Cut Architecture
Aeion Cut is 100+ capabilities across 10 areas. Real-time collaboration uses CRDTs (conflict-free replicated data types) so multiple editors edit one timeline simultaneously. Exports render server-side through a job queue — off your local machine — with hardware acceleration via NVENC / QuickSync / VideoToolbox auto-detected when available. Live streaming simulcasts to multiple destinations at once. AI features (Magic Mask, background removal, scene detection, voice cloning) integrate via the AI module.
System Map
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Real-Time Collaboration — CRDT Model
The most innovative piece of Cut's architecture.
Streaming Subsystem (StreamCast)
Simulcast flow:
Server-Side Rendering
On export, the timeline is handed off to a server-side render job — processed via FFmpeg through the platform's job queue, not on your local machine, so you can keep working while it renders. Hardware encoder detection auto-picks the fastest available path per machine (NVENC / QuickSync / VideoToolbox), falling back to software encode when no compatible GPU is present.
AI Services Layer
AI is woven directly into timeline operations, not bolted on as a separate tool.
Connected Across the Platform
Cut doesn't live in isolation — a completed export, a new review note, or a stream going live all trigger notifications through the platform's universal notification system without anyone copying data between tools. On the production side, a production shoot day finishing syncs dailies straight into the linked Cut project via a dedicated production-integration sync endpoint. Deeper CRM- and billing-driven integration (a deal stage change adjusting project visibility, a paid invoice unlocking deliverables) is on the roadmap but not wired into the module today.
FAQ
Yes. Concurrent editors per project are unlimited on the $29/mo flat plan — no per-seat cap. CRDTs guarantee no conflicts and consistent state across every collaborator.
Aeion supports H.264, H.265, ProRes, ProRes RAW, DNxHD, DNxHR. AV1 support in active development.
Yes. Color grading respects color spaces; LUT management; scope visualization for QC.
Standard 44.1/48/96/192 kHz, 16/24-bit. Supports surround 5.1/7.1, ambisonics for spatial.
4K real-time editing in browser typical. 8K via proxy workflow (full-res only for final render).
WebGPU + WebGL2 for canvas operations; hardware decode via media-source-extensions; encoding via cloud workers.
VST3 runs through the **Aeion Bridge** — the host executes on your own machine (a Tauri app on localhost), where your installed plugins and audio hardware already live, driven over a secure connection from the cloud. The full plugin model is real: bundle discovery reads each plugin's genuine metadata (name, vendor, version, category) straight from its `moduleinfo.json` / `Info.plist`, and the eight-slot insert chains, per-parameter automation, presets, sidechain, and bypass are all managed cloud-side and applied to the Bridge's local real-time audio engine — audio never round-trips to the cloud. When no Bridge is connected, Cut's built-in audio pipeline handles the track without third-party plugins. OFX (OpenFX) discovery is real too — it scans the standard OFX directories and lists genuinely-installed `.ofx` bundles — with the native OFX render bridge on the same Bridge-hosted track as VST3. Per-plugin process sandboxing is on the roadmap.
Media versioning tracks every version; project snapshots are taken automatically; the CRDT edit history provides infinite undo.
Active edits cache locally and sync on reconnect. Full feature parity requires a connection.
The architecture scales horizontally across projects and regions — workers and storage scale out as usage grows, so performance holds up as your team and project count grow.