How to create Avid bins with DNxHD media and metadata from CORTEX Dailies

CORTEX Dailies uses the Avid Media Toolkit SDK (AMT) to create DNxHD MXF and AAF files for each clip encoded on a reel with a DNxHD deliverable enabled.

The MXF files themselves have limited metadata in them - mainly Tapename and Timecode.

To add all the other metadata logged during dailies to these clips requires merging the metadata from the ALE with the media in the Avid.

This is the recommended practice:

  1. First, make a new directory on your media volume:
    X:\Avid MediaFiles\MXF\1\
  • Copy the MXF files to this directory
  • Start Avid Media Composer
  • Open your project
    (Or create a project if you don’t have one - usually with the setting 1080p/23.976)
  • Make a Bin in your Project and Name it with the name of the dailies Reel
  • Open the Media Tool**
    Tools > Media Tool
  • Select the drive letter or ‘All Drives’ and check ‘Master Clips’
  • You should now see all the clips from step (1)
  • Drag and Drop the Master Clips into the Bin created in step (5)
  • Click and Drag to select all clips in the Bin
  • Right-Click and select ‘Import…’
  • Click ‘Options…’
    • Check ‘Merge with known master clips’… on the ‘Shot Log’ tab
  • Select the ALE file
  • Click OK
    Your clips should now have all the other metadata, like scene, take, camera roll, comments, etc.
  • Save the Bin

** Instead of using the Media Tool, in steps 6-9, you can do this if you prefer

  1. Open the folder with the MXF and AAF files:
    X:\Avid MediaFiles\MXF\1\
  • Sort by file type
  • Select all the AAF files, and drag them into the bin