The espresso you poured an hour in the past is ice chilly. There are a half-dozen textual content messages in your telephone asking the place the video is. All you needed to do was make one tiny change to the video and add it in time for it to be performed on the convention.
BEEP!
It received’t export. You attempt once more. “Why is this happening?!” you ask your self as you learn the seemingly overseas language within the error field that’s popped up in Media Composer.
BEEP! No, no, no!
Don’t fear. Take a deep breath. This article will train you find out how to troubleshoot this downside and lots of different points in Media Composer utilizing just a few widespread troubleshooting methods.
I’ve spent almost the final decade as a senior video editor, and sometimes the solely video editor, for firms. This has led me to numerous conditions just like the above instance with nobody to show to. The overwhelming majority of errors I’ve come throughout are solved with the troubleshooting methods beneath.
Tip #1: Turning It Off Then Back On
“Have you reset your computer?” It’s the query each IT tech will ask you. And there’s a purpose. It works.
What Does Turning Your Computer Off Then Back On Accomplish?
Rebooting helps offers your pc a pleasant clear slate and frees up RAM, no matter whether or not you’re engaged on a Mac or PC
Picture this: you’ve been modifying for 5 hours. You’re shade correcting and taking part in again 4K footage. Spotify is taking part in on one in every of your 18 Chrome tabs and Photoshop is open from yesterday. Media Composer itself has been working for the final week.
The longer that every of those applications runs, the upper the chance {that a} bug will happen. A bug is normally brought on by an uncommon circumstance that the software program builders didn’t account for. Maybe you plugged in your headphones whereas Pro Tools was within the technique of loading and also you had simply began playback in Media Composer, and that these simultaneous actions tousled your audio routing. Suddenly, your ranges don’t work correctly, and also you don’t know why. The longer that the pc is working, the extra alternatives there are for a type of uncommon circumstances to occur. Rebooting clears all of that out and provides you a contemporary begin.
The different purpose why rebooting helps is that it frees up all of the RAM that these applications had been utilizing. You can have the beefiest pc however sooner or later the stress on the RAM will probably be an excessive amount of. If you don’t minimize it slack, your pc will power your hand. Lack of RAM could cause every kind of random errors — particularly in Media Composer.
This troubleshooting method alone solves greater than 50 % of my Media Composer points.
When Should You Do This?
Nearly each time I come throughout a Media Composer downside, I restart my pc. Do this while you come throughout a playback concern or when Media Composer does one thing out of character (i.e., it received’t allow you to export when nothing has modified and also you’ve been exporting all day).
How to Properly Turn Your Computer Off Then Back On
Do not simply hit the Restart button! First, shut your pc all the best way down. Next wait at the very least 10 seconds, if not longer. Grab a contemporary cup of espresso if it’s good to.
With your new cup of java in hand, flip your pc again on and see in case your downside has been mounted.
Tip #2: Checking File Path to Media and Re-Indexing Databases
Imagine it’s 8:15 a.m. You’re within the workplace early to get a soar on the undertaking you had been modifying yesterday. You open up your sequence and also you see pink, actually. All of your media is offline!
There’s no have to panic. There’s probability that 1) the file path to your media one way or the other was modified or 2) Media Composer for no matter purpose isn’t in a position to learn your media. To troubleshoot this downside, we’re going to verify the file path to your media, and if wanted, power Media Composer to re-index your media databases.
What Does Checking Your Media’s File Path and Re-Indexing Your Databases Accomplish?
Checking the file path ensures that Media Composer can learn your media. Re-indexing ensures that Media Composer does learn your media.
When Should You Check for Media’s File Path and Re-Index Your Databases?
You ought to do that every time your media is offline and it shouldn’t be. For instance, you had been engaged on a undertaking sooner or later then the subsequent day all of your media is offline and nothing has modified in your workflow.
How to Check Your File Path to Media and Re-Index Databases
Before doing something ensure you’ve give up out of Media Composer.
Media Composer will solely learn media if there’s a particular file path on a tough drive. That file path is identical for each Macs and PCs (although the slashes go in several instructions). From the basis degree of any exhausting drive your media have to be as follows:
[hard drive] > Avid MediaFiles > MXF > 1
Inside that “1” folder is a folder labeled “Creating” and two database recordsdata (extra on these in a second). The “1” folder’s identify might be modified and would possibly already be modified in the event you’re on a shared storage atmosphere like an Avid NEXIS or Facilis TerraBlock. Otherwise, the file path needs to be precisely like this all the way down to the character. Note: there isn’t any area in MediaFiles.
