While waiting for a file to convert, I typed help commands into the Avid console. These might be useful to some Avid users. There are many, many more.

The command every Avid user should know is subsys monpane debug, allowing precomputes and other unusual media to be loaded directly into the composer window, and used as edit sources.

These console commands are from Media Composer 8.2.2. Later versions may vary.

Access the console from the “Tools” menu, or by typing CTRL-6 or COMMAND-6.

AllDrives 1

Makes all drives act as media drives

AllDrives 2

Makes all drives behave normally

AllowCrossRateTranscode

This is a toggle setting. It produces the warning: “Clips created using the cross-rate transcode feature can only be used for playback. The newly generated media is valid for playback, but the clips cannot be used with many operations. They are not supported by operations such as Modify, Relink, Batch Capture, Batch Import, Decompose, Import/Export, and use within the Interplay environment.

AllowUNCWrite

This is a toggle. Permits Avid to write to shares on Windows-style networks that are not mounted as drive letters such as \\OFFLINE_001\MyDirectory\Filename.mov

AMA_SetLoggingLevel

0x0 = Errors, 0x01 = Warnings, 0x02 = Verbose, 0x04 = Trace, 0x08 = Info, 0xff = All

answer

Create a pop-up asking a question with up to three click-button choices, and return the result. Example answer "How many beans make five?" with "One" OR "Two" OR "Five"

asiocontrol

Opens your ASIO control panel for audio I/O. If you don’t use this interface, your operating system’s audio control panel opens.

audioextras

Enable or disable extra audio features. A dialogue box appears.

Disable3D

Disables some OpenGL code. May be useful for older video adapters.

Enable3D

Re-enables some OpenGL if earlier disabled with Disable3D

ForceHDTranscode

True: forces transcode of HD media to SD before export; False: makes transcoding of HD media optional before export

HDTitleFilter

A toggle: controls the filtering of HD titles during downconversion to SD

IgnoreQTRate

For video-only QuickTime files: ignores file frame rate, and imports file frame-by-frame. Otherwise, QuickTime files with frame rates different from your project are imported with a crude frame-dropping or frame-repeating speed-change added. You’ll see this a lot in cinema films where television archive has been incorrectly imported.

LegacyOverlay

Off: use best desktop video overlay method advertised by OS. On: use older methods for graphics adapters with incomplete OpenGL implementations. In case of failure (e.g. Avid not starting) hold “L” and “O” at power up to force this mode once, then enter the console command.

MulticamPreload

Changes preloaded frames for multicam editing. May reduce stuttering.

RenameMediaFiles

Without any arguments, renames ALL files within Avid MediaFiles to more accurately reflect the project name and clip name.

ResampleCapturedAudio

May be useful during ingest if someone has recorded a DV tape with 32kHz sampled audio

subsys monpane debug

Puts the Monitor pane subsystem into debug mode. Very useful: allows precomputes and raw media files to be displayed and edited into timelines.

TCBreakTolerance

Alter Avid’s tolerance to timecode skips. Currently, anything under than 7 frames starts a new clip