion of
the selected clip or sequence marked by In
and Out points, select Use Marks.
• If you want to export the entire selected
clip or sequence, deselect Use Marks.
9 Select a Sample Bit Depth: 16 or 24 bits. (For
HD projects, select 16 bits—XDCAM HD devices
are not capable of handling 24 bits.)
6 Do one of the following:
• If you want to export only enabled tracks in
the Timeline, select Use Enabled Tracks.
10 Click OK.
Sony applies its own file-naming convention.
All exported clips are given a new sequential
name of Cxxxx.mxf, for example, C0019.mxf.
• If you want to export all tracks in the se-
quence, deselect Use Enabled Tracks.
7 Select an XDCAM disk from the Target XD-
CAM Disk list.
A progress bar appears displaying the new Sony
XDCAM sequential clip name. The sequence is
exported.
92 Media Station|PT Guide
chapter 4
Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows
This chapter describes the following workflows
Cross-Mounting Media
Storage on Remote Systems
for using Pro Tools with Media Station|PT con-
figured as a video satellite:
1 Cross-mounting media storage on remote sys-
tems
To simplify the transfer of sequence and media
files between the Pro Tools and satellite systems,
it is helpful to mount the media storage of one
system on the desktop of the other system. This
practice is known as cross-mounting, and the
computer on which you are mounting that stor-
age is known as the remote system.
2 Opening Avid sequences that have been deliv-
ered to you in an Avid bin
3 Opening AAF sequences that have been ex-
ported from another Avid application or
Pro Tools
For example, you most likely want the video
storage—which is physically connected to the
satellite system—to appear on the desktop of
both the satellite and Pro Tools systems. How-
ever, some workflows are simpler if the audio
storage—which is physically connected to the
Pro Tools system—also appears on the desktop
of the satellite system.
4 Connecting Pro Tools to a satellite
5 Linking Pro Tools to a satellite
6 Capturing audio and video
7 Batch capturing audio and video
8 Laying back audio and video
9 Digitally exporting audio and video
Cross-mounting audio or video storage on a re-
mote system involves the following steps:
1 Choosing a storage configuration
2 Sharing the desired volume so that it can be
mounted on the remote system
3 Mounting the shared volume on the remote
system
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 93
To share a Windows XP volume that resides on a
domain:
Choosing a Storage Configuration
While it is possible to cross-mount both the au-
dio and video storage on both systems at the
same time, the workflows in this chapter only
require that you cross-mount one or the other.
1 On the Windows XP computer containing the
volume you want to share, double-click My
Computer.
2 Right-click the volume that you want to share,
and select Sharing and Security.
Mounting the video storage on the Pro Tools
system is the preferred configuration for most
common satellite workflows.
Mount the audio storage on the satellite system
if you frequently use any of the following work-
flows:
• You receive updated versions of AAF se-
quences with additional audio files.
• You export audio from Pro Tools for import
into Media Station|PT.
• Your satellite system is connected to a shared
storage system, but your Pro Tools system is
not.
Selecting Sharing and Security
• Your satellite system is connected to Avid In-
terplay, but your Pro Tools system is not.
3 In the Properties dialog, click the Sharing tab.
Sharing Media Storage for
Mounting on a Remote System
This section describes how to share media stor-
age for mounting on remote computers.
Sharing Windows XP Media Storage for
Mounting on a Remote Computer
You can share a Windows XP volume for
mounting on Mac OS X or another
Windows XP system. The process is slightly dif-
ferent depending on whether the computer you
are sharing is part of a domain or part of a work-
group.
Properties dialog, Sharing tab
94 Media Station|PT Guide
4 Select the Share this Folder option.
To share a Windows XP volume that resides on a
workgroup:
5 Type a name in the Share Name field to iden-
tify this share. This name can be anything, but it
is probably easiest if you use the name of the
shared volume.
1 On the Windows XP computer containing the
volume you want to share, double-click My
Computer.
2 Right-click the volume that you want to share,
and select Sharing and Security.
You should share the entire volume if possi-
ble and not just individual folders. This
Pro Tools session.
6 Select any other options in this dialog.
7 Click OK to share this volume.
You are now ready to mount this shared volume
on another computer. See “Cross-Mounting
Shared Media Storage on a Remote System” on
page 98.
When you manually copy files from a Mac
volume to a mounted Windows XP volume,
a “ghost” file appears for each file that you
copy. The ghost file has a nearly identical
name to the original file, except that it is
prefixed with the characters ._ and a greyed
out icon. For example, copying the filename
Macintosh.doc would create another file
called ._Macintosh.doc. These files do not
affect anything and can be deleted without
causing any issues.
Selecting Sharing and Security
3 In the Properties dialog, click the Sharing tab.
Properties dialog, Sharing tab
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 95
4 If you agree, click the option called, “If you
understand the risk but still want to share the
root of the drive, click here.”
You are now ready to mount this shared volume
on another computer. See “Cross-Mounting
Shared Media Storage on a Remote System” on
page 98.
5 Select Share This Folder on the Network.
When you manually copy files from a Mac
volume to a mounted Windows XP volume,
a “ghost” file appears for each file that you
copy. The ghost file has a nearly identical
name to the original file, except that it is
prefixed with the characters ._ and a greyed
out icon. For example, copying the filename
Macintosh.doc would create another file
called ._Macintosh.doc. These files do not
affect anything and can be deleted without
causing any issues.
6 Type a name in the Share Name field to iden-
tify this share. This name can be anything, but it
is probably easiest if you use the name of the
shared volume.
Sharing Mac OS X Media Storage for
Mounting on Windows XP
You can share a Mac OS X volume so that it can
be mounted on a remote Windows XP machine.
Sharing Mac OS X media storage other than the
boot drive with a Windows XP machine requires
installing a third-party utility (such as Share-
Points by Hornware).
Digidesign does not endorse or guarantee
performance or availability of any third-
party software. Instructions for using Share-
Points are included below for your conve-
nience only. Digidesign encourages every-
one to support independent software
developers appropriately.
Properties dialog, Sharing tab
You should share the entire volume if possi-
ble and not just individual folders. This
makes it easier for you to re-link files in your
Pro Tools session.
To download and install SharePoints:
7 If you would like network users to be able to
modify your files, select Allow Network Users to
Change My Files.
1 In Mac OS X, launch a web browser and navi-
gate to:
8 Click Apply.
http://www.hornware.com/sharepoints
9 Click OK to share this volume.
2 Download the appropriate version of the soft-
ware.
96 Media Station|PT Guide
3 In the Mac Finder, copy the SharePoints appli-
cation to a convenient location on the com-
puter (such as the Applications/Utilities folder).
4 Click Accounts (or Enable Accounts).
5 In the accounts sheet, select the users who
need to log into the shared folders. (In order for
a user to have these privileges, they must have
an account on the Mac, or at least the username
and password for a common account.)
To set up shared volumes:
1 Open Mac OS X System Preferences.
Enable Accounts sheet
6 Click Done.
7 Make a note of the following Mac OS X sys-
tem information that appears near the bottom
of the Share window:
Mac OS X System Preferences
• IP address (for example, 152.155.15.15)
2 Click the Sharing icon.
3 Click Services, then select the Windows Shar-
ing option.
Usernames listed as
Enabled accounts
Mac IP address
Portion of Sharing window
8 Close the Sharing window.
9 Launch SharePoints.
Mac OS X Sharing Preferences
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 97
10 Ensure the “Normal” Shares tab is selected.
16 If prompted, type the username and pass-
word for the Mac OS X account with adminis-
trative privileges, and click OK.
Authenticate dialog in Mac OS X
The new share appears in the share list.
Portion of Sharing window
11 Type a name in the Share Name field to iden-
tify this share. This name can be anything, but it
is probably easiest if you use the name of the
shared volume. Make a note of this share name.
SharePoints List of Shares (new share)
You are now ready to mount the shared
Mac OS X media storage on Windows XP.
12 Click Browse, then locate and select the vol-
ume you want to share with the Windows XP
system.
Cross-Mounting Shared Media
Storage on a Remote System
13 Click Open to select the volume and return
to the SharePoints window.
This section describes how to cross-mount a
shared volume on a remote system.
Back in the SharePoints window, the pathname
of the volume you selected appears in the Direc-
tory field.
Cross-Mounting Mac OS X or Windows
Media Storage on Windows XP
14 From the Windows (SMB) Sharing pop-up
menu, select Shared (+).
You can mount another computer’s shared vol-
ume on a Windows XP computer.
15 Click Create New Share.
98 Media Station|PT Guide
To mount the shared volume on Windows XP:
Windows Explorer displays the root folder of the
volume you have just mounted on the
Windows XP computer. The Windows XP com-
puter now has full read and write access to the
shared volume.
1 In Windows XP, right-click My Computer and
choose Map Network Drive.
2 From the Drive pop-up menu, select the drive
letter you want to assign to the volume from the
other computer. (In order for files to relink cor-
rectly, all volumes mounted on a Windows XP
system must be assigned a letter. For example,
e:\shared volume\media files.).
To create a shortcut for the shared volume
storage on the desktop, right-click the shared
volume and select Create Shortcut. This will
allow you to easily re-mount the shared vol-
ume after you reboot.
If you find you need to enter the IP address
after each reboot, try turning off DHCP.
Mounting Windows XP Media Storage
on Mac OS X
You can mount a shared Windows XP volume
on Mac OS X.
To mount a shared Windows XP volume on
Mac OS X:
Map Network Drive dialog
1 In Mac OS X, go to the desktop.
3 Do one of the following:
2 Choose Go > Connect to Server.
• In the Folder pop-up menu, type
\\IP address\Share, where IP address repre-
sents the network address of the Mac OS X
computer (displayed in Mac OS X System
Preferences) and Share represents the name
of the share set in SharePoints. For exam-
ple: \\152.164.34.23\Video Drive.
– or –
• Click Browse to locate the shared volume
you want to mount, then click OK.
Connect to Server dialog
4 In the Map Network Drive dialog, click Finish.
5 In the Logon window, enter the username and
password of a valid account residing on the
other computer.
6 Click OK.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 99
3 In the Server Address field, type
7 In the volume select dialog, select the volume
SMB://computer, where computer represents the
name of the computer that contains or is con-
nected to the desired volume.
you want to mount on the Mac OS X desktop.
The name shown in the menu is the Share
name created in “Sharing Media Storage for
Mounting on a Remote System” on page 94,
and may not be the same as the actual vol-
ume name.
To learn the name of the Windows ma-
chine: on the Windows computer, right-
click My Computer and select Properties,
then click the Computer Name tab in the
Properties window.
For example, to connect to the Media Station|PT
computer called MyComputer, you would type:
SMB://MyComputer
4 Click Connect.
Select the volume dialog
5 In the system authorization dialog, enter the
username and password information for the
user who has share privileges on the
Windows XP computer.
8 Click OK.
Mac OS X mounts the volume on the desktop.
Opening Sequences for
Playback on a Video Satellite
System
To play back a video sequence on a video satel-
lite system, you must first ensure that video files
are placed on the video storage connected to the
Media Station|PT system, and that audio files are
placed on the audio storage connected to the
Pro Tools system. The workflow you choose de-
pends on two factors:
System authorization dialog
6 Click OK.
• Whether you are opening a native Avid se-
quence as opposed to an AAF sequence
• Whether the sequence you are opening re-
sides on a volume which is suitable for direct
playback
Before opening sequences for playback on a
video satellite system, you must cross-
mount storage. See “Cross-Mounting Media
Storage on Remote Systems” on page 93.
100 Media Station|PT Guide
To open a native Avid sequence, see one of the
following sections:
For details on importing AAF sequences, see
“Opening an AAF Sequence for Playback on a
Video Satellite System” on page 110.
