Settings file for Media Cache folder

Report · Mar 15, 2017

I work on several feature films, each one having its own drive, and the sensible thing to do is to save the media cache files to one folder in those drives - an option that Adobe doesn't provide. All too often I end up having to reset the media cache folder to the OS drive, with all the drawback that entails.

I thought about creating a script that will allow me to easily configure it externally in one click, but I can't find where the configuration for this setting is saved. For example, I couldn't find it in User/Documents/Adobe/11.0/[profile]/Adobe Premiere Pro Prefs. (Yes, I'm on a Mac.)

Anybody knows?

Report · Mar 15, 2017

Isn't this what you want? In Edit/Preferences/Media ...

Neil

Report · Mar 15, 2017

Hi DrewPost,

Do you want to change the Media cache location for each and every project to different drive/location using a script or a single click?

Thanks,

Vidya.

Report · Mar 16, 2017

Hi Vidya,

Yes I do.

Neil, I was asking where the configuration parameter you pointed to is saved on the hard drive.

Separately, I should submit a feature request to have the Media cache location be part of the other project-based scratch drive settings (whose interface could use improvement anyway).

I can see how the "right" way to manage the Media Cache would vary widely based on the user's needs, type of hardware setup and type of work. Do they deal with external hard drives that come and go, or sit on one big permanently-attached storage? Do they work on one project at a time, multiple ones, short or long form? And of course how much of their media utilize the Media Cache?

Even if I kept everything on a main scratch drive, Media Cache Files for 3 feature films add up to tens of thousands of files and corruption can easily happen. And re-generating all the cache for one long-form project can delay starting an editing shift at best, and take up hours at worst.

Having the media cache treated similarly to Preview files (renders) makes much more sense to me.

Report · Mar 16, 2017

I've not done a lot of testing the Media Cache in different locations. I'm a small one-man op, no long form works (other than the occasional wedding that may go for 30 minutes or better, hardly "long form"!), But from what experience I've had, when you have "next to originals where possible" checked, it does put them where your originals for a project are, but in their own folder structure. It's a quick thing to test, of course, and although I'm on vacation this week, I do have PrPro installed on this ol' i5 laptop, and can do a test project tomorrow.

Feel free to make the Feature Request. I've often wondered why they separated the location settings for Media cache from every other file location you can set. Does seem odd, but it makes sense to the engineers.

You're right about media cache being a potential source of corruption. At both NAB and MAX, I've talked with some editors of much larger facilities who have occasionally mentioned things like dumping the cache files on a Friday evening for some of their projects, and having PrPro rebuild Friday night and into Saturday morn if necessary. Just to clean things out and start with new cache files. I've not done anything like this, but ... understand the concerns.

Neil

Vidya Sagar ... do you or Kevin have more thoughts to add?

Report · Jun 17, 2017

I think what the OP is saying is why wouldn't the default media cache be on the drive where the project is located? Most editors I know use external drives for their projects. It's a pain changing the directories every time I make a new project... and if the project crashes and you load a recovery project, it defaults to your HDD. When you boot up it immediately starts writing to your HDD. Why would I ever want my media cache to be stored on my HDD? Makes no sense to me.

Report · Jun 17, 2017

the sensible thing to do is to save the media cache files to one folder in those drives

I disagree. I find it better to have a dedicated drive for Cache and Scratch files. Set it to the root of the drive and PP will organize things nicely.

Report · Jun 17, 2017

One issue with setting cache files to the root of a drive is that AE apparently is set not to use such folders. It's become an issue with the mogrt's used between Ae & PrPro. They are trying to get that modified in upcoming releases, but if one is using AE created mogrt's, it's better to use a folder at least one removed from the root drive.

Neil