If your file path is inaccurate, repair it. Someone might have moved the Avid MediaFiles folder or by accident modified the identify of the MXF folder.
Once the file path is mounted, launch Media Composer. If your media continues to be offline, it’s time to re-index the databases.
Media Composer catalogues your media (the MXF recordsdata inside the “1” folder) in order that they hyperlink with the grasp clips you see in your bins. Sometimes Media Composer likes to disregard the database recordsdata it has for one purpose or one other. To treatment this, contained in the “1” folder delete these two recordsdata and re-launch Media Composer:
Delete them. It’s okay. If you don’t belief me, put them in your desktop in the interim and delete them later.
If there’s multiple “1” folder, go into these folders as effectively and delete the database recordsdata.
In a shared storage atmosphere there’s a slight distinction. Instead of a “1” folder every pc in system is given a reputation. Any media created on a pc will go into their pc’s folder. To power Media Composer to re-index all the media you need to move the MXF recordsdata into your pc’s particular folder.
In my shared storage atmosphere, my pc is called AVID4.1. The different programs in my shared storage atmosphere are AVID1.1, AVID 2.1 and AVID3.1. When I have to re-index, I transfer any MXF recordsdata which might be within the AVID1.1, AVID2.1 and AVID3.1 folders into my AVID4.1 folder.
Next launch Media Composer.
Media Composer will now re-index your media. A pair dialogue bins will routinely seem on launch. This might take a couple of minutes relying on the quantity of media. When it’s carried out, open your undertaking. Chances are your media is again on-line.
For what it’s value, I’ve to do that troubleshooting method as soon as each 2-3 weeks.
Tip #3: New User Profile
Media Composer makes use of User Profiles in order that an editor can change preferences, display layouts, keyboard shortcuts and different settings so the popular feel and look is all the time the identical. Occasionally, User Profiles get corrupted inflicting all kinds of points. Some examples embrace not permitting you to import an alpha channel on a picture, or frequently defaulting new audio recordsdata to OMF media as an alternative of MXF media.
When an error like this happens attempt a model new User Profile.
How to Create a New User Profile
To create a brand new User Profile, go to the Settings tab of the Project Window. Click the drop-down subsequent to User Profile: and choose Create User Profile.
Once the brand new User Profile is energetic, see if this mounted your concern.
Tip #4: Finding a Corrupt Clip Using the Guess-and-Check Formula
Anytime you open a undertaking, there’s a minuscule probability {that a} clip will probably be corrupted. This most certainly occurs when a undertaking sits inactive for a very long time or there’s been a variety of software program updates because it was final opened. When a clip will get corrupted, Media Composer doesn’t immediately let you know or what clip it’s (wouldn’t that be good?).
How to Tell If You Have a Corrupt Clip
You may have a corrupt clip in the event you obtain an “Exception” error when opening a bin, saving a bin or taking part in a sequence or an “Assertion Failed” error whereas making an attempt to export.
How to Find a Corrupt Clip
Do you keep in mind doing the “guess-and-check formula” in center college Algebra class? With the guess-and-check formulation, you’re employed the issue backwards to attempt to discover the reply. You can do the identical factor in Media Composer to discover a corrupt clip.
If there’s a corrupt clip, Media Composer received’t be capable to copy it into the Source Monitor. The best technique to verify if there’s a corrupt clip is to pick all of the tracks within the sequence and set an in-point and out-point on the primary and final frames. Then use the keyboard shortcut Opt+C (Mac) or Alt+C (PC) to repeat all the pieces chosen to the Source Monitor. If you will have a corrupt clip, Media Composer ought to offer you an error and never copy it to the Source Monitor. If it does copy to the Source Monitor, you greater than probably don’t have a corrupt clip.
If the clips don’t copy to the Source Monitor, there’s probability one of many clips is corrupted. So we have to slender in on it. Keeping all of the tracks chosen, put an in-point at the start of your timeline and an out-point midway by way of the sequence. This is the place you begin guessing at a solution. Hit Opt+C/Alt+C once more. If there’s an error, then the corrupt clip is in that half of the sequence. If no error, do the identical factor for the second half of the sequence.
Once you discover the half with the error do the identical factor once more. Select half of the half and hit Opt+C/Alt+C. Keep going till you discover the few seconds that Media Composer received’t allow you to copy to the Source Monitor. From right here, use the Match Frame instrument which is discovered within the Command Palette to individually load every clip round that point into the Source Monitor. The corrupt clip received’t be capable to be loaded into the Source Monitor utilizing Match Frame.