• “Opening an Avid Sequence from a Volume
Supporting Direct Playback” on page 101
If your Pro Tools session contains video re-
gions of one frame rate, you cannot import
a satellite video track that refers to video of
a different frame rate—regardless of the
fact that you're not playing the actual
video. You must first delete the existing
video regions. If you have a 1080 sequence
at 50 fps and your Pro Tools session con-
tains video clips at 25 fps, you can convert
the project in Media Station|PT to SD (see
“Down-Converting an HD Project to SD
Video” on page 54) and re-export the AAF
at 25 fps. You can use the same technique if
you have a 1080 sequence at 59.94 fps and
your Pro Tools session contains video clips
at 29.97 fps.
• “Opening an Avid Sequence from a Volume
Not Supported for Playback” on page 105
To open an AAF sequence, see “Opening an AAF
Sequence for Playback on a Video Satellite Sys-
tem” on page 110.
Receiving Avid Sequences or AAF
Sequences
The steps you use to open a sequence depend on
which of the following you have received:
• An Avid bin containing a native Avid se-
quence (a sequence which has been created in
an Avid editing application such as Media
Composer)
• An AAF sequence which has been exported
from an Avid application specifically for im-
port into Pro Tools, Media Station|PT, or other
applications.
Opening an Avid Sequence on
Local Storage or Unity with
Pro Tools Not Playing from Unity
This section describes how to open a sequence
with the following configuration:
• Media Station|PT will open the sequence ei-
ther from the video storage volume or an Avid
Unity system.
Opening an Avid Sequence
from a Volume Supporting
Direct Playback
• Pro Tools is not connected to the Unity sys-
tem (if any).
This section describes how to open a sequence
that is currently stored on a volume suitable for
playback in Media Station|PT (such as local
video storage, Unity MediaNetwork or Unity
ISIS).
This workflow involves the following steps:
1 Open the sequence in Media Station|PT di-
rectly from the local storage or Unity workspace.
2 Create an AAF export from Media Station|PT,
copying audio to the audio storage.
3 Import the AAF sequence into Pro Tools.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 101
To open a sequence in Media Station|PT using
this workflow, see “Exporting an Avid Sequence
as an AAF Sequence with Audio Storage
Mounted on the Satellite” on page 106.
5 In the Export As dialog, click Options.
Opening an Avid Sequence with
Pro Tools Playing from Unity
(Windows Only)
This section describes how to open a sequence
with the following configuration:
• Media Station|PT will open the sequence from
a Unity system.
Export As dialog
6 In the Export Settings dialog, do the follow-
ing:
• Pro Tools will play the audio directly from the
Unity system.
• Make sure the Export As pop-up menu is set
to AAF.
This workflow involves the following steps:
1 Open the sequence in Media Station|PT di-
rectly from the Unity workspace.
• Enable the options for Include All Video
Tracks and Include All Audio Tracks in Se-
quence.
2 Create an AAF export from Media Station|PT,
consolidating audio to the dedicated Unity au-
dio workspace.
7 Click the Video Details tab, and select Link to
(Don’t Export) Media from the Export Method
pop-up menu.
3 Open the AAF sequence in Pro Tools, linking
to the audio on the Unity audio workspace.
To open and play back an Avid sequence with
Pro Tools playing from Unity:
Export Settings dialog (Video Details tab)
1 Launch Media Station|PT, and open the
project containing the sequence.
8 Click the Audio Details tab, and select Consol-
idate Media from the Export Method pop-up
menu.
2 Open the bin containing the sequence you are
working with.
3 Drag the sequence into the Record Monitor to
place it in the Timeline.
4 Select and right-click the sequence, and
Export Settings dialog (Audio Details tab)
choose Export.
102 Media Station|PT Guide
9 Click Save.
You can also click Save As to save the Ex-
Opening an Avid Sequence with
Pro Tools Connected to Unity but
Not Streaming
port settings you just created. See “Saving,
Recalling, and Using Export Settings to Ex-
port AAF Sequences” on page 109 for de-
tails.
This section describes how to open a sequence
with the following configuration:
• Media Station|PT will open the sequence from
a Unity system.
10 In the Export As dialog, locate the desired
• Pro Tools is connected to the Unity system
but cannot play the media directly from
Unity.
folder on the dedicated Unity audio workspace.
11 Click Save.
12 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session, and
select the AAF in the Unity audio workspace.
This workflow involves the following steps:
1 Open the sequence in Media Station|PT di-
rectly from the Unity workspace.
13 In the Import Session Data dialog, do the fol-
lowing:
2 Create an AAF export from Media Station|PT,
linking to existing audio files.
• Under Audio Media Options, select Link to
Source Media.
• Under Video Media Options, select Link to
Source Media.
3 Open the AAF sequence in Pro Tools, copying
the audio files to the local audio storage.
14 Under the Source Tracks section of the Im-
To open an Avid sequence by copying audio from
shared workspaces:
port Session Data dialog, do the following:
• To import the metadata (cuts and clip
names) exported from a video satellite into
a new video track, select New Satellite
Track. (The video itself will not be im-
ported.)
1 Launch Media Station|PT, and open the
project containing the bin and sequence you
wish to open.
2 Open the bin containing the sequence you are
working with.
• To import SD video into a new video track
in Pro Tools, select New Video Track.
3 Drag the sequence into the Record Monitor to
place it in the Timeline.
• For each audio track you want to import,
select New Track.
4 Select and right-click the sequence, and
choose Export.
Source Tracks browser
15 Select any other options, and click OK.
The AAF sequence opens in Pro Tools.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 103
5 In the Export As dialog, click Options.
9 Click Save.
You can also click Save As to save the Ex-
port settings you just created. See “Saving,
Recalling, and Using Export Settings to Ex-
port AAF Sequences” on page 109 for de-
tails.
10 In the Export As dialog, locate any folder on
the Unity workspace that is accessible to the
Pro Tools system.
11 Click Save.
12 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session, and
select the AAF sequence on the Unity work-
space.
Export As dialog
6 In the Export Settings dialog, do the follow-
ing:
13 In the Import Session Data dialog, do the fol-
lowing:
• Make sure the Export As pop-up menu is set
to AAF.
• Under Audio Media Options, select Copy
and Relink to Source Media.
• Enable the options for Include All Video
Tracks and Include All Audio Tracks in Se-
quence.
• Under Video Media Options, select Link to
Source Media.
7 Click the Video Details tab, and select Link to
(Don’t Export) Media from the Export Method
pop-up menu.
14 Under the Source Tracks section of the Im-
port Session Data dialog, do the following:
• To import the metadata (cuts and clip
names) exported from a video satellite into
a new video track, select New Satellite
Track. (The video itself will not be im-
ported.)
Export Settings dialog (Video Details tab)
• To import SD video into a new video track
in Pro Tools, select New Video Track.
8 Click the Audio Details tab, and select Link to
(Don’t Export) Media from the Export Method
pop-up menu.
• For each audio track you want to import,
select New Track.
Export Settings dialog (Audio Details tab)
Source Tracks browser
15 Select any other options, and click OK.
104 Media Station|PT Guide
The AAF sequence opens in Pro Tools. Audio
files are copied in the background to the ses-
sion's Audio Files folder.
This workflow involves the following steps:
1 Copy the Avid bin to the desired Project
folder.
2 Copy the media to the video storage.
3 In Media Station|PT, do one of the following:
Opening an Avid Sequence
from a Volume Not Supported
for Playback
• Open the project containing the bin.
– or –
• Create a new project and open the bin
within the project.
This section describes how to open a sequence
stored on a volume that is not suitable for play-
back in Media Station|PT (such as a DVD or
Ethernet-mounted network volume). This work-
flow assumes you are receiving a bin from an-
other Avid editing application.
4 Open the desired sequence within the bin.
5 Export an AAF sequence from
Media Station|PT.
6 In Pro Tools, import the AAF sequence, mak-
ing sure to copy the audio files to the audio stor-
age.
For details on importing AAF sequences, see
“Opening an AAF Sequence for Playback on a
Video Satellite System” on page 110.
If your Pro Tools session contains video re-
gions of one frame rate, you cannot import
a satellite video track that refers to video of
a different frame rate—regardless of the
fact that you're not playing the actual
video. You must first delete the existing
video regions. If you have a 1080 sequence
at 50 fps and your Pro Tools session con-
tains video clips at 25 fps, you can convert
the project in Media Station|PT to SD (see
“Down-Converting an HD Project to SD
Video” on page 54) and re-export the AAF
at 25 fps. You can use the same technique if
you have a 1080 sequence at 59.94 fps and
your Pro Tools session contains video clips
at 29.97 fps.
Copying the Avid Sequence to the
Satellite Video Storage
To copy an Avid sequence and its referenced video
to the video storage drive on Media Station|PT:
1 Locate the bin containing the sequence on the
hard drive, DVD, or generic network volume.
2 Copy the bin and the media to the satellite
video storage, as follows:
• Copy all OMF video files and OMF-
wrapped AIFF or WAV files to the OMFI Me-
diaFiles folder.
• Copy all MXF files to the Avid MediaFiles
folder.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 105
3 Do one of the following:
4 Drag the sequence into the Record Monitor to
place it in the Timeline.
• From within an Avid project, choose File >
Open Bin, and select the bin you wish to
open.
5 Select and right-click the sequence, and
choose Export.
– or –
6 In the Export As dialog, click Options.
• Copy the bin containing the sequence to
the desired project folder (the location of
which depends on where you keep your
project and whether the project is shared or
private).
OMF video files have the .omf file extension
and are usually stored in the OMFI Media-
Files folder. OMF-wrapped audio files have
the .wav or .aif extension and are also
stored in the OMFI MediaFiles folder. MXF
files have the .mxf file extension and are
usually stored in the Avid MediaFiles folder.
Export As dialog
7 In the Export Settings dialog, do the follow-
ing:
Exporting an Avid Sequence as an
AAF Sequence with Audio Storage
Mounted on the Satellite
• Make sure the Export As pop-up menu is set
to AAF.
This section describes how to export an AAF se-
quence for Pro Tools when the audio storage is
mounted on the satellite.
• Enable the Include All Video Tracks in Se-
quence and Include All Audio Tracks in Se-
quence options.
8 Click the Video Details tab, and select Link to
(Don’t Export) Media from the Export Method
pop-up menu.
To export an AAF sequence for Pro Tools with
audio storage mounted on the satellite:
1 On the Pro Tools system, do one of the follow-
ing:
• Create a session with the desired name and
ensure that the frame rate matches the
frame rate of the AAF sequence.
Export Settings dialog (Video Details tab)
– or –
9 Click the Audio Details tab, and select one of
the following options from the Export Method
pop-up menu:
• Open an existing session into which you
wish to import the AAF sequence.
2 On the satellite system, open the project con-
taining the sequence you wish to export.
3 Open the bin containing the sequence you
wish to export.
106 Media Station|PT Guide
Consolidate Media This option is faster and uses
less storage because only those parts of the audio
files which are actually used in the sequence are
copied. You have the option to add “handles”
on either end of the files in case you need to ex-
tend them once in Pro Tools.
13 Click Save.
This creates an OMFI MediaFiles folder (for OMF
media) or Avid MediaFiles folder (for MXF me-
dia) in the Pro Tools session folder on the audio
storage. The AAF sequence will be also be cre-
ated in the session folder. The AAF sequence
must be in the same folder as the media folders
in order to relink properly.
Copy All Media This option is slower and uses
more storage, but allows you access to the full
file once in Pro Tools. If this export is an update
to an existing sequence where you copied in-
stead of consolidated, only new files will be cop-
ied as long as you are exporting the AAF to the
same session folder.
14 In Pro Tools, choose File > Import > Session
Data.
15 Locate the AAF sequence exported from
Media Station|PT, and click Open.
16 In the Import Session Data dialog, do the fol-
lowing:
• Under Audio Media Options, select Link to
Source Media (Where Possible).
Export Settings dialog (Audio Details tab)
• Under Video Media Options, select Link to
Source Media.
