Waveform rendering: general questions

I faced situation when I can’t smooth preview video files in source viewers because of Davinci make waveforms for them, I don’t see waveform in the overlay audio form and my RAID sounds like a machine gun.
OK, it’s normal situation when I need to wait while app generate waveform.

In FCP, for example, I see background task indicator show the process of rendering waveforms when I imported a bunch of files. Can I see the same indicator in Davinci? Or any another way?

I imported about 50 multichannel audio mxf videos appropriately 1-hour long each and it seems Davinci doesn’t generate waveforms for them all in background until I open them in the source viewer each. Because I’ve imported them in evening and next day I still didn’t see a waveform in the viewer again. I need wait for waveform appears in viewer for each single file in viewer.
Is there any information about waveform generation in Davinci? When it comes? What the best practices? Why I have no such a problem in FCP, Avid MC, Lightworks or Flame, even in Premier I can view indicator and can manage waveform generation?

Sadly no. There's no visible feedback on waveform generation.
Resolve generates waveforms for up to 4 files in parallel, and only those visible in the timeline are generated. (I have not tried the source viewer trick you used)
The only advice to help speed up the process is to get an SSD (I prefer the Kingston DC600M for it's price and write endurance https://www.kingston.com/en/ssd/dc600m- ... tate-drive ) and put the files there.

Thanks, SSD is too expensive))) I have a RAID5 massive of 16 TB. I just can’t imagine how much will be the SSD analog
May be I need to select all media files and put them together on a timeline for a night to create a waveforms? Can I have a timeline 200-300 hours long?


What I want: import hundred files, wait some time, open videos in source viewer and play it smoothly, then selecting and making sublips, then open next file, repeat operations and so on. Now I need wait every time I open next video ((( And I don’t know how long I need wait, I’m forced to listen for sound of my RAID
Davinci have a huge potential but the such problems kill me. I need work and I am forced use old good ways like Avid and even FCP ( I can switched to it after Avid and can organize professional workflow without a large issues, however Davinci seems more professional like Avid)

Thanks, SSD is too expensive))) I have a RAID5 massive of 16 TB. I just can’t imagine how much will be the SSD analog
May be I need to select all media files and put them together on a timeline for a night to create a waveforms? Can I have a timeline 200-300 hours long?


What I want: import hundred files, wait some time, open videos in source viewer and play it smoothly, then selecting and making sublips, then open next file, repeat operations and so on. Now I need wait every time I open next video ((( And I don’t know how long I need wait, I’m forced to listen for sound of my RAID
Davinci have a huge potential but the such problems kill me. I need work and I am forced use old good ways like Avid and even FCP ( I can switched to it after Avid and can organize professional workflow without a large issues, however Davinci seems more professional like Avid)

Yes, you can have a timeline 300 hours long. Do note that the timeline counter resets after 256 hours, so at 300 hours it will show 44 hours.
The playhead needs to touch each file for Davinci to generate the waveform, just having them in a timeline isn't enough.
I agree, I work with many long files as well, the wait is annoying (as in the lack of a "generate all waveforms" button)

Davinci create files of waveform in Cache folder with .PFL extension, as I got it One PFL for each audio track/channel of video file.
I can watch for them to know when Davinci start to generate waveform.

I found the waveform files appear when I load them to source viewer, while showing of audio waveform on in it (or just scrubbing a video clip when show audio waveform on in the viewer) , or when put them in a timeline, or enable File tab of Inspector, where there is audio channel manager.
But I got the best way to start waveform generation on clips you want it is using Cut Page and its Source Tape ability. Just go into bin with all clips you need and change viewing mode from Source to Source Tape. It is loaded all clips in the bin in the viewer and start to generate wavefrom for them all. It is the only way when waveforms files appeared in the Cache folder simultaneously I found.
I tried with 14 files, after enabling Source Tape view PFL files appeared almost at once and fun of my MBP starting working hard so the process begins.

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Use Cut Page's Source Tape for instantly starting of generation audio waveforms for all clips in bin you need!