Suite’s virtual workflows provide creative studios access to superfast computers and infinite storage—here’s what you need to know about putting ‘em to work.

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It’s a funny thing, post production. For all of the acclaim that actors, directors and production-focused teams receive, creative studios often go unrecognized by the general audience, only to be recognized during awards shows or more quietly by colleagues around the industry. But these VFX artists, sound engineers, video editors, colorists and everyone else who touches the final cut during post are truly the masterminds of bringing a story together, using their technical expertise to translate a director, client or producer’s words into a tangible change in the timeline.

When a talented post production team or individual becomes hampered by their hardware or their workflow, the “magic” of the editing process flickers and dims, only to be superseded by administrative headaches. There’s nothing worse than a creative team hindered—not a lack of creativity or talent—but by hardware constraints or other computer-based worries that can be easily remedied. That is… if you had the budget, if you had the resources, if you had this and if you had that. 

But consider this—if your team had access to all of the same computing power, media storage solutions and high-tech infrastructure of the biggest post production studios in the world, what would you aim to accomplish? If you could eliminate your hardware constraints once-and-for-all, right now, would you do it? Would you look beyond the “standard” way of doing things if you could suddenly take on projects you previously considered “out of your league” because of the limitations of your hardware or studio infrastructure?

With Suite, your studio gains instant access to some of the most powerful computing solutions available to creatives. Offering scalable CPU, GPU and RAM to match the needs of your current workload, Suite provides newfound flexibility to mid-size (and growing) post production studios, jumpstarting their opportunity to grow as a business. Here’s everything you need to know about Suite’s cloud-based workstations and how to make them work in your favor, saving you precious time, money and creative energy.

What are CPU, GPU and RAM? 

If you’re reading this post, you probably already know a thing or two about the CPU, GPU and RAM of your computer, or your studio’s professional hardware setup. 

For those of you who need a quick refresher…

CPU and GPU are the “brains” of your computer, thinking and operating behind the scenes. These components directly affect your device’s performance and processing power and will play a major factor in the speed at which you’re able to edit and perform post production tasks. What you need to know is that the faster your CPU and GPU can operate, the faster you’ll be able to render complex graphics, effects and other video editing processes during post. 

RAM is your computer’s short-term memory system that allows it to store (or cache) information to be easily accessed again in the future. Your system’s RAM affects how quickly stored information can be transferred from one component to the next; in turn, this directly affects the speed at which your computer can operate and perform tasks. What you need to know is that the more RAM your computer or studio setup has built in, the more power your system has to process whatever task you may be throwing its way. 

How are CPU, GPU and RAM affected by Suite’s virtual, cloud-based workstations?

Normally, your computer’s CPU, GPU and RAM are prescribed by the manufacturer—ie. you’re locked into whatever settings you buy—and, in order to upgrade, it's necessary to either buy a completely new computer or try to soup up your system with expensive aftermarket updates. With Suite, you’re free to adjust the CPU, GPU and RAM anytime your workflow requires it. Studios that utilize Suite gain access to supercharged, cloud-based computing solutions that look and feel just the same as your desktop computer but work behind the scenes to provide scalable performance that can be upgraded or downgraded as your workflow necessitates. Every post production professional already knows a scenario in which they’ve craved access to a better-performing, faster computer, but here are a few examples to help highlight how Suite’s adjustable workstations will be helpful in improving your studio’s creative workflow. 

You started on a project two months ago and, now, the timeline has grown to include more than 20 different tracks, including audio files, multiple camera angles and other video effects. Because of your increasingly complex timeline, you notice your computer starting to slow…

‍You’re in the final moments of editing your latest project and you’re just a few clicks away from exporting it and sending it back to your client/fellow creatives, but the computer is saying it will need to work six hours overnight to render your file. That would be just fine, but you need to leave town in the morning and you won't be able to access the render from the airport…

You are a video effects specialist or motion graphics artist creating exceptionally detailed animations and generally working through complicated, computer-intensive tasks on a daily basis. Without the supercomputer you have stationed at your studio, however, you’ve found it to be impossible to make progress on these demanding tasks anywhere but your office…

With Suite, your studio can adjust the specs of your machine with a click of a button. Our workstations scale in power, from the typical PC you might find at an editor's desk up to the most supercharged computers available with 8 GPUs, 196 CPU cores, and 768 GB of RAM.

In plain English, this means no matter how demanding of a workload you have in front of you, Suite is able to provide access to a virtual supercomputer guaranteed to help you do the job faster than before. Your render is saying it’ll take six hours to complete? How about 30 minutes. Graphics-intensive projects causing Premiere Pro to lag? Get back in your flow state with the click of a button.

‍Utilizing Suite’s cloud-based workstations, your studio can eliminate all of the headaches associated with your hardware configuration, no matter its current limitations. So let Suite do the heavy lifting and complicated behind-the-scenes work to make the cloud-based workflows a reality for post production teams. Then, when it comes time to use our virtual workstations, simply choose the CPU, GPU and RAM settings that you need to get your work done seamlessly. Suite’s adjustable computing solutions match your workflow needs, ensuring your team’s editing experience is as intuitive as possible. Save your output for the most important part of the process and forget about the constraints of your current hardware. These restrictions are only temporary—your new studio is waiting for you in the cloud.