10 In the Media Destination section, do the fol-
lowing:
17 Under the Source Tracks section of the Im-
port Session Data dialog, do the following:
• Select Folder from the Audio pop-up menu.
• Select the Use Same Folder As AAF File op-
tion.
• To import the metadata (cuts and clip
names) exported from a video satellite into
a new video track, select New Satellite
Track. (The video itself will not be im-
ported.)
• To import SD video into a new video track
in Pro Tools, select New Video Track.
• For each audio track you want to import,
select New Track.
Export Settings dialog (Media Destination section)
11 Click Save.
You can also click Save As to save the Ex-
port settings you just created. See “Saving,
Recalling, and Using Export Settings to Ex-
port AAF Sequences” on page 109 for de-
tails.
Source Tracks browser
18 Select any other options, and click OK.
The AAF opens in Pro Tools.
12 In the Export As dialog, select the desired ses-
sion folder on the Pro Tools audio storage.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 107
7 Click the Video Details tab, and select Link to
(Don’t Export) Media from the Export Method
pop-up menu.
Exporting an Avid Sequence as an
AAF Sequence with Video Storage
Mounted on the Pro Tools System
This section describes how to export an AAF se-
quence for Pro Tools when the video storage is
mounted on the Pro Tools system.
Export Settings dialog (Video Details tab)
To export an AAF sequence for Pro Tools with
video storage mounted on the Pro Tools system:
8 Click the Audio Details tab, and select Link to
(Don’t Export Media) from the Export Method
pop-up menu.
1 On the satellite system, open the project con-
taining the sequence you wish to export.
2 Open the bin containing the sequence you
wish to export.
3 Drag the sequence into the Record Monitor to
place it in the Timeline.
Export Settings dialog (Audio Details tab)
4 Select and right-click the sequence, and
choose Export.
9 Click Save.
10 In the Export As dialog, save the AAF se-
quence to a convenient location on the video
storage.
5 In the Export As dialog, click Options.
We recommend that you create a “Drop
Box” folder on the root of the video storage
for exchanging files. Do not save the AAF
sequence in any of the media folders.
11 Click Save.
Media Station|PT saves the AAF sequence file to
the destination folder.
12 On the Pro Tools computer, choose Windows
> Workspace.
Export As dialog
6 In the Export Settings dialog, do the follow-
ing:
• Make sure the Export As pop-up menu is set
to AAF.
• Enable the Include All Video Tracks in Se-
quence option.
• Enable the Include All Audio Tracks in Se-
quence option.
Pro Tools Workspace browser
108 Media Station|PT Guide
13 Do one of the following:
Saving, Recalling, and Using
Export Settings to Export AAF
Sequences
• If you have not opened a session in
Pro Tools, navigate to the AAF sequence in
the Workspace browser, and double-click it
to open it.
To save Media Station|PT export settings:
• If you are creating a new session into which
to import the AAF, select the file format,
sample rate and bit depth matching those
properties in the original files referenced by
the AAF sequence. Name the Session and
save it to your dedicated audio storage.
1 In Media Station|PT, right-click a sequence in
any bin and choose Export.
2 In the Export As dialog, click Options.
14 In the Import Session Data dialog, do the fol-
lowing:
• Under Audio Media Options, select Copy
from Source Media.
• Under Video Media Options, select Link to
Source Media.
15 Under the Source Tracks section of the Im-
port Session Data dialog, do the following:
• To import the metadata (cuts and clip
names) exported from a video satellite into
a new video track, select New Satellite
Track. (The video itself will not be im-
ported.)
Export As dialog
3 In the Export Settings dialog, choose the de-
sired export options.
4 Click Save As.
• To import SD video into a new video track
in Pro Tools, select New Video Track.
5 In the Save Export Setting dialog, type a name
for your setting, and click OK.
• For each audio track you want to import,
select New Track.
Save Export Settings dialog
Source Tracks browser
16 Select any other options, and click OK.
To recall Media Station|PT export settings:
1 In Media Station|PT, right-click a sequence in
any bin and choose Export.
The AAF opens in Pro Tools.
2 In the Export As dialog, select your custom-
ized Export Setting from the Export Setting pop-
up menu.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 109
To import an AAF sequence into Media Station|PT
from a volume supporting direct playback:
Opening an AAF Sequence for
Playback on a Video Satellite
System
1 If the AAF sequence you received contains
linked media, copy the media as follows:
• Copy all OMF video files and OMF-
wrapped WAV or AIFF files to the OMFI Me-
diaFiles folder.
You can open an AAF sequence for playback on
a video satellite system from volumes that do or
do not support direct playback.
• Copy all MXF files to the Avid MediaFiles
folder.
If your Pro Tools session contains video re-
gions of one frame rate, you cannot import
a satellite video track that refers to video of
a different frame rate—regardless of the
fact that you're not playing the actual
video. You must first delete the existing
video regions. If you have a 1080 sequence
at 50 fps and your Pro Tools session con-
tains video clips at 25 fps, you can convert
the project in Media Station|PT to SD (see
“Down-Converting an HD Project to SD
Video” on page 54) and re-export the AAF
at 25 fps. You can use the same technique if
you have a 1080 sequence at 59.94 fps and
your Pro Tools session contains video clips
at 29.97 fps.
2 Refresh the media database by doing one of
• Launch Media Station|PT.
– or –
• Choose File > Refresh Media Directories
3 In Media Station|PT, open the bin where you
want to import the AAF sequence. (If the bin is
already open, click inside it to make it the active
window.)
4 Choose File > Import.
5 Locate the AAF sequence on the volume sup-
porting direct playback.
One of the following occurs:
Importing an AAF Sequence into
Media Station|PT from a Volume
Supporting Direct Playback
• If you imported an AAF sequence that refers to
external (linked) media, the sequence appears
in the bin.
Volumes supporting direct playback can include
local video storage or Unity.
• If you imported an AAF sequence with embed-
ded media, Media Station|PT automatically
copies the embedded media to the designated
media file folders.
6 When the sequence appears in the bin, drag
the sequence into the Record Monitor to place it
in the Timeline.
110 Media Station|PT Guide
Importing an AAF Sequence with
Embedded Media into Media Station|PT
Importing an AAF Sequence into
Media Station|PT from Volumes
Not Supporting Direct Playback
To import an AAF sequence with embedded media
from a volume that does not support direct
playback:
This section describes how to import an AAF se-
quence stored on a volume that is not suitable
for playback in Media Station|PT (such as a DVD
or Ethernet-mounted network volume).
1 In Media Station|PT, open the bin where you
want to import the AAF sequence. (If the bin is
already open, click inside it to make it the active
window.)
Importing an AAF Sequence with Linked
Media in Media Station|PT
1 Choose File > Import.
Before opening an AAF sequence that links to
media which is not embedded in the sequence
file, you must manually copy the media to the
satellite video storage.
2 Locate the AAF sequence.
The media from the AAF is copied to the desig-
nated media files folder, and the sequence is
ready to play back in Media Station|PT.
To copy an AAF sequence with linked media to the
satellite video storage:
3 When the sequence appears in the bin, drag
the sequence into the Record Monitor to place it
in the Timeline.
1 Copy all media files to the satellite video stor-
age, as follows:
• Copy all OMF video files and OMF-
wrapped WAV or AIFF files to the OMFI Me-
diaFiles folder.
Importing an AAF Sequence into
Pro Tools from Volumes
Supporting Direct Playback
• Copy all MXF files to the Avid MediaFiles
folder.
This section describes how to use Pro Tools to
import an AAF sequence from a volume suitable
for direct playback (such as local audio storage
or Unity).
2 Refresh the media database by doing one of
the following:
• Launch Media Station|PT.
– or –
To import an AAF sequence into Pro Tools from a
volume supporting direct playback:
• Choose File > Refresh Media Directories
1 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session.
3 Choose File > Import, and locate the AAF se-
quence on the video storage.
2 In the Open Session dialog, locate the AAF se-
quence you want to import.
3 Click Open.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 111
4 Under the Source Tracks section of the Import
4 Under the Source Tracks section of the Import
Session Data dialog, do the following:
Session Data dialog, do the following:
• To import the metadata (cuts and clip
names) exported from a video satellite into
a new video track, select New Satellite
Track. (The video itself will not be im-
ported.)
• To import the metadata (cuts and clip
names) exported from a video satellite into
a new video track, select New Satellite
Track. (The video itself will not be im-
ported.)
• To import SD video into a new video track
in Pro Tools, select New Video Track.
• To import SD video into a new video track
in Pro Tools, select New Video Track.
• For each audio track you want to import,
select New Track.
• For each audio track you want to import,
select New Track.
Source Tracks browser
Source Tracks browser
5 If you are importing a sequence containing
embedded media, select a volume that is suit-
able for playback (such as local audio storage or
Unity) and click Save.
5 Select a volume suitable for playback, and
click Save.
Pro Tools copies the audio files to the audio
drive where your session is saved.
The AAF sequence is ready to play back in
Pro Tools.
The AAF sequence is ready to play back in
Pro Tools.
Importing an AAF Sequence into
Pro Tools from Volumes Not
Supporting Direct Playback
Importing an AAF Sequence from a
Volume that Cannot Be Mounted
on Pro Tools
This section describes how to use Pro Tools to
import an AAF sequence stored on a volume
that is not suitable for direct playback (such as a
DVD or Ethernet-mounted network volume).
This section describes how to import an AAF se-
quence into Pro Tools from a volume that can-
To import an AAF sequence into Pro Tools from a
volume that cannot be mounted on Pro Tools:
To import an AAF sequence into Pro Tools from a
volume not supporting direct playback:
1 Mount the Pro Tools audio storage on the
video satellite computer, as described in “Cross-
Mounting Media Storage on Remote Systems”
on page 93.
1 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session.
2 In the Open Session dialog, locate the AAF se-
quence you want to import.
3 Click Open.
112 Media Station|PT Guide
2 Export the AAF sequence from
To connect the Pro Tools and video satellite sys-
tems, they must first be connected via Ethernet
(as described in “Making Ethernet Connections
with Video Satellite Systems” on page 25). In ad-
dition, the Video Satellite Option must be in-
stalled on the Pro Tools system (as described in
“Authorizing the Video Satellite Option in
Pro Tools” on page 32).
Media Station|PT to the Pro Tools audio storage,
as described in “Exporting an Avid Sequence as
an AAF Sequence with Audio Storage Mounted
on the Satellite” on page 106.
Using a Video Satellite in an
Running other applications simultaneously
with Media Station|PT can cause unpredict-
able behavior, including AV sync problems,
frame dropping and audio stuttering. It is
suggested that you not launch other appli-
cations when Media Station|PT 2.7 is run-
ning. This can occur with or without the use
of Satellite mode.
Since Avid Interplay sequence exchange is based
entirely on AAF sequences, opening and ex-
changing AAF sequences with a video satellite
system connected to Avid Interplay requires the
same steps as exchanging regular AAF sequences
as described in “Exporting Audio and Video
from Media Station|PT” on page 58 and “Im-
porting Audio and Video into Pro Tools” on
page 71.
To connect to the video satellite from Pro Tools:
1 Launch Pro Tools and Media Station|PT.
For additional information on Pro Tools support
for Interplay, see the Pro Tools Avid Interplay
Guide.
2 In Media Station|PT, ensure that Special >
Video Satellite Mode is selected.
Connecting Pro Tools and a
Video Satellite
In order for Pro Tools and the video satellite to
synchronize their transports, they must be
linked. Before linking can occur, however, you
must establish basic communication channels
between them. When the Pro Tools and the
video satellite systems have established this
communication, they are connected.
Video Satellite Mode option in Special menu
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals.
4 Click the Satellites tab.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 113
5 From the Satellite pop-up menu, do one of the
following:
Caveats for Connecting Pro Tools
and a Video Satellite
• To connect to a video satellite, select the
name of the computer on which the
Media Station|PT is installed.
