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DV January 2005• www.dv.com

REVIEWS
Xpress Studio Complete
NLE, Audio, 3D, Effects, and DVDSuite • Avid, $6,995 • By Terence Curren

SCORE: 3.5 out of 5
Pros: A complete studio package for the solo content producer.The addition of Digi 002, Avid 3D, and Avid FX to Xpress Pro sets this package above its competitors.
Cons: Still fairly buggy switching among applications.Mojo still limited to analog input, and the component output is substandard. Xpress Studio Complete is expensive if you don’t need 3D and heavy audio mixing.
Bottom Line: By encompassing third-party software, Avid expands its capabilities without overtaxing its resources and delivers a great suite of products. This will allow Avid to focus on what will hopefully become seamless integration.The biggest limitation at this point is the lack of a true digital workflow with Mojo.

Avid: Xpress Studio Complete

After NAB last April, I preordered Avid Xpress Studio Complete when I learned about a job coming into my facility that I knew would be perfect for it.

Usually I don't take chances with new applications for paying jobs, but I already felt comfortable editing with Xpress Pro. And I figured I could at least use the editing part of the Xpress Studio suite, even if the other parts didn't work.

The newest addition to Avid's product lineup is the most exciting thing from Avid in quite a while, and shows a lot of promise. Xpress Studio Complete (www.avid.com) is positioned as a one-stop postproduction suite, following the lead of Apple and Adobe, but adding 3D and custom hardware. Xpress Studio Complete is designed to take a project from the editing stage through 3D graphic design, titles with animation, compositing, and even final audio mixing. This is a large task to undertake and I couldn't wait to see if Avid had met the challenge.

Suite deal

To achieve this blend of tools, Avid combined the resources of subsidiaries Digidesign and Softimage, along with outsourcing to Boris for an expanded effects palette, and to Sonic for DVD authoring. This new philosophy for Avid resulted in a more robust, well-rounded product than I've seen from the company. Even though most of what is included amounts to repackaged existing products (with the exception of Avid 3D), the increased integration enhances the productivity of each element.

Xpress Studio Complete not only includes bundled software, but it also introduces a long-awaited Avid product: an integrated audio control surface. The Digi 002 has eight touch-sensitive motorized faders, and it works with bundled Pro Tools LE and directly with Xpress Pro. The Digi 002 can also act as a standalone eight-channel mixer, which many garage band members will find to be a handy tool.

Xpress Studio Complete also includes a revised version of Avid's Mojo that turns the right channel audio input into a world clock port. Existing Mojo users who want to upgrade to Xpress Studio will need to trade in their current units, a service Avid is offering for free.

There is a lower-price bundle called Xpress Studio Essentials that provides the same software combination at $3,995. With this configuration, you lose Mojo and the 002 control surface. What you get in place is Digidesign's Mbox, which also acts as a dongle for Pro Tools LE. This system is fine if you only work in DV25 mode, but it won't support any other workflows.

Installation

I could tell when the boxes arrived that this was more than just the regular Xpress Pro NLE I'm familiar with. The Digi 002 arrives in one large box, and a second box contains Mojo and a huge brick of instruction manuals. I was impressed by the size of the 002, as I had only seen pictures and imagined it to be smaller. The only thing missing at this point was a computer, monitors, and powered speakers.

The one computer that is currently approved by Avid for Xpress Studio Complete is an HP xw8000 dual-3.06 GHz workstation with 1.5-2 GB RAM, and a second PCI FireWire card. Avid says the HP xw8200 should also be approved by the time you read this. You will also need either the Nvidia QuadroFX 1100 or Quadro4 980 XGL graphics display card. This combination will set you back over $5,000 if you purchase them from HP directly.

Mojo needs to be connected to the workstation's internal FireWire bus, which it takes over completely. This is why a second FireWire card is necessary for the 002 and external drives.

The good news about the software installation is that all of the basic programs are on one DVD. The bad news is you have to stop a lot to register different components. The separate dongle for Pro Tools LE is tricky in and of itself. I strongly suggest you read the instructions before you start. There are also several CDs of additional plug-ins and supporting programs.

Hardware

Xpress Pro 4.5 can digitize and work with DV25 material in a software-only configuration. Mojo gives Xpress Pro the added flexibility of capturing and playing back both uncompressed SD and compressed SD (at 15:1s) for offline. You can also mix the above resolutions in the timeline with real-time playback to both tape and a video monitor. This is handy for laying uncompressed graphics over DV footage. Mojo also adds real-time preview and real-time output to tape for over 115 effects.

Mojo still lacks an SDI input. This is an area of frustration. It seems Avid only does this to keep from cannibalizing Adrenaline sales. We have seen with AJA Io in combination with Final Cut Pro that low-cost, high-quality SD capture is feasible. Mojo does allow you to input either composite video via an RCA connector, or component video via an optional proprietary cable (another $75) that connects to both the S-Video connector and the composite connector.

In my testing, the component video output consistently shifted toward green, a problem that I've seen often mentioned by other owners in the online forums I frequent.

