Hi there

About to make the leap from old Dell 670 MC3.5.9 with analog mojo to 12-core Mac with MX02 mini on MC5.5.

Has anyone got this setup or similar - and is the experience with MX02 good?

Is the system nice and responsive or has any lag/latency been reintroduced?  I just don't want to pay all that cash and wish I had stayed where I was!

Finally, and crucially, what about recording guide commentary?  What do people use?  I read that the Matrox box has analog I/O but also that it can't be used with an XLR mic to record into the avid...?

Thanks for all help!

I set up MX02's on both PC and Mac stations, and they work great, no lag or latecny on either platform. It is however only a monitoring solution for MC, It's inputs are not recognized inside the application (so no way to record directly into MC) and it only has RCA audio jacks. It's supplied support software does include a desktop recording ap, so if you can connect a mic you could record the audio track then import. Probably not what your looking for.  If you upgrade your choice to the qualified AJA breakoutbox it shows up in the capture tool like a mojo would, but it also only has RCA connectors.

On one system I've left a mojoSDI installed as well for BetaSP capture (yes, still get requests). Even though the mojo series is EOL for MC, installation on a system running MC5.5 was no problem. Only caveat there is you can only have one of the breakout boxes running (its an either/or situation) if both are powered up MC defaults to the mojo over the MX02 or AJA.

good luck

Thanks Tugger.

Is AJA better in every way to MX02?

Is MX02 a reasonable upgrade from Mojo?  I only need audio input I think (am I right that i can stil capture DV direct to the computer?)

What are the implications of only having RCA jacks? I'm currently running sound out of the Mojo into a Spirit Folio Mixer, and from there to speakers and DVD...

Regarding capturing options here on the Mac side Matrox Vetura Capture can capture directly to an Avid Codec, just to ama link or fast import into Media Composer after the capture is finished.

As mjolnarn points out, you can use the desktop ap to capture analouge sources through the MX02 using the AVID codec then just AMA link (and then safest: transcode once inside project). Both the MX02 and the AJA IOExpress connect via a dedicated (pcie?) card so they don't interfere with a camera or deck hooked up via firewire. Neither has a firewire "pass through" (like the mojo). Both output HDMI and component, the MX02 has component and HDMI in (but you have to use the desktop AP for recording) The AJA has SDI and HDMI in and is recoginized as an input source in the capture tool. Both can deal with HD or SD monitoring. KInd of a wash as to which is better for monitoring, but I use the AJA on a station that regularly needs to capture AVCHD spanned clips (problematic to import) so it's back to the old days of rolling in (real time) from the camera. Can capture directly at DNxHD though, which is nice.

Just to be clear - to record guide comm you open Vetura software with MC still open, record to a file on th edesktop then import that into MC?

Where do you connect the mic for that?

Pro-Tools was relatively inexpensive, recently.  Really inexpensive if you owned any peice of software or hardware previously.  It does recognize the MX02, the mini does have an HDMI in.  That would certainly be an interesting setup to connect to a  mic.  Otherwise there are a plethora of USB mic adapters.  I bought one for $9 that works with my ipad, probably too low end, but it gives ou an idea of the scope of solutions.

Recording ADR in Pro-tools is kind of ideal.

I've been using an MX02 Mini on a 12 core for about a year. It's very stable and has no lag - provided that your monitor doesn't introduce delay. With 5.5.3 I still experience memory leakage which can be a problem working with very big sequences (large numbers of events). On a day when I need to successively open big edits I'll probably quit and restart MC a couple of times, generally just before it tells me I've reached 100% bin memory use. Otherwise I'll close and reopen MC at lunchtime just to reset the bin memory. I'm working on the same project on my system and on a unity / DX Nitris based MC 4.5 and though we have occasional memory issues when using big sequences with that, the combination of MC 5.5 and the MX02 is less forgiving.

What I really like about having the MX02 box - other than the rock steady 1080 24p picture that with a little effort at calibration gives true if not Grade 1 colour reproduction - is that you get 8 channel audio so can use MC in 8 channel direct out audio mode. I have a HDMI repeater / de-embedder between the MX02 and the monitor with it's 8 analog outputs routed into a mixer. The project set up on the DX Nitris and on the MX02 based systems are identical and moving edits from one to the other is seamless.

I would guess you can use the same set up with the AJA box, and get an input that MC recognises. For me inputs aren't an issue. If I found I needed to record temp VO I'd look to a USB based solution. I have one of the mixer outs fed through a USB interface into the 12 core, good for importing temp music that can't come in file based. No reason not to plug a mike into the mixer and record VO that way.