The following caveats apply to connections be-
tween Pro Tools and video satellites:
• Only one Pro Tools system can connect to a
satellite at a time. Once a satellite is connected
to one Pro Tools system, its name appears
grayed out in the Satellite menu of other
Pro Tools systems.
– or –
• To disconnect from a video satellite with-
out connecting to another, select None.
• Quitting a Pro Tools application that is con-
nected to a video satellite releases the video
satellite so that it can connect to other
Pro Tools systems.
• If you quit Pro Tools while a satellite is con-
nected, Pro Tools attempts to re-connect to
the same satellite on relaunch.
Peripherals dialog, Satellite tab
• When working with 24p and 23.976 projects,
Media Station|PT defaults to displaying
frames mapped to 29.97 fps timecode. In or-
der to keep the Pro Tools and
Media Station|PT time code displays in sync
when working in 24p or 23.976 projects, click
the time code display above the Record mon-
itor and choose Sequence > Timecode > 24 >
Mas.
If the Satellite pop-up menu does not display
the Media Station|PT computer, see “Trou-
bleshooting the Satellite Connection” on
page 115
Pro Tools and the video satellite are now con-
nected to each other. The Transport controls
display the Video Satellite Link button to con-
firm this.
• When used with a video satellite in Satellite
Mode, Pro Tools does not chase MIDI Time
Code (MTC).
Video Satellite
Link button
(Pro Tools)
Video Satellite
Link button
(Media Station|PT)
Video Satellite Link button in Pro Tools and
Media Station|PT transports
114 Media Station|PT Guide
Troubleshooting the Satellite
Connection
Matching Media Station|PT
and Pro Tools Settings in a
Video Satellite System
If the satellite does not appear in the Satellite
pop-up menu, verify the following:
In order to accurately synchronize playback be-
tween Pro Tools and Media Station|PT, the fol-
lowing parameters must be correctly matched:
1 Ensure that Media Station|PT is fully
launched.
2 In Media Station|PT, ensure that Video Satel-
lite Mode is enabled in the Special menu. (See
“Connecting Pro Tools and a Video Satellite” on
page 113.)
• Media Station|PT Project Type and Pro Tools
Time Code Rate, Clock Reference, and Video
Format
• Pro Tools Audio Pull-Up setting and
Media Station|PT Edit Play Rate
3 In the Satellite page of the Pro Tools Peripher-
als dialog, select a different Ethernet port from
the Interface menu. Many computers have more
than one Ethernet port or “interface”. The inter-
face selected here must be the one connected to
the same network as the satellite.
• Time Code Format (Drop Frame or Non-Drop
Frame)
• Media Station|PT Starting TC time code set-
ting and the Pro Tools session start
4 In the Project window in Media Station|PT,
click the Settings tab, then double-click Video
Satellite Settings and check that the TCP/UDP
Port is the same as the TCP/UDP Port shown in
the Satellite pane in the Pro Tools Peripherals di-
alog. (Both ports default to 28282.)
For Pro Tools to play in sync with
Media Station|PT as a video satellite, all of these
settings are interdependent. A mis-match in any
of these settings will cause Pro Tools to display
an error message.
To avoid sync problems during later stages
of post production, it is strongly recom-
mended in most cases to change the settings
in Pro Tools to match those of the sequence
open in Media Station|PT.
5 If the TCP/UDP port settings are the same, ver-
ify with your network administrator that the
port shown is not being blocked on the net-
work.
6 Check that all Ethernet cables are completely
plugged in and working. In most cases, there are
LEDs the show activity at the Ethernet ports.
When playing back video on a monitor with
a refresh rate that is different from the video
frame rate, there may be some synchroniza-
tion issues. See “Video Frame Rate vs. Mon-
itor Refresh Rate” on page 45.
7 Video satellite playback will not function in
the following conditions:
• Certain dialogs are open in either Pro Tools
or Media Station|PT.
• Media Station|PT is not the active applica-
tion.
• Pro Tools does not have an open session, or
Media Station|PT does not have an open se-
quence.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 115
Matching the Media Station|PT
Project Type to Pro Tools Time
Code Rate, Clock Reference, and
Video Ref Format
Matching Audio Pull-Up and Edit
Play Rate
By default, Media Station|PT plays back se-
quences at the frame rate specified in the name
of the project type. For example, a 25i PAL
project plays at 25 fps. The notable exception is
30i NTSC, which actually plays at 29.97 fps.
This section explains how to match the
Media Station|PT Project Type to the Pro Tools
Time Code Rate, Clock Reference, and Video
Format (described in Table 1 on page 117).
When working with 23.976, 24p NTSC, 24p
PAL, and 25p PAL projects, you can change the
playback rate (known as the Edit Play Rate) with-
out affecting other properties in order to slow
down or speed up playback slightly. This is the
video equivalent of the audio pull-up/down set-
ting in Pro Tools.
To ensure that your video satellite system will play
back or capture using the proper settings:
1 In Media Station|PT, click the Format tab in
the Project window.
Type pop-up menu.
To change the Edit Play Rate:
In most cases, changing the
1 In the Settings tab of the Project window,
Media Station|PT project type is not advis-
able and may not be possible. You should
change the Pro Tools Time Code Rate un-
less you are creating an SD down-convert
from an HD project. See “Transcoding HD
Sequences” on page 66.
open the Film and 24P setting.
The Project Type setting is also determined
when creating a new project in
Media Station|PT.
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setups > Session.
4 Select a time code setting from the Time Code
Rate pop-up menu that is compatible to
Media Station|PT Project Type setting.
5 Select a compatible clock reference from the
Clock Reference pop-up menu. When using a
video satellite system, the SYNC HD or
Film and 24P Setting dialog
SYNC I/O must be locked to Video Reference
(SD) or Video Reference (HD) at all times.
2 Select an Edit Play Rate matching your config-
uration according to Table 1 on page 117.
6 Select a compatible video format from the
Video Ref Format pop-up menu.
116 Media Station|PT Guide
Compatibility Table
The following table describes compatibility between Avid Project Format and Edit Play Rate, and
Pro Tools Time Code Rates, Audio Pull Up/Down Rate, Clock Reference, and Video Format.
Table 1. Compatibility between Media Station|PT Project Types and Pro Tools Time Code Rates, Clock Reference, and
VIdeo Format,
Pro Tools
SYNC
Clock
Reference
Pro Tools
Time Code
Rate
Pro Tools
Audio Rate
Pull Up/Down
Pro Tools SYNC
Video Ref
Format
Avid Project
Format
Avid Edit Play
Rate
23.976p NTSC
24p NTSC
23.976
24
23.976
24
None
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
SD
NTSC
NTSC
NTSC
NTSC
NTSC
PAL
0.1% Up
None
24
24
23.976
29.97
24
23.976
29.97
24
0.1% Down
None
30i NTSC
24p PAL
None
25
25
4% Up
None
PAL
25p PAL
25
25
PAL
24
24
4% Down
None
PAL
25i PAL
25
25
PAL
720p/23.976
23.976
29.97
23.976
29.97
None
NTSC
NTSC
720p/29.97
HDV
None
720p/50
50
25
None
None
None
SD
PAL
720p/59.94
1080p/23.976
59.94
23.976
29.97
23.976
SD
NTSC
HD or SD
1080i - 47.952
or NTSC
1080p/24
24
24
None
None
None
None
None
None
HD or SD
HD or SD
HD or SD
HD or SD
HD or SD
HD or SD
1080i - 48 or
PAL
1080p/25
25
25
1080i - 50 or
PAL
1080i/50
50
25
1080i - 50 or
PAL
1080i/50 HDV
1080i/59.94
50
25
1080i - 50 or
PAL
59.94
59.94
29.97
29.97
1080i - 59.94
or NTSC
1080i/59.94
HDV
1080i - 59.94
or NTSC
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 117
To change audio pull up/down settings in
Pro Tools:
In some project formats, Media Station|PT
can be configured for Drop Frame or Non-
Drop Frame, while the corresponding
Pro Tools time code rate can only be set to
Non-Drop Frame. In such cases,
Media Station|PT sends Non-Drop time
code information to Pro Tools, even if it is
set to Drop Frame. The following project for-
mats in Media Station|PT exhibit this be-
havior: 23.976p NTSC, 24p NTSC, and
720p/23.976.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
2 From the Time Code Settings section of the
Session Setup window, select a rate from the Au-
dio Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up menu.
If the numbers in the TC fields are separated by
semi-colons instead of colons, the project is set
to Drop Frame.
Pull Up/Down section of the Session Setup window
3 Click OK to apply the new pull up/down rate
to the session.
Matching Time Code Format (Drop
Frame or Non-Drop Frame)
Starting
TC field
Pro Tools and Media Station|PT must be set to
the same time code format (either Drop Frame
or Non-Drop Frame).
Session
Start field
To ensure time code format settings are
compatible:
Time
Code Rate
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session. If the
Time Code rate pop-up menu displays “DF” after
the frame rate, Pro Tools is set to Drop Frame.
Clip Info dialog (Media Station|PT, top) and a portion of
the Session Setup window (Pro Tools, bottom)
2 In Media Station|PT, right-click the Record
3 If both time code formats do not match, do
monitor, and choose Get Clip Info.
one of the following:
• To force Pro Tools to match the time code
format of Media Station, select the compat-
ible time code format from the Time Code
Rate pop-up menu.
• To force Media Station|PT to match the
time code rate of Pro Tools, type semi-co-
lons (Drop Frame) or colons (Non-Drop
Frame) between the numbers in the Start-
ing TC field, and press Enter.
Right-clicking the Record monitor
118 Media Station|PT Guide
To set the default start time for new sequences in
Media Station|PT:
Matching Media Station|PT
Starting TC Time Code Setting and
Pro Tools Session Start
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab
and then double-click the General setting.
In almost all cases, the first frame of video is lo-
cated at the start of the Media Station|PT se-
quence. However, Pro Tools sequences often
have silence at the head to create countoffs or si-
lence.
2 In the Default Starting TC field, do one of the
following to set the default start time for a new
sequence:
• If you want the sequence to begin captur-
ing at the same time code location as the
beginning of the Pro Tools session, set the
start time of the capture to be equal to the
Session Start in Pro Tools (Setup > Session
in Pro Tools).
For example, a Media Station|PT sequence may
start at 1:00:00 while the matching Pro Tools
session starts at 00:55:00—allowing five seconds
of silence before the audio starts. In this case,
Media Station|PT parks on the first frame of
video and waits for Pro Tools to reach 1:00:00
before it begins to play the video. Regardless of
their respective start times, Pro Tools and
Media Station|PT will always play at the same
time code values unless an offset has been en-
tered in the Video Satellite Offset field in the
Pro Tools Session Setup window.
– or –
• If you want to sequence to begin capturing
at a time code location that falls after the
Pro Tools session start, set the start time of
the capture to be later than the Session
Start in Pro Tools.
Therefore, it is not required that the
Media Station|PT sequence and Pro Tools ses-
sion start at the same time in order to play in
sync.
In some cases, starting playback from
Media Station|PT at a point which is more
than a minute earlier than the start of the
Pro Tools session may fail. Change the
Pro Tools session start time to be earlier.
General Settings dialog
To change the start time of an existing sequence
in Media Station|PT:
1 In Media Station|PT, open the bin containing
the existing sequence.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 119
2 If needed, re-size the bin window so that you
can see the Start column of the bin window.
Compensating for Monitor-
Induced Output Delay
Many monitors add a delay to the video output
of one or more frames. You can compensate for
this delay by advancing the video output by the
necessary number of frames.
Start
column
To set the number of frames to offset video output:
1 Choose Setup > Set Video Sync Offset.
2 In the Satellite field, type the number of
frames by which you want to offset video satel-
lite playback.
Bin window (Name and Start columns shown)
3 In the Start column for the sequence for
which you want to set a new start time, type the
new start time using semi-colons (for Drop
Frame) or colons (for Non-Drop Frame), and
press Enter.
