Avid Media Composer

What do you like best about the product?

Avid Media Composer is a very mature product that gives you complete control over your project. It was the first to integrate a closed captioning data track. It doesn't do things automatically for you, although it does automatically link to a large variety of file formats. It's fine editing trim tools are intuitive and powerful. It can export to audio programs like Pro Tools flawlessly. It is a reliable program.

What do you dislike about the product?

Avid is sometimes slow about updating to the latest operating system. For example, Avid Media Composer is still not native with Apple Silicon processors, and has to be interpreted through Rosetta, which does not fully utilize the potential horsepower of the new processors.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

Video editing is a major part of our business, which produces and edits programs for broadcast, non-profits, companies, and for commercials.

What do you like best about the product?

Easy to learn, edit, export media files is a simple process
Titles can be added easily. Good software

What do you dislike about the product?

Nothing to dislike, overall good editing software.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

Export time takes much time.

Recommendations to others considering the product:

Strongly suggest using this for editing purpose.

What do you like best about the product?

I have been using Avid for over 5 years at work and for personal use. It’s so versatile and is very easy to use. It is also quite affordable. There are so glitches or bugs or delays in editing and the customer service team is quite helpful.

It also loads really quickly with no delays. I have also used other Avids with other projects and there has been no issues with transferring. Also, importing and exporting media and sequences is really quick with no delay.

What do you dislike about the product?

The interface could be a little nicer as it is all grey and black. I wish they had more
Colour options to brighten up your editing sequence. The way it saves can be a little complicated as projects.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

I haven’t faced any problems but the benefits are that there are so options and hidden tools that really enhance your editing experience. The customer service team and forums are really helpful. Sometimes it has an error when you add too many effects on a shot and shuts down but it only happens once a week.

Recommendations to others considering the product:

I think it’s really effective and a great alternative to Final Cut Pro if you need to switch for work reasons. I would sign up to forums for any editing help. I would pay the monthly membership if you’re using it for personal use to get a feel for it before you commit to a full membership.

What do you like best about the product?

Media Composer is suited to big projects, for example a documentary series with hundreds of hours of footage. Its bin system and hierarchy of clips and subclips are great for organising material – as long as you stick to a disciplined workflow and don't just throw stuff in the cupboard.
The trim feature is powerful and has several modes to suit your preference. There are several ways of doing most things and lots of options to customise the interface.
Multiple users can work on the same project simultaneously.

What do you dislike about the product?

Media Composer is not easy to learn. It can be counter-intuitive and features are tucked away in unexpected places.

Although the application can do most things, some tasks are over-complicated compared with Final Cut and Premier, or require a work-around.

The whole application is riddled with bugs, which is surprising considering how long it's been around. A look through Avid's own forums reveals thousands of pleas from desperate editors stopped in their tracks with a deadline looming. Niggly glitches appear and disappear for reasons unknown.

Media management can be a nightmare. Clips can come unlinked to their files, threatening the entire project. The relink command seldom if ever works.

Some features are very disappointing, for example shot stablization which often seems to make no difference. Compare that with Final Cut's "tripod mode" which works like a dream. Audio EQ is another area that falls far behind the competition. High-end editors find they need expensive plug-ins to get the best results. For a mature application that claims to be the choice of top professionals, everything should "come in the box."

Error messages are prolific and incomprehensible. Why can't they explain the problem in plain language? From forum posts it's clear that even the experts don't know what they mean.

The licensing procedure is rather clunky, made more difficult by Avid's website which seems more intent on marketing than providing useful information for users.

It's true that MC is widely used in broadcast and film studios, but that's partly because it was one of the first NLEs. It got a toehold in the industry when it was too expensive for those further down the food chain. Having struggled to master this difficult programme, many editors were reluctant to tackle another.

In my view Avid has rested on its laurels. It stood by while the opposition caught up and overtook. Now it tries to hold its place with new features which very few will need. It should concentrate on fixing what's broken and making the application more stable and user friendly. And it should make sure the box includes all the things that really matter.

I've been using MC for 17 years but If I was starting again knowing what I know now, it would not be my choice of editor. Sometimes I love it, but just as often it frustrates the hell out of me!

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

No solving any problems right now.

Recommendations to others considering the product:

There are better options for most things.

What do you like best about the product?

Multiple editors can work on 1 project fairly easily
keyboard only workflow
backwards compatibility

What do you dislike about the product?

interface a bit dated
certain things require too many steps or are too obtuse
very unfriendly to casual users

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

Media Composer is a reliable NLE and should be your first choice for big shows with lots of footage and lots of editors. Premiere is a lot less reliable

Recommendations to others considering the product:

Budget extra time to learn it because its hard