Digi 002 expands Xpress Studio Complete's audio capabilities far beyond the competition's. It opens up the world of the Pro Tools professional audio interface, and it allows tactile mixing in Xpress Pro. Avid says the 002 includes eight analog audio I/O, four mic preamps with individual gain and phantom power, eight channels of ADAT optical I/O, and two channels of s/pdif I/O. In reality, the s/pdif input is taken by the clock cable from Mojo. If you live in the world of AES audio, you'll need an AES-to-ADAT converter, which can cost more than $400.

One handy feature of 002 is its mapping ability. Buttons can be mapped to Pro Tools LE and Xpress Pro functions. I counted over 160 options, including modifier keys. This comes in handy when you are working with sound in Xpress Pro so you don't have to go back and forth between the keyboard and the 002 to work on your project. Coupled with a good pair of headphones, your mixing station could become an island that's only connected by a FireWire cable.

One problem we encountered was a lot of extraneous noise coming from the powered speakers attached to the 002. At first we had AC hum, but plugging the speaker monitor into isolated ground power solved that problem. As of press time, I still hadn't resolved one issue: I still experience a lot of high-frequency sound that occurs when I move items on the screen-the 002 appears to be picking up some kind of interference from the computer.

The next problem showed up as a hardware error message when I was trying to use the 002. Sometimes it would work, and sometimes it wouldn't. I finally solved the problem by eliminating the drives from the 002 FireWire chain. I currently use Medea Fibre Channel drives driven by an Atto FC 3300 SCSI host adapter card to get around this issue. I've talked to several other users who had the same issue, and they solved it temporarily by placing Mackie mixers on their systems until Avid presents a solution.

Software interchange

The area where Xpress Studio Complete really holds promise is the interoperability among the separate packages. Through the use of the provided templates, a user can switch to Pro Tools LE, Avid 3D, and Avid DVD by Sonic. Avid even provides an Update User Profile option that adds the new templates to your existing user settings.

In actual use, I encountered many system crashes when I switched among programs. I couldn't find a common theme-sometimes it worked, and other times the system would hang so completely that only a hard reboot of the computer could free it up. I assume in time these bugs will get worked out, but for now, they present a problem.

Xpress Pro NLE

Overall, there isn't an abundance of new features added with Xpress Pro 4.5, but depending upon your workflow, these additions could have a major impact. For the film users, a 23.976 fps project can be created using 35:1, 28:1s, and 14:1 resolutions. For the film users, a 23.976 fps project can be created using 35:1, 28:1s, and 14:1 compression ratios. Xpress Pro already had the ability to create a 23.976 project, but now Xpress Pro can create and capture 24p projects. Capture isn't supported at 14:1 or 35:1, but they can be edited in Xpress Pro if you capture in another Avid system.

Capturing Panasonic's advanced pulldown (e.g., from the AG-DVX100A) is supported, but capture of regular 3:2 pulldown is currently only supported through Mojo, and limited to 28:1s. The best workflow is still to create a 24p project on another Avid system such as Adrenaline, digitize into that project, and then edit on Xpress Pro. I've actually created a separate business model just for situations such as these.

Avid brought some of the Fluid Motion technology down to Xpress Pro. This provides awesome motion effects by actually creating in-between frames. Unfortunately, there are only a few prebuilt effects that aren't modifiable, and the render times are pretty hefty on these effects.

Xpress Pro 4.5 now supports MXF files. Avid has promised HD support for Xpress Studio with the new DNxHD format, native HDV, and DVCPRO HD, and it already exports to WMV 9. Once this is in place, Xpress Studio will have a powerful low-cost HD workflow editing DNxHD video and exporting WMV HD. You can also edit DV50 material in Xpress Pro, but again, it needs to be captured with Adrenaline. Avid explains that support for DV50 over FireWire has not been possible prior to the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2, but will be implemented in Xpress Pro by the time you read this. For those multiedit system users who don't want to purchase Automatic Duck, importing Final Cut Pro projects is now possible through Avid Log Exchange.

Using 002 with Xpress Pro eliminates the previous two-channel capture limit. Now you can bring in up to eight channels in one pass. To control input volume when capturing, you use the knobs instead of the faders. I found it interesting that the unity level for incoming audio is the lowest setting on the control knob. This means you can drive the gain on capture, but you can't lower a level that is already too hot.

To mix in Xpress Pro with 002, you mark an in and an out, then enable the Automation Gain tool. This records your actions as the timeline plays your selection. The faders don't move in playback mode, but they do snap to position whenever you stop. They automate when you rerecord over a previously mixed section, allowing you to jump in and modify your mix at any point.

There seems to be about a 1-second lag in this mode. This is unacceptable for fine-tuned mixing at this point. I hope this issue will be resolved soon.

Avid FX

In the effects arena, the big news is incorporation of Boris Red effects into the Avid AVX effects template, known as Avid FX. If you're not familiar with the Boris interface, you will have a bit of a learning curve to overcome. You select which Avid FX effect to drop on your timeline based upon how many video tracks you want to include in the effect. Then pressing the Other Options button launches the Boris interface.