3 Click OK.
Linking or Unlinking Pro Tools
and a Video Satellite
4 Click OK to confirm.
Compensating for Different Sequence
Start Times in Pro Tools and a Video
Satellite
After you have connected Pro Tools and a video
satellite to each other, Link buttons appear in
the Pro Tools and Media Station|PT transports.
You can compensate for any offsets that might
occur if the start times of an Avid sequence dif-
fer between Media Station|PT and Pro Tools.
Standard Pro Tools MachineControl Option
functionality is unaffected and independent
from the video satellite transport operations.
However, chasing MIDI Machine Control or
MIDI time code while linked to a video sat-
ellite is not supported.
To set the Video Satellite Offset:
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
2 In the Video Satellite Offset field, compensate
for the offset between the Pro Tools and video
satellite as follows:
The Link buttons let you use Pro Tools or
Media Station|PT to temporarily “lock” the two
applications to each other. Most playback or
capturing actions performed on one system are
automatically duplicated on the other.
• If the start time of the video satellite se-
quence falls before the start time of the
Pro Tools sequence, type a positive time
code value.
When using Pro Tools with a video satellite,
audio output from Media Station|PT is only
accurate to +/- approximately 1/2 frame.
Audio should only be monitored if the tim-
ing of the audio does not need to be more
precise.
• If the start time of the video satellite se-
quence falls after the start time of the
Pro Tools sequence, type a negative time
code value.
120 Media Station|PT Guide
When linked, Pro Tools and Media Station|PT
support the following transport operations:
If Shift-Alt-L does not function correctly,
ensure that the Windows Standard Alt Key
Behavior option is unselected in the
Media Station|PT Interface dialog settings
(Project window > Settings tab > Interface
setting).
• With audio playback:
• Play
• Half-speed Play
• Loop Play
• Scrub
To link or unlink the systems from within
Media Station|PT, do one of the following:
• Record
• Loop Record
„ Click the Video Satellite Link button to
change it to a linked (green) or unlinked (grey)
state.
• Without audio playback:
• Locate
• FF/REW
– or –
• Shuttle
„ Press Shift-Alt-L (Windows) to toggle the link
state between linked and unlinked.
• Nudge
• Selecting and Trimming
Video
Satellite Link
button
To link or unlink the systems from within Pro Tools,
do one of the following:
„ In any of the Pro Tools Transport controls,
click the Link button to change it from an un-
linked (grey) or linked (green) state.
Video Satellite Link button in Media Station|PT
Link buttons flash briefly when establishing
internal links.
– or –
„ Press Shift-Alt-L (Windows) or Shift-Option-L
(Mac) to toggle between linked and unlinked.
Capturing Audio and Video
with a Video Satellite System
Video Satellite
Link button
You can use a video satellite system to capture
audio and video media in a single pass.
Before Capturing Audio and Video
Before capturing audio and video from tape, en-
sure that you have made the following connec-
tions.
Video Satellite Link buttons in Pro Tools Edit window
Transport controls and Transport window controls
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 121
For connections with an Avid video peripheral, do
the following:
Capturing Audio and Video
Caveats
1 Connect the composite, component, S-Video,
SDI or FireWire cables from the desired outputs
of the video deck to the corresponding inputs
on the video peripheral.
The following caveats apply to capturing audio
and video with a video satellite system:
• Due to technical limitations, when capturing
video from a device being controlled via a
1394 connection, audio sync will be up to 3/4
of a frame out of sync.
2 Connect the audio source to the inputs of
your primary Pro Tools audio interface
• If you want to capture a 29.97 telecine video
tape to a 24 fps project, you must first capture
both audio and video on Media Station|PT
and then export the audio back to Pro Tools.
See “Capturing Audio and Video” on page 45
and “Manually Exporting an AAF Sequence”
on page 60.
For connections without an Avid video peripheral,
do one of the following:
„ For FireWire-based connections, connect the
FireWire cable directly to the Firewire port on
the Media Station system.
Since video and audio are streamed in one signal
via FireWire connections, it is not necessary to
connect any audio inputs.
Media Station|PT Video Satellite
for Capturing
If you are capturing HD video, the video source
must be connected directly to the
Media Station|PT computer via FireWire (1394)
cable. Because a single FireWire cable provides
both video and audio, you must capture both
audio and video into Media Station|PT and then
export the audio portion over to Pro Tools if de-
sired. The exception to this is that if the deck
also has analog outputs, you could connect
those outputs to your Pro Tools inputs.
Before configuring Pro Tools and
Media Station|PT for synchronized capturing,
ensure that the two applications have matching
settings. For detailed information, see “Match-
ing Media Station|PT and Pro Tools Settings in a
Video Satellite System” on page 115.
Configuring Pro Tools for Capturing
within a Video Satellite System
Due to variations in the analog and digital
outputs of different decks, you may need to
manually sync audio with video after cap-
turing.
To configure Pro Tools for capturing audio:
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session, and en-
sure the following:
For more information, see the Getting Started
with HD Guide as well as the guide for your
Pro Tools audio interface.
• Clock Source pop-up menu is set to SYNC.
– and –
• Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to
Video Reference (SD) or Video Reference
(HD).
2 Route the audio inputs to the desired tracks.
122 Media Station|PT Guide
3 Record enable the audio tracks to which you
want to capture audio.
If you want to capture to a location in a se-
quence that falls in the Timeline after the last
frame of media, you need to artificially extend
the sequence.
4 Click the Record Enable button in the Trans-
port.
To artificially extend the sequence in the Timeline:
You are now ready to configure
Media Station|PT for capturing into a new or ex-
isting sequence.
1 In Media Station|PT, open the existing se-
quence into which you wish to capture new me-
dia.
Configuring Media Station|PT for
Capturing into an Existing Sequence
2 Add at least one frame of media to the end of
the current Timeline.
To configure a Media Station|PT video satellite for
capturing into an existing sequence:
3 Place the cursor at the leading edge of that me-
dia.
1 In Media Station|PT, open the existing se-
quence into which you want to capture new me-
dia.
4 Choose Clip > Add Black and select 2 minutes.
5 Repeat as needed until the Timeline is long
enough.
2 Use the Mark In control to set an In point on
the Timeline at which you want to begin captur-
ing.
Once you have created this “filler” se-
quence, you can save it and use it for the
same purpose on other projects.
Media Station|PT places captured video at
the In point in the timeline. However, that
may not equal the video's time code position
on the tape, which is determined by the In
point set in the Capture Tool. For example,
if the In point on the Capture Tool is set to
1:00 and the In point in the timeline is set
to 0:30, Media Station|PT starts capturing
when the tape reaches 1:00—but places the
captured video in the timeline beginning at
0:30—causing a 30-second offset.
Configuring Media Station|PT for
Capturing Directly into an Empty
Sequence
When you capture into an empty sequence,
Media Station|PT uses the default start time set
in the General setting of the Settings tab.
To configure a Media Station|PT video satellite for
capturing directly into a new sequence:
1 If there is a sequence open, click above the
Record Monitor to display a pop-up menu, and
select Clear Monitor.
To keep the captured video in sync with the
source tape, the In point in the timeline
should be the same as the In point in the
Capture Tool.
You are now ready to configure the Capture
Tool. See “Configuring the Capture Tool” on
page 124.
Pop-up menu above Record Monitor
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 123
2 In the Project window, click the Settings tab
and then double-click the General setting.
Configuring the Capture Tool
To configure the Capture Tool for manual capture:
3 In the Default Starting TC field, do one of the
following to set the default start time for a new
sequence:
1 If you are capturing via an Avid video periph-
eral, ensure that the Device setting is set to Avid
DNA by doing one of the following:
• If you want the sequence to begin captur-
ing at the same time code location as the
beginning of the Pro Tools session, set the
start time of the capture to be equal to the
Session Start in Pro Tools (Setup > Session
in Pro Tools).
• Click the DNA/1394 button in the Time-
line.
– or –
• If you want to sequence to begin capturing
at a time code location that falls after the
Pro Tools session start, set the start time of
the capture to be later than the Session
Start in Pro Tools.
DNA/1394 button
DNA/1394 button (showing both DNA and 1394 status)
– or –
• Select Special > Device > Avid DNA.
General Settings dialog
You are now ready to configure the Capture
Tool. See “Configuring the Capture Tool” on
page 124.
Avid DNA option in the Device pop-up menu
124 Media Station|PT Guide
2 To open the Capture Tool, choose Tools > Cap-
ture.
6 Below the Record button, click the record en-
able buttons for the video and time code inputs.
(V is for video and TC is the time code channel).
The TC (time code) button should always
be enabled, even though no time code is be-
ing recorded.
Reveal
triangles
Do not record enable the audio inputs unless
you want to use Media Station|PT instead of
Pro Tools to capture audio.
7 To capture the clip directly into the Timeline
without affecting the position of any existing
material (analogous to Slip edit in Pro Tools),
click Overwrite.
8 Choose the video input source from the Video
Capture Tool
Input pop-up menu.
3 Ensure that all the reveal triangles on the left
side of the Capture Tool window are pointing
down so that all of the controls are visible.
Bin pop-
up menu
Res pop-up
menu
4 If necessary, click the Capture/Log Mode but-
ton to select Capture mode (CAP).
Record Capture/Log ToggleSource Overwrite
button
Mode button button
button
Toggle
Storage
Video
storage
Capture Tool (Storage controls)
9 From the Bin pop-up menu, select the bin
where you wish the captured clips to appear.
This setting does not affect where the cap-
tured files are stored. All captured media
files are stored in the OMFI Media Files
folder (for OMF media) or Avid MediaFiles
folder (for MXF media) on the volumes se-
lected in the storage pop-up menus. A bin in
Media Station|PT is analogous to the Audio
or MIDI region lists in Pro Tools, except that
a project in Media Station|PT may have an
unlimited number of bins, and clips may be
organized between the bins as best suits the
user.
Video
record
Audio
record
Video
input
Audio
input
TimeCode
Enable
enable enable source source
Capture Tool (Record controls)
5 If necessary, enable control of the tape deck by
clicking the Toggle Source button so that it does
not display a circle with a slash.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 125
10 From the Res pop-up menu, choose the reso-
15 Do one of the following:
lution of video you wish to capture.
• Select one of the displayed tape names and
click OK.
11 Click the Toggle Storage button so that one
volume is showing, and select the volume where
the video media will be stored. The available re-
cording time for each volume displays next to it.
– or –
• Click New to add a new tape to the list.
This will be helpful if you ever need to re-
capture the same video.
12 If the VTR is not correctly identified in the
Source pop-up menu, choose Auto-Configure
from the source pop-up menu, then click Yes to
auto-configure the VTR with the Capture Tool
and display the name of the VTR.
16 To check your inputs and levels, do the fol-
lowing:
• Click Play on the transport controls. Video
should appear in the Record Monitor and
your client monitor.
Delay Audio
Source
pop-up
menu
When digitizing DV25 video via the
DV port, nothing will appear in the client
monitor. However, the digitized clip will be
captured correctly.
Tape
Name pop-
up menu
• Check audio input levels in Pro Tools.
You are now ready to capture.
Capture Tool (Transport controls)
13 Ensure that Delay Audio is set to 0 Frames.
Capturing Audio and Video with a
Video Satellite System
14 Insert the tape into the VTR.
Media Station|PT will present a list of tapes al-
ready associated with this project and ask you
which tape you have inserted.
To capture audio and video:
1 Ensure the Capture Tool has been configured
for capturing. (See “Configuring the Capture
Tool” on page 124.)
2 Ensure that Pro Tools has been properly con-
nected to the video satellite. (See “Connecting
Pro Tools and a Video Satellite” on page 113.)
Select Tape dialog
126 Media Station|PT Guide
3 Use the Mark In and Mark Out controls to se-
lect a specific portion of video you want to cap-
ture from tape, and click Record. (See “Selecting
a Portion of Video to Capture” on page 127.)