Media Composer usually received’t allow you to edit over or edit out a corrupt clip, so you must recreate your sequence. Create a brand new bin and a brand new sequence. Give it the identical tracks you will have within the sequence with the corrupt clip. Use the identical Opt+C/Alt+C shortcut to repeat your sequence apart from the corrupt clip.
Find the bin the place the corrupt clip resides and re-import or re-capture, if potential. Then edit it again into the brand new sequence.
Tip #5: Unlocking a Locked Bin
One of Media Composer’s best strengths is its potential to run the identical undertaking on a number of computer systems without delay in a shared storage atmosphere. The solely catch is that just one editor can have a selected bin open at a time. If one other editor tries to open the bin, will probably be locked and solely a copy of the bin might be saved. Once the primary editor closes out of the bin, Media Composer unlocks it so the opposite editor can open it up and make adjustments.
However, sometimes Media Composer received’t unlock the bin for one purpose or one other. One normal wrongdoer are pc crashes. When your pc crashes it’ll usually lock the bins you had open. That means nobody can entry the bins that had been open till the pc reboots. If you’re like me, and you’re employed on an getting old HP that takes perpetually to totally boot and reconnect to the community, you won’t be capable to wait. But wait, there’s a workaround!
How to Unlock a Locked Bin
When you open a Media Composer bin in a shared storage atmosphere, it creates a .lck file. This file is situated in Media Composer’s undertaking folder wherever the undertaking resides.
Find the Media Composer undertaking on the media workspace. If you don’t know the place that is, while you launch Media Composer there needs to be tasks listed on the launch display. Click the folder icon and that’ll present you the place these tasks reside.
Once you discover your undertaking’s folder, open it up. Find the bin it’s good to unlock. Let’s say it’s named “Opening Credits”. Find the file named Opening Credits.lck. Delete this file. And poof! Your bin is unlocked.
There may even be a file named Opening Credits.avb. This is the bin itself. Leave this file alone! One final warning, by no means do that whereas somebody is definitely engaged on that bin. Bin locking is there for a purpose.
Tip #6: Update Media Composer
When all else fails, earlier than going by way of the lengthy and laborious technique of uninstalling and reinstalling Media Composer, verify for a software program replace. This needs to be a final resort—updating can typically trigger extra points than it resolves.
What Does Updating Media Composer Do?
Bugs are mounted in every new launch. Your concern might be a type of bugs. Check out Avid Blog’s rundown every time they launch a brand new replace.
How to Update Media Composer
Open Avid Application Manager. Under the Apps tab, discover Avid Media Composer and see if there’s a new model to obtain.
Summing Up
Media Composer doesn’t all the time cooperate while you want it to. Errors and points will come up. However, a lot of them might be solved with these troubleshooting methods. They might take time and endurance, however they’re value making an attempt when issues go flawed. Have your personal troubleshooting methods? Share them within the feedback.
If you additionally use Premiere Pro, you would possibly take pleasure in our comparable article on The 9 Most Common Crashes in Premiere Pro, and How to Fix Them.
Epilogue – A Few More Tips
After an outpouring of response on this text’s social media postings, I needed so as to add just a few extra options.
The Console
The keyboard shortcut Cmd+6 (Mac) or Ctrl+6 (PC) opens the Console. The Console can present you errors that occurred, you may view different data and alter the best way Media Composer behaves. If Media Composer is appearing up, use the keyboard shortcut to open up the Console and have a look round. You may discover the Console below the Tools menu.
WARNING: Do NOT sort instructions into the Console except you realize what you’re doing. You can do some severe injury in right here.
Find Error Logs
You can discover error logs in your exhausting drive in case you weren’t in a position to seize a screenshot.
On a Mac look right here:
Macintosh HD/Users/Shared/AvidMediaComposer/Avid DeadlyErrorReports
On a PC look right here:
C:ProgramDataAvidAssistLogs
Delete Project Settings
If your undertaking is crashing and also you’re undecided why, you may attempt to delete your Project Settings.
Similar to Tip #2: Checking File Path to Media and Re-Indexing Databases, you may delete Project Settings and have them routinely rebuild while you launch a undertaking.
First, give up out of Media Composer. Find your Project file location (see How to Unlock a Locked Bin below Tip #5). You’ll see two recordsdata: [project name] Settings.avs and [project name] Settings.xml. Delete (or stash briefly in your desktop in the event you’re untrusting) then re-launch Media Composer. This forum thread goes into a lot additional element.
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