ALEXA 35 Workflow

This page provides details on the ALEXA 35 Workflow using Device Manager on macOS. The latest version of Device Manager can be found in the Software Downloads section.

CODEX+ARRI MXF/HDE workflow

The ALEXA 35 uses CODEX Compact Drive 1TB (CX.0001002), 2TB (CX.0001073) or Compact Drive Express* (CX.0001090) for recording.

Achievable frame rates for both 1TB and 2TB Compact Drives can be found here:

ARRI Formats & Resolution overview.

By using the ARRI Data Rate Calculator you can get an accurate estimate of how many minutes you can capture, depending on Resolution / Frame Rate / CODEX Media.

*Note that Compact Drive Express can only record in ProRes format.

Once your Compact Drive is removed from camera you will need one of the following CODEX Media Stations to offload your footage:

• Compact Drive Reader TB3
• Compact Drive Reader USB-C
• SXR Capture Drive Dock and Capture Drive Adapter for Compact Drive (*CX.0001009)

ARRIRAW or ProRes files from the ALEXA 35 can be offloaded on both Mac and Windows. Minimum OS requirements are macOS 10.14.4 or Windows 10*. 
Note: macOS 13 or above is required to support the latest version of CODEX Device Manager.

Offloading HDE ARRIRAW from ALEXA 35 material requires CODEX Device Manager (macOS only) and a compatible copy tool. For more information on HDE ARRIRAW, please see, High Density Encoding (HDE).

Device Manager is updated in line with the latest SUP releases for the ALEXA 35, to ensure that you can offload HDE correctly please ensure that you are updating Device Manager to the latest version when possible.

*For full support we recommend using Windows 10: 2022-06 Cumulative Update KB5014666 (or above) or Windows 11: 2022-06 Cumulative Update KB5014668 ((or above).

When not using the HDE features of Device Manager, any copy tool application can be used.

If an HDE workflow is required the following Copy Tools and Applications can be used:

•  Hedge Offshoot Pro
•  Silverstack Lab / XT
•  Shotput Pro
•  YoYotta

Below are some image examples and breakdowns of the file naming formats when shooting with the ALEXA 35. You can select the images to view them in full screen.

The first image showcases a general ALEXA 35 File format.

This image shows the file format for HDE compatible files. You'll notice that the change is specific to the Codec Identifier otherwise the file format is identical to the above.

 This image shows the Roll naming format for the ALEXA 35.

For more information on File Naming conventions we reccomend this article on the ARRI website.

Once a Compact Drive's footage is backed up securely it should be erased in Device Manager before returning to camera to be formatted:

ARRI have a detailed workflow guide for the ALEXA 35 that should be followed. 

For handling original camera data off set we'd also recommend this guide to File Formats and Data Handling from ARRI regarding checksum verification which should be used here.

General cleaning guidance for all CODEX Media can be found here.