After you click Record, Media Station|PT cues
the VTR. Media Station|PT and Pro Tools drop
into record mode at the appropriate moment.
The flashing red light indicates recording is in
progress.
Mark Out
Mark In
Go to Out
Go to In
During recording, video may appear out of
synchronization with audio. However, au-
dio and video will be synchronized during
playback.
Clear
Display
4 Click the Record button again (or press the
ESC key) to stop.
Playing Back Captured Audio and Video
with a Video Satellite System
Mark Memory Go To Memory
Duration
Once you have finished capturing with a video
satellite system, the captured clip appears in the
Record Monitor and in the Timeline. Audio ap-
pears in the Pro Tools Timeline.
Record
Mark In and Mark Out controls (and Record button)
To view the captured clip, do the following:
If Media Station|PT displays an error mes-
sage regarding mis-matched frame rates,
you may have mis-matched time code for-
mats or play rates. See “Matching
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools Settings in
a Video Satellite System” on page 115 for
detailed information on correcting the con-
figuration.
„ Click Play (or press the Spacebar) in Pro Tools
or Media Station|PT.
Selecting a Portion of Video to Capture
The Mark In and Mark Out controls in the Cap-
ture Tool let you select a portion of video to cap-
ture from the tape.
You can capture without first entering an In
point, but this is not advised because of un-
predictable delays between clicking the
Record button and actually capturing video.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 127
To select a portion of video to capture:
The exact length of the clip to be captured ap-
pears in the Duration display.
1 In the Capture Tool, use one of the following
methods to mark the position where you want
the capture to begin:
3 You can also do the following:
• To automatically queue the tape to the
Mark In point, click Go to In.
• Press the Spacebar (or click Play) to start
playback on the VTR, and click Mark In at
the desired position.
• To automatically queue the tape to the
Mark Out point, click Go to Out.
• Use the Transport controls to queue the
tape to the position at which you wish to
start capturing, and click Mark In.
• To automatically mark a specific frame (not
to be reflected in the capture), click Mark
Memory.
• Type a time code value in the Mark In field.
• To clear any of the Mark In, Mark Out, or
Mark Memory points, click Clear Display
next to the appropriate button.
You can capture without first entering an In
point, but this is not advised because of un-
predictable delays between clicking the
Record button and actually capturing video.
• To begin capturing at a specific point for a
specific duration, type time code values in
the Mark In and Duration fields.
2 Use one of the following methods to mark the
position where you want the capture to end:
specific duration, type time code values in
the Mark Out and Duration fields.
• If the VTR is playing back, click Mark Out
at the desired position.
• To begin an open-ended capture with no
definitive stopping point, type a time code
value in the Mark In field.
• Use the Transport controls to queue the
tape to the position at which you wish to
end capturing, and click Mark Out.
4 You are now ready to begin capturing, as de-
scribed in “Capturing Audio and Video with a
Video Satellite System” on page 126. When you
begin capturing, the VTR queues to the In point
and begins capturing video, then stops automat-
ically when it reaches the Out point.
• Type a time code value in the Mark Out
field.
Mark Out
Mark In
Go to Out
Go to In
Clear
Display
Mark Memory Go To Memory
Duration
Mark In and Mark Out controls
128 Media Station|PT Guide
Re-Digitizing an Existing
Sequence
Laying Back Audio and Video
to Tape
Media Station|PT can open sequences created
on other Avid editing systems (such as Media
Composer Adrenaline). However, you may want
to re-digitize some or all of the media files be-
cause they were the wrong resolution, missing,
or corrupted.
While Pro Tools video output is intended for
monitoring purposes only and is not suitable for
professional layback or broadcast, video output
from Media Station|PT is full broadcast quality.
You can use Media Station|PT linked to
Pro Tools when you need to output both audio
and video to tape.
When using this procedure with a video satel-
lite, you must capture the audio to
Media Station|PT and then export an AAF se-
quence referencing or containing the embedded
audio to Pro Tools.
To minimize the chance of dropped frames,
it is recommended that all effects be ren-
dered before performing a layback.
When laying back to an SDI VTR or 1394
device that requires audio and video to be
combined in a single stream, you must ex-
port the audio to Media Station|PT from
Pro Tools or combine audio and video sig-
nals using a third-party summing device,
and then lay back the final sequence to tape.
See “Re-Digitizing an Existing Sequence” on
page 51 for detailed information.
Digitizing from an EDL
Media Station|PT includes Avid EDL Manager
software, which lets you open an EDL from an-
other editing application, create a Media Sta-
tion|PT sequence from that EDL, then re-digitize
the sequence.
To record audio and video to tape from
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools simultaneously:
1 Make sure that your system is set up as fol-
lows:
When using this procedure with a video satel-
lite, you must capture the audio to
Media Station|PT and then export an AAF se-
quence referencing or containing the embedded
audio to Pro Tools.
• Pro Tools and the Media Station|PT video
satellite computers are linked.
• Audio outputs on the Pro Tools|HD audio
interface are connected to the appropriate
audio inputs on the VTR.
• Video outputs from Media Station|PT sys-
tem are connected to the VTR.
See “Digitizing from an EDL” on page 52 for de-
tailed information.
• If you are using deck control, the deck con-
trol cable from Media Station|PT is con-
nected to the VTR, and the VTR is set to
Remote mode.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 129
• Select Special > Device > Avid DNA or IEEE
1394.
When using Media Station|PT in Satellite
mode for 24p and 23.976 projects, only the
24 and 23.976 Output Formats are sup-
ported. The 29.97 Output Format (+25%
playback speed with no pulldown) is not
supported in Satellite mode for 24p and
23.976p projects.
2 Insert a video tape into your VTR.
3 To ensure that the tape deck is properly con-
figured, refer to the following topic in
Media Station|PT Help (Help > Avid
Media Station|PT Help): Configuring a Deck or
Multiple Decks.
Avid DNA and IEEE 1394 options in the Device pop-up
menu
4 Do one of the following:
6 Drag the sequence you want to record to tape
from the bin to the Record Monitor.
• Select one of the displayed tape names and
click OK.
7 Drag the sequence from the bin to the Record
– or –
Monitor.
• Click New to add a new tape to the list.
8 Select Output > Digital Cut. The Digital Cut
Tool appears.
5 Ensure that the Device setting is set to Avid
DNA (if you are outputting through an Avid
video peripheral) or IEEE 1394 (if you are out-
putting through FireWire) by doing one of the
following:
• Click the DNA/1394 button in the Time-
line.
DNA/1394 button
Digital Cut Tool
DNA/1394 button (showing both DNA and 1394 status)
9 If you want to set In and Out points for a dig-
ital cut.
– or –
130 Media Station|PT Guide
10 Do one of the following:
15 If you chose Remote mode, select one of the
following options:
• Select the Entire Sequence option to record
the entire sequence.
Sequence Time Starts recording based on se-
quence time. For example, if the sequence starts
at 1:00:00 in the Timeline, Media Station|PT will
start recording when the tape reaches 1:00:00.
– or –
• Deselect the Entire Sequence option and
set the In and Out points in the Timeline.
11 If you are laying back via a FireWire (1394)
connection (Special > Device > IEEE 1394), select
the appropriate output mode from the Output
Mode pop-up menu as follows:
Record Deck Time Starts recording wherever the
VTR is currently parked.
Mark In Time Starts recording at the address en-
tered in the top window to the right of the trans-
port controls.
• If all of the media on your Timeline is
DV25, or if it is all DV50, and all of your ef-
fects are rendered, you can achieve a
slightly higher quality of output by select-
ing DV25 or DV50 as appropriate.
16 In the Source Track buttons, select the top
video track. Only the selected video tracks and
the video tracks below it will be recorded.
– or –
Source Record Record
Track
Track Enable
buttons buttons
Preview
• Otherwise, you must select the RT DV25 or
RT DV50 options to render and transcode
all of your video to that format.
12 Select the Stop on Dropped Frames option if
you want Media Station|PT to automatically
stop the tape if the audio and video does not
record correctly.
Selected Source tracks
13 Select the Add Black At Tail option, and type
the amount of black you want added to the end
of the sequence.
17 If you selected Remote mode, use the Record
Track buttons on the right to select which audio
and video tracks to enable for recording on the
tape.
14 Select one of the following from the Deck
Control options:
18 Click the yellow Preview button to check
that all of the tracks you selected are playing and
that the insert points on the tape are correct.
Local mode You will initiate recording manu-
ally.
Remote mode Media Station|PT will start the
VTR and drop into record at the specified time
code.
Chapter 4: Media Station|PT Video Satellite Workflows 131
19 Do one of the following:
See “Cross-Mounting Media Storage on Re-
mote Systems” on page 93.
• To record using Local mode, press play and
record on the VTR. When ready, click the
Record button in the Digital Cut window.
the following methods:
– or –
• Bounce the audio tracks to disk.
• Mix back to internal tracks.
• To record using Remote mode, press Record
in the Digital Cut window.
Media Station|PT will queue the tape, play,
then drop in at the appropriate location.
• Export the selected tracks as an AAF with
Be sure to record at least a few seconds of
black to the tape before performing a digital
cut. This will guarantee that the video tape
is correctly formatted when your digital cut
starts
See “Exporting Audio from Pro Tools for
Media Station PT” on page 78.
3 Import the Pro Tools audio into the
Media Station|PT sequence, and integrate it into
the track. See the following procedures:
• “Importing Audio into Media Station|PT
from Pro Tools” on page 82
Exporting Audio and Video as
a Digital Movie from a Video
Satellite
• “Synchronizing Audio with a
Media Station|PT Sequence” on page 86
To export a sequence as a digital movie:
If you have audio and video media with a video
satellite system and you want to create a Quick-
Time or Windows Media digital movie, you
must first get the audio from Pro Tools into
Media Station|PT.
1 Select the sequence you want to export in the
bin and drag it to the Record Monitor.
2 Render all effects in the Timeline as described
in “Rendering All Effects” on page 60.
Exporting audio and video from a video satellite
system to a digital movie involves the following
steps:
3 Select the Track Enable buttons for the video
and audio tracks to export.
4 Choose File > Export.
1 Get the audio to the Media Station|PT ma-
chine and cut it into the video sequence.
5 Type a name and select the destination.
2 Export the sequence as a digital movie.
6 Choose the type of file you want to export
from the Export Setting pop-up menu.
To get the audio from Pro Tools to the
Media Station|PT video satellite:
7 Click Options, and configure the settings as
desired.
1 Ensure that the Pro Tools system can deliver
files easily to the Media Station|PT video satel-
lite computer through shared storage (such as
Unity or Ethernet-mounted network volume), a
mounted audio or video storage drive, or a DVD.