The Boris effects module is very powerful, as the May 2004 review in DV attests. The 3D support and tracking tool are worth the price of admission. Avid FX includes over 1,500 prebuilt titles, effects, and transitions, which will help new users get up to speed.

One big caveat here is that none of this information carries to Avid's Meridien-based product line. For example, if you are planning to online in a Symphony, don't use Avid FX because nothing will translate. Avid says this issue will be fixed in a release of Red 3GL before the end of the year.

Pro Tools LE

Going to Pro Tools has never been easier. The prebuilt export template even gives you the option to include QuickTime video. Allowing the direct use of QuickTime reference files saves a lot of exporting and importing time, as well as disk space. Mojo plays back the reference video files to a client monitor, which traditionally required extra gear, so there's a cost savings as well.

If you are using Studio Essentials (without Mojo), you will be limited to watching QuickTime in a viewer window. Since you can't resize this viewer in Pro Tools, you might end up having to do a full QuickTime movie export with resizing to your own specifications. Either way, Avid has simplified this process for a greater ease of use.

You won't be able to work off RAID drives because Pro Tools only supports basic disk drives. I was disappointed Pro Tools LE and Xpress Pro can't both run at the same time. When you export to Pro Tools LE, a dialog box informs you that you will need to quit out of Xpress Pro to prevent having the programs clash.

Avid 3D

Unlike the FX, audio, and DVD modules, Avid 3D is a new application, developed by Softimage. It has a new interface and features not found in any version of XSI. Using the preset models allows new users to get comfortable with the complex world of 3D animation. Avid 3D has full support of importing scenes created in Softimage XSI. By rendering out to the MXF file format, imports into Xpress Pro are automatic and instantaneous.

The Avid 3D interface is not very Avid like, but it will be very familiar to Avid|DS users. The Avid 3D module caused me the most grief when I tried to bounce back and forth among applications. Getting the Xpress Pro MXF files to show up in Avid 3D was difficult, and having the system crash frequently when switching between applications was tiresome. As a result, I won't be using this program much at this point, and I'll probably stick to the 3D effects within Avid FX instead.

Avid DVD by Sonic

For experienced DVD authors, Avid DVD by Sonic will seem underpowered. For new users, or those users who don't do any heavy authoring work, Avid DVD is a great tool. Avid DVD isn't as easy to use as Apple iDVD or as robust as Apple DVD Studio Pro, but it's a good compromise. The use of Sorenson Squeeze to encode movies with VBR (variable bitrate) returns very nice results.

The MetaSync tracks in Xpress Pro can be used to carry chapter stop and reference frame information to your DVD project. A few other features include the ability to change your DVD content without reauthoring your project, and the support for dual-layer DVDs.

Is Xpress Studio Complete worth it?

I mentioned some unexpected behavior I ran into with Xpress Studio, but in fairness to Avid, all software releases are buggy these days. What is exciting is the potential of this software combo. Xpress Studio Complete will inevitably invite comparisons to Apple's video products, but Apple isn't anywhere near full support of an industry standard application such as Pro Tools LE that's integrated with a mixing board.

Avid claims that the cost of this package would be $12,000 if you purchased all of the elements individually. In that light, the list price of $6,995 seems very attractive. Customers who own one or more of the Avid Xpress Studio components can buy upgrades starting at $4,495. Student pricing is $3,995.

However, Xpress Studio's true value can only be determined by your workflow. If you'll only use the editing software, of course it's best to just buy Xpress Pro and a Mojo. But if you are a heavy graphics and effects user, especially one who wants to mix your own sound and author your own DVDs, then this is an attractive offer.

The interactivity of the various parts will make a very nice whole once all of the bugs are worked out. Only time will tell if Avid will continue to polish this product. This suite of applications will expand its power with the promised inclusion of HD support, making it even more valuable as a one-stop postproduction shop. I'm hoping Avid's implementation won't force users to digitize with Adrenaline, as this limits the usefulness of the system.

The biggest limitation at this point is the lack of a true 601 video workflow with Mojo. Focusing only on editing workflow, by comparison I can achieve a better signal path with Final Cut Pro with AJA Io for about half the price, though this doesn't include Avid's included software or Digi 002.

The real question potential users need to ask themselves is whether they want all of these applications on one computer versus dedicated systems.

Does it make sense to be compressing a DVD on your edit system? Do you want to sound treat your DVD authoring room as extensively as your Pro Tools mixing room? For our part, we found that the flexibility of having any function available to the client made Xpress Studio Complete a worthwhile investment.

Xpress Studio Complete

System Requirements:
HP xw8000 dual-3.06 GHz Xeon workstation; Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1; 1.5 GB RAM (2.0 GB rec.); Nvidia QuadroFX 1100 or Quadro4 980 XGL graphics card; integrated FireWire port and add-in FireWire card; HP 400i DVD+RW/DVD+R drive.

Terence Curren is the principal owner of Alpha Dogs (www.alphadogs.com), a postproduction and design house in Burbank, CA. He is also an instructor of advanced editing techniques at Pasadena Community College.