ALEXA Mini LF Workflow

This page provides details on the ALEXA Mini LF workflow using Device Manager 7.5 on macOS. The latest version of Device Manager can be found in the Software Downloads section.

CODEX+ARRI MXF/HDE workflow

The ALEXA Mini LF uses 1TB (CX.0001002) or 2TB (CX.0001073) CODEX Compact Drives for recording.

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.

Once your Compact Drive is removed from camera you will need one of the following CODEX Media Readers 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)

MXF/ARRIRAW or MXF/ProRes files from the ALEXA Mini LF can be offloaded on both Mac and Windows*. 

Offloading MXF/HDE from ALEXA Mini LF material requires Device Manager (macOS only) and a compatible copy tool (see below for more details). 

For more information on HDE, please see, High Density Encoding (HDE).

Note: macOS 13 or above is required to support the latest version of CODEX Device Manager.

Device Manager 7.5 and above supports the MXF/HDE workflow for ALEXA Mini LF.

Device Manager 7.4 and below supports the ARX+WAV workflow for ALEXA Mini LF.

Device Manager is updated in line with the latest SUP releases for the ALEXA Mini LF; to ensure that you can offload HDE correctly please ensure that you are using the latest Device Manager 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).

Here are some MXF/HDE sample files that can be used to test the workflow with your preferred post production toolset.

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, with the minimum version indicated:

• Hedge Offshoot Pro (25.1 Beta)
• Silverstack Lab / XT (8.9.1)
• Shotput Pro (v2024.3.6)
• YoYotta (v4 build 49)

MXF/HDE from ALEXA Mini LF is supported by recent versions of popular post production software applications, with the minimum version indicated:

• ARRI — ARRI Reference Tool (1.7.0)
• ASSIMILATE — SCRATCH (v9.8 build 1171)
• Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve (19.1.3)
• Calibrated Software — Tin Man (v24.12.3)
• Colorfront — On-Set Dailies, Express Dailies, QC Player, Transkoder (2025 build 63608)
• Filmlight — Baselight (6.0.22640), Daylight (6.0.22642)
• Imagine Products — ShotPut Studio (v1.4.5)
• nablet — ARRI AMA Plugin (v3.6.0)
• Pomfort — Silverstack Lab (8.9.1)

The file naming convention for ALEXA Mini LF is explained in the image below:

The file naming structure is the same regardless of whether the MXF contains ARRIRAW, HDE, or ProRes essence.

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

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

For handling original camera data off set we would also recommend this guide to File Formats and Data Handling from ARRI.

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