8 Click Save or Save As.
9 In the Export As dialog, click Save.
132 Media Station|PT Guide
index
Symbols
“ghost” files 95
A
definition of 7
Numerics
1:1 video
capturing 47
10:1m video
capturing 47
1080 video
capturing 47
to Interplay 69
w/audio drive mounted on satellite 106
exporting from Pro Tools
to Interplay 81
importing into Media Station|PT
from Interplay 84
down-converting to SD video 54
requirements for playback 1
supported frame rates 3
supported resolutions 2
transcoding to SD video 66
192 digital I/O
support for 11
into a bin 83
importing into Pro Tools
192 I/O
support for 11
20:1 video
capturing 47
29.97 fps
as an existing session 73
from a non-mountable volume 112
from a playback volume 111
Media Station|PT support for 7
opening for playback on a satellite system 110
Pro Tools support for 7
30i
4:1m video
capturing 47
720p video
capturing 47
receiving an AAF sequence 101
AAF/OMF sequences (see AAF sequences)
ABVB video 2
inability to down-convert to SD 54
inability to transcode to SD 66
supported frame rates 3
supported resolutions 2
96 I/O
Access (see Interplay Access)
support for 11
9-pin RS-322 to RS-422 cable 24
Index 133
accuracy
audio when output from satellite 120
audio settings
frame rate 10
sample rate 10
exporting an AAF sequence from Media
Station|PT with audio storage
Activation Card
and iLok 33
mounted on the satellite 106
mounting on Windows XP 98
Add Selected Tracks option 81
adding clips
to a new sequence 55
to an existing sequence 56
artifacts 2, 45
audio
sharing on Mac for mounting on Windows 96
Media Station|PT
and mixed sample rates or bit depths 72
exporting
after upgrading 31
Video Satellite option 32
to Interplay from Pro Tools 81
using Bounce to Disk 80
importing into Media Station|PT
from Interplay 84
automation
vs. Avid automation gain 6
caused by multiple applications 113
into a bin 82
monitoring from Media Station|PT 22
sample-rate accuracy 10
synchronizing with Avid sequences 86
tracks in Media Station|PT Timeline 87
audio and video
terminology counterparts with Pro Tools 6
video codecs 3
capturing
using a satellite system 121, 126
exporting as a digital movie
from a satellite system 132
importing into Pro Tools 71
laying back to tape
using a satellite system 129
playing captured media on satellite 127
sync issues
updating 32
Avid DV video 3
Avid LogExchange
installing on Mac OS X 31
installing on Windows XP 26
Avid MediaFiles folder
disabling Simple File Sharing 29
location of 9
caused by multiple applications 113
audio I/O
connecting 23
restoring invisible files in the Media Tool 83
Avid Mojo (see Mojo)
Avid Mojo SDI (see Mojo SDI)
monitoring from Media Station|PT 22
Audio Project Settings dialog 41
Audio Pull Up/Down setting
changing 118
matching to Edit Play Rate setting 115
Audio Pull-Up and Edit Play Rate 116
134 Media Station|PT Guide
Avid sequences
adding clips
system requirements 11
updating firmware for 34
to an existing sequence 56
artificially extending in the Timeline 123
assembling clips into a sequence 55
capturing
AVoption|V10
connecting to a VTR 23
support for 11
changing the start time of existing 119
checking in to Interplay for Pro Tools 69
copying to satellite video storage 105
creating a video mixdown from 67
definition of 5
B
Best Performance video quality 44
deleting 58
digitizing from an EDL 52
exporting a portion of 65
Bin window 39
definition of 5
exporting as a digital movie 132
exporting as an AAF sequence
opening on a satellite system 101
example of 69, 84
importing an AAF sequence into 83
importing audio files into 82
overview 100
configuring for a satellite system 124
configuring for a standard system 46
example of 46, 125
Name/Comments 49
overwritten in Timeline 85
re-digitizing an existing sequence 51
removing 3rd-party effects from 61
rendering effects in 60
Record controls 46
Storage controls 47
selecting a portion of 50, 127
setting the default start time for 119
synchronizing with Pro Tools audio 86
total allowed tracks on Interplay 81
vs. Pro Tools sessions 6
time code sync with source tape 123
Avid video
a portion of a sequence 50
audio and video
importing into Pro Tools 74
using a satellite system 126
using a standard system 45, 48
before capturing with a satellite 121
caveats for video satellite systems 122
Avid video peripherals
connecting to a VTR 23
connecting video reference to 24
definition of 37
down-converting HD video 54
satellite connections 122
Index 135
configuring the Capture Tool
for a satellite system 124
connecting hardware 46
controls for 49
frame-rate video and sample-rate audio 10
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools settings 117
re-digitizing an existing sequence 51
setting the video resolution 47
CAT5e Ethernet cables
requirements for video satellite systems 25
caveats
for monitor delay 120
for video satellite offsets 120
configuration requirements
for D-Control/D-Command 41
configurations
DVI signal distance limitations 30
for satellite capturing 122
installing more than one FireWire device 22
interlaced HD projects 3
video satellite system caveats 114
changing
an existing sequence for capturing 123
Capture Tool
for a satellite system capture 124
LAN connection in satellite system 25
project audio settings 41
Audio Pull Up/Down setting 118
Edit Play Rate setting 116
HD project Project Type 54
start time of an existing sequence 119
video output settings (for a project) 43
video quality 44
project video settings 40
checking in a sequence to Interplay
client monitor
definition of 5
Keyspan USB adapter 24
Media Station|PT
to a VTR 23
clips
adding to a new sequence 55
adding to an existing sequence 56
assembling into a sequence 55
boundaries in Timeline 57
definition of 5
Pro Tools to a video satellite 113
video I/O 23
Consolidate Media option
for audio 63
for video 62
controls
deleting 58
deleting from a sequence 57
exporting a portion of 65
Clock Reference setting
matching to Project Type setting 115
codecs 3
for capturing 49
co-installed system
Record Monitor controls 57, 68, 88
Source Monitor controls 55, 65, 87
Convert Audio Sample Rate/Bit Depth option 64
Copy All Media option
for audio 63
definition of 15
monitoring audio from 23
overview of 19
for video 62
136 Media Station|PT Guide
creating
a new user (after upgrading from Media
video mixdown 67
cross-mounting
subclip 5
Timeline 5
video stutter 45
delay 120
deleting
clips from a sequence 57
clips, media, and sequences 58
diagrams
Media Station|PT installed with Pro Tools 21
standalone system 19
video satellite system 20
Digidesign audio peripherals
support for 11
choosing a configuration for 94
definition of 93
reasons for 93
Windows XP media storage
on Windows XP 98
D
data
digital movie
selecting a default folder for 35
D-Command
configuration requirements 41
from an EDL 52
D-Control
configuration requirements 41
default start time
setting for new Avid sequences 119
definition
drive indexing 28
disconnecting (Pro Tools from a satellite) 114
dongle (see Avid Application key)
AAF sequences 7
Avid sequence 5
Avid video peripherals 37
bins 5
client monitor 5
clips 5
co-installed system 15
connecting (Pro Tools and a satellite) 113
cross-mounting 93
iLok USB Smart Key 32
Interplay 4
obtaining 32
ISIS 4
down-converting
an HD project to SD video 54
reasons for 1, 54
downloading
SharePoints 96
Draft video quality 44
drive indexing
linking (Pro Tools and a satellite) 113
media data 8
MediaNetwork 4
metadata 9
OMF media and sequences 8
Pro Tools and Avid terminology 6
projects 5
Record Monitor 5
remote system 93
Source Monitor 5
disabling 28
standalone system 15
standard system 11
Index 137
drive selection
when importing session data 74
drivers
installing for nVidia 29
Drop frame
matching settings on a satellite system 115
DV codec 3
DV25 video 2
and a blank client monitor 126
capturing 47
DV50 video 2
DVC Pro 25 video 2
DVCPRO HD video 2
DVI
and playback limitations 2, 45
and signal distance limitations 30
Dynamics II plug-ins
saving and recalling 109
w/video drive mounted on Pro Tools 108
AAF sequences from Media Station|PT
to Interplay 69
using Send To Templates 58
to Interplay 81
manually moving after installation 22
using Bounce to Disk 80
audio and video
E
Edit Decision List
from Media Station|PT 58
Avid sequence as AAF sequence (satellite)
w/video drive mounted on Pro Tools 108
media
via layback 89
via XDCAM 91
portion of a sequence 65
video mixdown 67
digitizing from 52
Edit Play Rate setting
changing 116
matching to Audio Pull Up setting 115
editing
frame-rate accuracy with video 10
limitations with (in Media Station|PT) 1
sample-rate accuracy with audio 10
EDL (see Edit Decision List)
effects
removing 3rd-party effects from a sequence 61
rendering 60
Embedded in AAF option
for audio 64
F
for video 63
Fast menu 89
embedded media
FAT 16 and FAT 32
definition of 8
vs. linked media 9
files
restoring invisible files in the Media Tool 83
FireWire
capturing with in a satellite system 122
installing multiple FW devices (warning) 22
firmware
Enable Accounts sheet 97
Enabled tracks (Avid Timeline) 60
EQ II plug-ins
manually moving after installation 22
Ethernet connections
updating for Avid video peripherals 34
updating Mojo firmware for Apple PCIe 18
making for video satellite systems 25
138 Media Station|PT Guide
fixing
invisible files in the Media Tool 83
capturing 47
down-converting to SD video 54
Folder option
for audio 64
for video 63
transcoding to SD video 66
HFS+
and Media Station|PT requirements 33
Format tab (Project window) 54, 66
formatting
video storage 33
frame rates
accuracy with Avid video editing 10, 85
requirements for video placed in Timeline 73
supported frame rates 3
vs. refresh rates 45
Import Session Data dialog 72, 74, 77
frame-dropping (caused by running other
frame-tearing
definition 45
preventing 44
Full video quality 44
from a non-playback volume 111
from Interplay 84
into a bin 83
AAF sequence into Pro Tools (satellite)
AAF sequence into Pro Tools (standard)
full-screen playback
changing output settings for 44
configuring multiple monitors for 29
DVI output limitations 2, 45
overview 26
supported video cards 30
switching to 54
from Interplay 75
from within Interplay 75
into an existing session 73
G
guide conventions 12
audio into Media Station|PT from Interplay 84
Avid video into Pro Tools 74
Interplay sequence into Pro Tools 75
H
Handle Length option
Include Rendered Audio Effects
for audio 64
installation
AVoption|V10 hardware 22
installing
for video 62
hardware
connecting for capturing 46
supported hardware 11
HD Core Card
support for 11
Avid video peripherals 22
hardware 22
HD projects
changing the Project Type of 54
down-converting to SD video 54
Index 139
Media Station|PT
as a video satellite system 20
on Mac OS X 30
online help 3
layback to tape
on the same computer with Pro Tools 21
nVidia drivers 29
optional software 31
SharePoints 96
using a video satellite system 129
using Media Station|PT standalone 89
Lift button 58
Windows Media Player 11 28
Interplay
DVI signal distance 30
checking in a sequence for Pro Tools 69
configuring Media Station|PT as a client of 34
definition of 4
exporting audio to Interplay from Pro Tools 81
importing a sequence from
into Media Station|PT 84
into Pro Tools 75
Pro Tools Drop Frame limitations 118
total number of tracks on Interplay 81
video satellite system 114
for video 62
location of exported files 70
red dots (meaning of) 71
total allowed tracks 81
linked media
using with a satellite system 113
vs. embedded media 9
Interplay Access
example of 75
Pro Tools and a satellite (definition of) 113
Pro Tools and a satellite (procedure) 120
importing a sequence into Pro Tools from 75
Interplay browser 84
Interplay Engine Browser 76
invisible files
how to restore in the Media Tool 83
ISIS system
of exported files in Interplay 70
of MXF media 9
of OMF media 9
connecting Media Station|PT to 34
definition of 4
J
JFIF codec 3
M
Mac OS X
K
“ghost” files caused on Windows XP 95
connecting to a VTR 24
Keyspan USB adapter 24
installing Media Station|PT on 30
setting up shared storage on 97
sharing storage for mounting on Windows 96
uninstalling software from 18
updating the Avid Application key on 32
Mac OS X Sharing Preferences 97
L
LAN connection
configuring within a video satellite system 25
140 Media Station|PT Guide
MachineControl
configuring with a VTR 24
effects of satellite on 120
Mark In button 60
master clips
vs. whole file regions 6
matching
changing video output settings 43
checking in to Interplay for Pro Tools 69
audio settings 41
to a VTR 23
creating
Pro Tools and Media Station|PT settings 115
media
Avid default locations for 9
