AVID Collaboration with Hedge Mimiq Pro and iodyne – High-speed, Low-Cost

Software News

by Reuben EvansMay 28^th, 2024

Hedge, makers of Offshoot, recently announced a new collaborative workflow for AVID editors. The combination of the iodyne Pro Data Thunderbolt storage device with Hedge’s newly acquired Mimiq Pro software enables low-cost collaboration for multiple Avid editors without the costs of AVID’s ISIS shared storage.

Bin locking technology allows AVID editors to collaborate on AVID’s ISIS or NEXIS shared storage (or AVID licensed storage). It ensures that editors don’t overwrite each other’s work. This proprietary storage solution is expensive, both in terms of hardware and service agreement. Hedge’s Mimiq Pro software facilitates bin locking for AVID editors working on generic, network-attached storage. iodyne’s Pro Data NVMe storage is optimized for Hedge’s software. Through this partnership, AVID users can now access high-performance shared storage at a fraction of the price.

Hedge made a name for themselves with their offloading utility “Offshoot.” This product used to be named “Hedge.” The company kept that name for the company itself, and renamed the “Hedge” software “Offshoot.” They have steadily added more software products to their portfolio, like Postlab, that focus on collaborative editing solutions. Postlab enabled cloud-based collaboration for Final Cut Pro and Premiere editors. Subsequently, Hedge expanded that line in 2022 when they purchased Mimiq.

AVID collaboration with Hedge, iodyne, and Mimiq Pro

Collaboration on AVID requires a synergy between hardware and software. Mimiq provides the software layer to ensure editors don’t overwrite each other’s work and that it works with any storage. However, everybody sleeps better when they know that a specific hardware solution is supported by your software. After the acquisition, Hedge improved Mimiq to work with Apple silicon, as it had only worked with Intel-based Macs before.

Next, Hedge has optimized OffShoot to work with the iodyne Pro Data drive. The Pro Data drive offers eight Thunderbolt jacks so that multiple editors can connect to it at the same time. You can actually connect 2 Thunderbolt cables from a Macbook Pro to the iodyne Pro Data, which doubles the IO bandwidth. The iodyne Pro Data can be configured with 12-144TB of NVMe storage. iodyne provides recommendations for single-user, multi-user, and network connectivity.

The iodyne Pro Data pairs well with a Mac mini and turns it into a NAS (Network Attached Storage). You can even use the Pro Data as a direct-attached storage device and a NAS at the same time.

This unique configuration allows for high-speed direct connections through Thunderbolt, as well as network connections over high-speed Ethernet. For example, you could connect a Mac mini to a 10G Ethernet switch and attach multiple edit stations with 10G Ethernet adapters over a Cat 6e cable. And if you want maximum performance, just connect your Mac via Thunderbolt as well. This flexibility delivers a truly unique storage solution to the market.

The iodyne Pro Data works with any NLE application. If you use Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro, you can use Hedge’s Postlab to facilitate project sharing. Postlab 2 is currently in beta and will support many more applications.

The Offshoot, iodyne Pro Data, and Mimiq Pro package together seem like a compelling offering for Avid post-production teams.

Price and availability

• Hedge OffShoot starts at $149 with a Pro option for $249. Hedge has a perpetual license (hooray!) with one year of updates.
• Hedge Mimiq sells for $299 or $499 for the pro version, which supports remote workflows, LucidLink, and more.
• iodyne Pro Data starts at $4,450.00 for 12TB of shared storage or $7,500 for 24TB. It is available from authorized iodyne distributors.

For more information, visit Hedge’s website.

Would you use a shared storage solution like the combo of Mimiq and iodyne Pro Data? Let us know in the comments below!