How to use DaVinci Resolve's proxy workflow?

How To Get Real-Time Playback with Multicam Clips

March 20, 2018

Editing Multicam clips can be a great workflow... unless you can't get real-time playback and your system keeps dropping frames. Learn how Resolve's optimized workflow can help you get back to real-time.


DaVinci Resolve 14: What to do when your hard drive keeps dropping frames?

In my Insight on adjusting sync inside a multicam clip, Mixing Light member Alan O. finished up his comment by asking a great question about real-time playback:

Also, Patrick, PLEASE share some insight on how you get such smooth multicam playback with 12 streams! I’m on a 12-core dual D700 trash can and can’t get 3 streams of 4K to play back smoothly.

Alan – you’re in luck! At the end of recording my Chapter on multicam, I recorded an Insight addressing precisely your question – and it’s posted below, centered around the topic of ‘optimized clips’.

Using DaVinci Resolve’s Optimized Clip Workflow

Optimized clips are just a fancy name for ‘proxy’. And the optimized clip workflow is Resolve’s built-in proxy system. The system itself is easy to setup and even easier to use. In fact, the biggest stumbling block to this workflow is the name! Why not just call them Proxy Clips? At least then, many more people would discover it on their own.

In the video Insight below, you learn the major reason for dropped frames when playing back – in multicam or any other workflow. You also learn how to use optimized clips to lower the bandwidth bottlenecks that cause dropped frames – and possibly regain your real-time playback.

Enjoy!

-pi

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Comments

Homepage Forums How To Get Real-Time Playback with Multicam Clips


  • Willian Aleman
    Guest

    Patrick, thanks for this informative insight on optimizing DR playback in a multi-cam workflow.

    In terms of seeing more insights on DR as an NLE, I would like to see an insight where DR is used in a long form film. The complaint about Resolve not been used as an NLE in long format yet, as AVID and other established NLEs applications is that as the Timeline gets longer in time, DR starts to stop playback in realtime. This is the reason why it’s rare to find long form films cut in DR. For Colorists, larger timelines might not be an issue, since almost all footage, except the VFX, are in a single stream, but for editor itโ€™s a mayor concern.

    I believe that all the above is due to the fact that DR as an NLE is still in early develoment. However, it would be helpful if there is a possibility to make an insight covering the actual state of DR as an NLE for this type of editing.

  • Im surprised it didn’t break realtime. Just curious, what are your system specs, Pat?


  • Willian Aleman
    Guest

    +1 on this question


  • Patrick Inhofer
    Guest

    CPU: Intel Corei7-6950X 3.0GHz 10 core 25meg cache
    RAM: 128GB DDR4
    Boot Drive: Samsung – 960 Pro 512 GB M.2 SSD Hard Drive
    Cache Drive: (2) Samsung – 850 Pro 1TB SSD – RAID 0
    GPU: (2) GTX Titan X video card: 12GB


  • Patrick Inhofer
    Guest

    I agree with your analysis. Plus, editors are creatures of habit. And at the highest end, there’s no upside to using unproven software when you’ve got a $20 million feature in your hands. You go with what you know works, unless forced to do otherwise by the above-the-line crowd.

    I also think R14’s audio subsystem is still causing problems that (predictably) holds back adoption.


  • Willian Aleman
    Guest

    Patrick, thanks for the analysis containied in your promt response.

    I also agree with your comment on BMD audio subsystem.
    Although traditionally audio mixing in film has been treated as a separate workflow from the editing system, the fact that BMD is bringing the audio as a subsystem together with the editing and color grading into in DR, it has the disadvantage of creating a big delay time in placing Resolve at the level of others NLEs. This delay also contributes to create a kind of negative word of mouth in the present time due to the fact of multiple front end BMD is trying to achieve at once in one application. I applaud BMD courage in this difficult journey.
    Meanwhile, let’s keep taking advantage of what DR is capable of.

  • We have very similar specs, aside from GPU (I only have one Titan X Pascal). What type of media storage RAID are you using (and the approx. R/W speeds)?

    Is it common for you to run into situations where you need to optimize or cache to your SSD due to R/W bandwidth limitations?

    Thanks for sharing! ๐Ÿ™‚


  • rneil@rneilphotog.com
    Guest

    Great piece, Patrick. Had an online discussion with a guy complaining that PrPro had such an antiquated code it couldn’t ‘deal with modern media’ like Resolve could. How was Resolve superior? “That optimize media thing … PrPro doesn’t have it!” Tried to explain that it was their term for proxies, such as the proxy-on-ingest thing in PrPro. Arguing with bricks is never useful … but learning precisely how that works is great!

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