deleting 58
exporting 89
exporting to XDCAM 91
laying back to tape 89
restoring invisible files in Media Tool 83
Media Creation dialog 40
media data
a video mixdown with 67
cross-mounting (reasons for) 93
definition of 8
down-converting an HD project to SD video 54
Drop Frame setting 115
selecting a default folder for 35
Media Destinations option 62
Media Drive option
for audio 64
for video 63
media files 8
manually 60
to Interplay 69
and metadata 9
importing non-OMF and non-MXF media files 52
restoring invisible files in the Media Tool 83
Media Station|PT
w/video drive mounted on Pro Tools 108
exporting audio and video 58
AAF support for 7
adding clips to a new sequence 55
adding clips to an existing sequence 56
assembling clips into a sequence 55
authorizing
after upgrading 31
Avid video peripherals requirements 1
basic workflows overview 37
capturing
full-screen playback settings 44
importing
audio from Interplay 84
audio into a bin 82
non-MXF and non-OMFI media 52
importing AAF sequence (satellite system)
from a non-playback volume 111
from a playback volume 110
installation configuration
portion of video 50
satellite (see video satellite system)
with a standard system 48
with standard system 45
capturing methods 45
caveats for satellite systems 114
as a standalone system 15
as a video satellite of Pro Tools 15
with Pro Tools (co-installed) 15
Index 141
installing
on Windows XP 26
with Pro Tools 21
Interplay support for 4
LAN connection 25
launching the first time 34
laying back to tape from
on a satellite system 129
on a standard system 89
linking to Pro Tools 120
matching settings to Pro Tools 115
monitor output delay 120
MXF support for 7
Non-Drop Frame setting 115
OMF support for 8
possible configurations for 15
preserving user settings before upgrading 15
Project Type setting 115
re-digitizing a sequence 51
rendering effects 60
example of 82
MediaNetwork system
MIDI Time Code
support for 11
restoring invisible files in the Media Tool 83
setting Sync Lock 43
Mojo SDI
connecting to a VTR 23
connecting video reference to 24
setting Sync Lock for 43
support for 11
standalone system overview 19
starting a new project 38
supported frame rates 3
system requirements 11
synchronizing audio with a sequence 86
system requirements 11
Time Code Format setting 115
Timeline 5
transcoding HD sequences to SD video 66
troubleshooting satellite connections 115
uninstalling 16
updating Avid firmware when launching 34
upgrading 15
mounting (see cross-mounting)
MPEG40 video 2
MPEG50 video 2
Video Details tab 62
video quality settings 44
Multi-Cam file support 3
MXF codec 3
video satellite (see video satellite system)
viewing bins in a project 39
MXF media
Media Station|V10
definition of 7
folder locations 9
video codecs 2
creating a new user after upgrading from 40
preserving user settings before upgrading 15
uninstalling 16
142 Media Station|PT Guide
opening
AAF sequence on a satellite system 110
N
Name the Session dialog 76
New Session dialog 71
Non-Drop frame
from a playback volume 110
Avid sequence on a satellite system 101
from local/Unity storage w/Pro Tools not
streaming 101
matching settings for a satellite system 115
non-OMF and non-MXF media files
importing into Media Station|PT 52
NTFS
installing on Mac OS X 31
overview
NTSC
Audio Pull-Up and Edit Play Rate 116
black burst generator 11
capturing 37
co-installed system 21
changing Project Type of 54
compatibility table 117
exporting to XDCAM 91
frame rates 2, 3
Media Station|PT installed with Pro Tools 21
opening a sequence on a satellite system 100
standalone system 19
video satellite system 20
limitations on output from PAL source 38
monitor 1, 2, 5, 19, 45, 66
nVidia Display Driver Service
disabling 29
overwriting
P
nVidia drivers
installing 29
capturing 37
changing Project Type of 54
compatibility table 117
exporting to XDCAM 91
frame rates 2, 3
limitations on output from NTSC source 38
monitor 1, 2, 5, 19, 45, 66
O
offset
setting for video satellite frame rates 120
setting for video satellite start times 120
OMF media
definition of 8
folder locations 9
Media Station|PT support for 8
Pro Tools support for 8
OMF sequences (see AAF sequences)
OMFI MediaFiles folder
disabling Simple File Sharing 29
location of 9
time code format 118
PCI FireWire card 22
PCIe
and Avid Mojo 18
PCIe FireWire card 22
Peripherals dialog (Satellite tab) 114
restoring invisible files in the Media Tool 83
online help 3
OP1a video 2
playback
AAF sequence on a satellite system 110
Avid sequence on a satellite system 100
of captured media on satellite system 127
Index 143
Please Choose a Folder for Converted Audio Files
dialog 79
reasons for mounting video storage on 94
Session Start setting 115
terminology counterparts with Avid 6
Time Code Rate setting 115
Video Satellite option 32
plug-ins
vs. Avid real-time audio effects 6
power control options
setting 28
preserved user settings
Pro Tools Avid Interplay Option
definition of 4
preserving
user settings (from Media Station|V10) 15
Pro Tools
AAF support for 7
authorizing Video Satellite option 32
checking an Avid sequence into Interplay for
Pro Tools 69
Clock Reference setting 115
configuring with a satellite for capturing 122
connecting
to a satellite (via Ethernet cable) 25
documentation 12
Format tab 54, 66
changing video output settings for 43
configuring audio settings for 41
configuring video settings for 40
starting a new Media Station|PT project 38
exporting audio
Sharing tab 94, 95, 96
back to Interplay 81
importing an AAF sequence
importing an AAF sequence (satellite)
importing an Interplay sequence
importing audio and video 71
importing Avid video into 74
installing Media Station|PT with 21
Interplay support 4
linking to a video satellite 120
matching to satellite settings 115
MXF support for 7
QuickTime DV25
and effect on a satellite 114
real-time audio effects
vs. Pro Tools plug-ins 6
recalling
export settings for AAF sequences 109
receiving
AAF sequences 101
Record Monitor
definition of 5
Non-Drop Frame setting 115
OMF support for 8
Record Monitor controls 57, 68, 88
144 Media Station|PT Guide
red dots (meaning of)
in Interplay 71
a portion of a sequence 50
default folder for Media Station|PT data 35
Send To dialog 59
re-digitizing
existing sequence 51
Send To Templates
Reference
serial 9-pin cable
changing from Sync Lock 43
refresh rates
using to connect satellite to a VTR 24
vs. video frame rates 45
regions
truncated names 74
vs. subclips 6
remote system
choosing a cross-mounting configuration 94
cross-mounting media storage (reasons for) 93
cross-mounting Windows XP media storage 94
definition of 93
importing an AAF sequence
as a new session 71
Render All Audio Effects option 64
Render Effects dialog 61
vs. Avid sequences 6
setting
Render Video Effects option 62
rendering effects 60
default start time for new Avid sequences 119
satellite start time offset 120
Sync Lock (for Avid Mojo SDI) 43
shared volumes
setting up on Mac OS X 97
installing 96
window 98
Replace or Add Selected Tracks dialog 81
resolutions
supported for video 2
running other applications with Media Station|PT
(issues with) 113
S
sample-rates
accuracy in Pro Tools 10
satellite system (see video satellite system)
Satellite tab (Pro Tools Peripherals dialog) 114
Save Export Settings dialog 109
saving
export settings for AAF sequences 109
SD video
Mac OS X media storage
Windows XP media storage
on a domain 94
on a workgroup 95
Sharing tab (Properties dialog) 94, 95, 96
Simple File Sharing
creating from down-converted HD project 54
supported frame rates 3
supported resolutions 2
disabling 29
Select Files to Import dialog 53
Source Monitor
Select Project dialog 39
definition of 5
Source Monitor controls 55, 65, 87
source tape
Select Tape dialog 48, 89, 126
Select the volume dialog 100
Select Video Files to Import dialog 74
and time code sync w/ captured media 123
Index 145
standalone system
definition of 15
monitoring audio from 22
overview of system 19
system requirements 11
standard system
definition of 11
system requirements 11
start time
setting for Avid Mojo SDI 43
synchronizing
audio with a Media Station|PT sequence 86
time code on captured video/source tape 123
System authorization dialog 100
changing for an existing sequence 119
starting
table
a new Media Station|PT project 38
Starting TC Time Code setting
matching to Session Start setting 115
storage configuration
choosing for cross-mounting 94
storage systems
Unity 4
stutter
subclips
Media Station|PT and Pro Tools settings 117
laying back audio and video to tape
using a video satellite system 129
definition of 5
support
AAF sequences 7
Avid Interplay 4
Avid Mojo 11
Avid Mojo SDI 11
Avid video peripherals 11
AVoption|V10 11
Digidesign audio peripherals 11
frame rates 3
HD Core Card 11
MXF media 7
OMF 8
project types 3
SYNC HD and SYNC I/O 11
video cards 30
matching format for 118
matching Pro Tools and Media Station|PT 115
Pro Tools/Avid compatibility for AAF export 78
setting Avid capture start 124
sync w/captured media & source tape 123
Time Code Enable button (Capture Tool) 125
video satellite caveats for 114
Time Code Format
matching to Media Station|PT 115
Time Code Rate setting
switching to full-screen playback mode 54
SYNC HD and SYNC I/O
support for 11
sync issues
matching to Project Type setting 115
avoiding with satellite system 115
146 Media Station|PT Guide
Timeline
audio tracks 87
V
frame-rate accuracy 10
overview of full-screen playback 26
supported resolutions 2
clip boundaries in 57
definition of 5
enabled tracks 60
layered video tracks in a video mixdown 67
sequence after overwrite 85
tracks
exporting as an AAF sequence 78
exporting to Interplay from Pro Tools 81
exporting using Bounce to Disk 80
Transcode Video To option
for video 63
supported 30
Video Format setting
video I/O
connecting 23
transcoding
HD sequences for use in Pro Tools 66
reasons for 1, 66
troubleshooting
VIdeo Mixdown Link to Audio option 59
satellite connections 115
truncations
creating from Media Station|PT 67
U
vs. Bounce to Disk 6
uninstalling
software 16
Unity
video output settings
changing for a project 43
Video Output Tool 43
video quality
video reference
Video Satellite option
authorizing 32
video satellite system
connecting to Media Station|PT 34
definition of 4
unlinking Pro Tools and a satellite (see linking)
updating
Avid application key software 32
Avid video peripherals firmware 34
Mojo firmware (for Apple PCIe computers) 18
upgrading
authorizing Media Station|PT afterward 31
Media Station|PT 15
user
and quitting Pro Tools during satellite link 114
audio accuracy when output from satellite 120
avoiding sync issues 115
capturing audio and video with 121, 126
CAT5e Ethernet cables 25
caveats regarding 114
creating a new user (after upgrading from
Media StationV10) 40
user settings
copying after installing Media Station|PT 40
preserving before upgrading 15
configuring for capturing 122
configuring the Capture Tool 124
connecting Avid video peripherals to 122
connecting Pro Tools to a satellite 113
copying a sequence to video storage 105
Index 147
definition of 15
video stutter
effects on MachineControl 120
exporting Avid sequence as AAF
importing AAF sequence into Pro Tools
from a non-mountable volume 112
volumes (see media storage)
configuring with MachineControl 24
to an Avid video peripheral 23
to Mac OS X 24
to Media Station|PT 22
laying back to tape 129
limitations with 114
making Ethernet connections for 25
matching Pro Tools to satellite settings 115
monitoring audio from 22
installing 28
opening an Avid sequence
disabling Simple File Sharing 29
installing Media Station|PT on 26
Map Network Drive dialog 99
overview of system 20
reasons for mounting audio storage on 94
setting the video satellite offset 120
sharing Windows XP media storage 94
support for embedded video AAF 7
support for embedded video OMF 8
system requirements 11
setting power control options 28
sharing Mac OS X media storage for 96
uninstalling software from 16
updating the Avid Application key on 32
basic workflows overview 37
workgroup
troubleshooting satellite connections 115
using with Interplay 113
sharing Windows XP media storage on 95
video settings
configuring for a project 40
video storage
copying a sequence to 105
exporting to 91
exporting an AAF sequence from Media
Station|PT with video storage
mounted on Pro Tools 108
formatting 33
mounting on Windows XP 98
mounting Windows storage on Mac 99
reasons for mounting on Pro Tools system 94
sharing Mac OS X media storage (for mounting
on Windows XP) 96
148 Media Station|PT Guide
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