RC: Charlie- please describe the most important factor in choosing the Matrox AXIO LE editing solution.

CR: I have a ton of footage that has been captured and saved using the Digisuite LE/Incite system, and it's essential for me to be able to continue to use that footage "as-is" in a real-time environment.

RC: That is very interesting. So I understand that using your existing Digisuite Footage in AXIO LE is real-time as well?

CR: Absolutely! I simply send it (as-is) from one of my 300 GB USB storage drives to my AXIO LE drive, drop it into my Premiere project, put it on the timeline, and poof! It plays just like I'd captured it with the AXIO - PERFECT!

RC: How has the ability to use and edit Photoshop files in real-time in Axio LE improved your workflow?

CR: There's so much power in Photoshop - to be able to create multi-layered graphics in that program, and then use them - unaltered - in Premiere is a real boost. You can actually animate the individual Photoshop layers in real-time. If you need to make a change to the original file, you can open it right from the timeline, modify it, save it, and immediately the file on the timeline is updated with your changes. That's a real time-saver.

RC: I understand that you still use your Matrox Digisuite and Incite Editor. How has that worked being able to bounce your mix-downs to the other suite? How about DVD authoring?

CR: There are some types of projects that I can simply cut a bit faster using Incite, especially while I'm still working through re-learning all the different Premier shortcuts, so it makes sense to continue to cut in Incite from time to time. And the Digisuite card is a workhorse… Creating a mixdown there and shipping it over my Gig-E network to the AXIO is a breeze. From there, I simply bring the mixed files into Encore, mark some chapter points, modify a menu template, and encode that project. It's so much easier than all the hoops I'd have to jump through in the past. Encoding and finishing a DVD involved using Incite (editing, encoding), Photoshop (menus), Reel DVD (authoring), and then Nero or Record Now (burning). If you found a minor change, you'd have to go back through the hoops again. You could definitely "git 'r done", but it wasn't very efficient at all. Being able to continue working on one system while the other is chunking out a major render or a long encode is a handy thing too.

RC: What is the ONE thing about the Adobe workflow that you appreciate the most with this system?

CR: The Adobe workflow with AXIO is so well integrated that I can easily run Premiere, Photoshop, and Encore all at once, and switch between them effortlessly and without crashes or hiccups. It's become so much simpler and hassle-free. It didn't take long to adapt to the new workflow either. I Invested some time in Total Training DVDs, and figured out a ton of it on my own, because it was so intuitive.

RC: Can you tell us about one of your recent projects?

CR: Our governor, Tim Kaine, uses our facility about every three weeks to tape messages to groups that have asked him to speak at their functions. His schedule is way too busy to honor every request, so he stops by and records a bunch of messages all at once. We then have to carve up the various messages, dress them up a little, output them to DVD's with idiot-proof cueing and playback capabilities, and ship them out ASAP. It's been utterly simplistic to set up a generic project to handle these repetitious jobs completely in a very short time, and be able to get right back to the long-form stuff without delay. And the AXIO, through Premiere, encodes the MPEG2 files in about half of real-time. That's a real treat!

I'm also working on a comprehensive DVD demo of our projects… one with quite a few menus and submenus that allow the viewer to drill down to certain types of productions we have done. I'd have never considered tackling this thing with such a deep menu structure without this new Adobe workflow. It would have been too convoluted and painful to consider. Now it's going to be a breeze!

RC: How would you describe your experience dealing with Rob Clarke and Hi-Tech Enterprises? Please be honest!

CR: I've been working in this business for 30 years, at every level of production, from TV station to commercial studio, feature films, and now government communications. I've met a lot of dealers, and have been screwed (pick your favorite verb) by some of the best. I encountered Rob in a user forum about six years ago, and my experienced BS detector told me that this guy was the REAL DEAL. Rob has built 3 systems for me, upgraded them for me, kept them running, kept me out of trouble with his timely advice and support, and has ALWAYS been there to guide me through the rough patches that NLE technology presents. When the stuff hits the fan, as it sometimes does, his instincts for finding the source of trouble have always been 100% accurate.

The AXIO system that he and Hi-Tech Enterprises provided for me early this year has been absolutely rock-steady (over six months without a single crash), and in fact is working so well that now when I call him, it's usually just to chat about life in general. I'd hate to think about having to work in this business without Rob's support. He's been my security blanket, for sure.

RC: Thanks for your time! I am sure this will help other editors with similar concerns!