Studio Daily Review: Avid Media Composer 6

Studio Daily by Scott Simmons

Though This 64-bit Version Moves Faster and Looks Different, the Overall Workflow Remains, Comfortably, the Same

The biggest news for editors when Avid began shipping Media Composer 6 last November was the NLE's transformation into a very modern, 64-bit application. Along with that came other great updates, including the support of third-party hardware options (several of which I tested with this review). This is a big release in terms of the software's overall internal plumbing, though it may or may not be a big release for users in terms of overall functions, depending on what features they need. I still think it may be one of the most important releases of Media Composer ever, as 64-bit lays the foundation for every upgrade to come.

I actually said nearly the same thing in my Media Composer 5 review from October of 2010, though it was version 5's addition of important new features prior to full 64-bit support that earned my praise back then. Version 6 is of equal importance, both from a functionality standpoint and for the future of MC itself. Taken together, both versions have set the stage for very exciting things to come.

New Look, Old Feel
If you already use Media Composer and haven't yet upgraded to version 6, you might be quite shocked when booting the application after install. The interface has changed significantly in a few key areas that, in the Macintosh version of MC6, I noticed right away. read more...