In the past, acquiring and running software for desktop and laptop computers was a slow, thoughtful process. We would stand in stores (back when they existed) and stare at software boxes (back when they existed). Turning a box around, we’d comb through the specs, making informed decisions based on our intimate knowledge of the computers we owned.

That was for simple “home stuff” like Quicken or Doom but what about “work stuff”? As professional craft editors responsible for large projects it was even more critical to understand the specs and the tech behind the whole process.

At the time Avid Media Composer wasn’t just software in a box. It was acquired as part of an expensive “turnkey” system – a machine designed from the ground up with the sole purpose of running it as best as possible. It’s the etymology behind referring to an edit system as “an Avid”.

Today we download and install everything we see to our phones, tablets and even desktops. We’re app-happy. It’s how we test and consume new workflows, and it’s all thanks to this massive D.I.Y. culture. The result is editors and assistants building and supporting their own machines. Unless we’re responsible for outfitting a massive facility, turnkey systems are largely gone. Today all we need to do is click, download and pay a monthly subscription fee to get a working Media Composer system. But what kind of computer are we downloading it to? Will it handle Media Composer? Or perhaps the more appropriate question: How will Media Composer handle the computer?

We’ve all asked these questions over the years, especially when we were students learning the trade. In fact today, places like the Assistant Editors Bootcamp are great examples of how we bring new women and men into the industry. But are they learning these basics? When Noah at the AE Bootcamp reached out to me with these questions, they were at the request of his Lead AE and Independent Editor class. I was eager to help. But to truly get answers, we need to get them from Avid’s engineers directly.