Why are the file sizes so big?

• We’ve adopted a video compression that is recommended by AVID, the company that owns ProTools. This new compression creates much larger file sizes, but the benefits outweigh the space restrictions.  
• Managing your files and staying organized will be more important than ever. Your computer should maintain at least 20GB of free space after downloading one of these videos, in order to run at maximum efficiency.  

Download time to the ProTools computer?

• More than 30 minutes - Please do not wait until the last minute. 

• WCH - 30 minutes for 9GB file. 

• SPF - 35 minutes for 10.1GB file. 

Do I need the MXF and XMP files?

• The MXF file contains the video, but it is not the only thing needed to playback in ProTools on a weekend. The XMP file is also needed; ProTools uses this file to translate all the details about the video. Please keep both of these in the same video folder.
• You will notice that the XMP file has two file extensions; this is normal behavior.  

How do I play or preview the video on the ProTools computer or my Laptop?

• Welcome back VLC to playback the MXF file. Quicktime has to convert the file in order to play it. However, Quicktime is slowly falling behind. VLC is a free, open source application that plays the file well. 

Where do I download the Premiere/Media Encoder render preset?

• Visit our help article on downloading and using the Preset.

Do I need to update Premiere?

• There is no need to update; the new preset and codec have been present in the Adobe suite for a while, meaning it will work without updating.  
• Hopefully this change will allow you to not have to worry about the update, and rather stay up-to-date with the latest features and software stability improvements.

Having trouble seeing the Preset in Premiere?  

• In the Export video, on the right side, you must first select "DNxHD" as the Format before the Preset will appear. 
  • Tip: scroll all the way to the top of the Preset dropdown window. 
• Please view this article, as it may help to resolve the problem using Preset.

Do I need any drivers or updates to the ProTools FOH machine?

• Nothing special is needed to play this video in ProTools, as it’s a native AVID codec, meaning it’s 100% supported by ProTools. The video can be previewed within ProTools using the video window (Window > Video). The only thing you might need is to install VLC in order to preview the video outside of ProTools.

Troubleshooting - Please Keep Reading!

• Central Tech will work with you on troubleshooting any issues. We have not had any issues with these codecs so far, but have found a few workflow problems during this process and would love to share our findings with you.

Always run local.

• When you have the final weekend session on your computer, ensure it is out of a Dropbox sync-able folder. Generally we ask to create a folder on your desktop or root Media drive and copy it into that folder; if you try and run the session from an external hard drive, it may cause a slow read speed, causing ProTools to crash.

Quit Dropbox.

• We have encountered numerous scenarios where Dropbox is the culprit that caused ProTools to crash. Dropbox can be a resource hog and bog the computer down when it’s syncing new files. It’s best to just quit the application during the weekend services.

Delete old files.

• Delete old files by emptying the trash or keep them on an external hard drive for backup. The likelihood that you will need old weekend, final sessions, is very low. Your computer should maintain at least 20GB of free space after downloading one of these videos in order to run at maximum efficiency.

OS + ProTools version compatibility.

• In the past, we’ve experienced issues with OS and ProTools compatibility, so you may need to reach out to Central Tech to verify your version.  Current compatible and recommended versions are listed in this help article.