MystikVault

Safe to clear

Free card offload for Mac and Windows. MystikVault copies every camera and sound card to all of your backup drives at once, checks every file, and tells you when the card is safe to clear.

Download MystikVault

Free, from a Google Drive folder. Which file do I need?

Why I made it

Back in college, I kept hearing the same stories: corrupted files, and cards that got formatted before anyone made sure the footage was safe. Now I'm a working director of photography and editor, and MystikVault is my fix for that.

It's built for DITs, camera assistants and student crews. It runs on the laptop you already have, it doesn't cost anything, and it never leaves you guessing whether a card is safe to clear.

Gonzo

How it works

  1. 1

    Pick today's drives

    Every time it opens, MystikVault asks "Where are we saving today?" Yesterday's setup is filled in, so most days you just check it and start. The first time you use a drive, MystikVault can test it for fake capacity, and it warns you if two of your "backups" are on the same physical drive.

    The start screen: project, shoot day and operator, two backup drives named RAID_A and SHUTTLE_B, and cascading copy turned on.
  2. 2

    Put in a card

    It reads the camera and roll from the card or clip names (A005C001 is camera A, roll 005) and names the folders for you. Sound cards switch to Sound mode on their own. A roll that already exists on a drive is never overwritten.

    The Offload tab with card A_CAM selected, camera A, roll 5, the label A005 on tape, and a button to offload A005 to two drives.
  3. 3

    It copies to every drive at once

    The card is read once and written to all of your drives at the same time. Or turn on cascading copy: the card goes to your fastest drive first so it can come out sooner, then that drive copies to the others. If a drive gets unplugged, the others keep going, and Retry failed files finishes the job once it's back.

    Card A005 copying to RAID_A and SHUTTLE_B, with tape that says Card can come out.
  4. 4

    It checks every copy

    Every file gets a checksum (xxHash64 by default, or xxHash128, MD5 or SHA-1), and every copy is checked against it. Turn on source verify and the card is read a second time, so a failing card or reader shows up before anyone formats it.

    Checksum settings: xxHash64, xxHash128, MD5 or SHA-1, a source verify option, and MHL and ASC MHL hash lists.
  5. 5

    Read the tape

    Every card in the queue gets a strip of tape that answers one question: can I clear this card yet?

    Sound card SR001, verified on two of two drives, with tape that says Safe to clear.
    Do not format

    Still copying or checking, or something failed. Keep the card as it is.

    Card can come out

    With cascading copy, the fast drive has a verified copy, so you can pull the card and put in the next one. Don't format it yet.

    Only 1 copy

    Verified, but on one drive only. Make a second copy first.

    Safe to clear

    Two or more copies, each one read back and matched to the card. You can format the card.

  6. 6

    Keep the paperwork

    Each card gets a PDF report with thumbnails from the start of every take to the end (5 by default, up to 10), a footage check, a CSV, and hash lists (MHL and ASC MHL) next to the footage. The day report covers every card on every drive, so a card missing from the shuttle drive shows up before it leaves set.

    A card report: Verified in large letters, two verified copies, a clean footage check, and a clip with thumbnails, timecode and camera settings.

When you need more

The Dailies and Proxies tab with burn-in settings and a preview frame.
The Dailies & Proxies tab. Renders always read from a verified backup, never from the card.

  • Dailies and proxies

    Off until you want them. Burn-ins, a LUT, watermark, framing guides, anamorphic desqueeze and per-clip CDLs. Proxies get their own folder, never mixed in with the originals.

  • Sound sync

    Sync the sound recorder's audio to picture by timecode or by waveform. Scene, take and circled takes come in from the recorder's files.

  • Timelines for the edit

    XML for Premiere and Resolve. ALE and EDL for Avid.

  • Receive mode

    When a shuttle drive lands in post, check it against its hash list before anyone starts cutting.

  • RAW previews

    Thumbnails for RED, BRAW and ARRIRAW, using the free decoders from the camera makers when they're on the computer.

  • Set checks

    Footage QC, a timecode jam check against sound, name clash checks, and a warning when a card was already offloaded.

  • Notes and camera reports

    Clip notes with keyboard shortcuts, and a camera report built from each clip's metadata.

  • En español

    The whole app also runs in Spanish. Switch it in Settings.

Download

Everything is in one Google Drive folder. Grab the file for your computer:

Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 and newer)the zip ending in mac-arm64.zip
Mac with an Intel chipthe zip ending in mac-x64.zip
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)the file ending in Setup.exe

Not sure which Mac you have? Apple menu > About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M" means Apple Silicon. Google Drive can't scan big files for viruses, so it asks first. Click Download anyway.

Open the download folder

Opening it the first time

MystikVault is free and isn't paid-signed with Apple or Microsoft, so both warn you once. After that it opens like any other app.

Mac

  1. Double-click the zip and drag MystikVault into Applications.
  2. Open it. When macOS says it can't check the app, click Done.
  3. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. Enter your password.
  4. If macOS says the app is damaged, open Terminal, paste this line, press Return, then open the app again:xattr -cr /Applications/MystikVault.app
  5. Allow access to removable volumes so it can read your cards.

Windows

  1. Run the Setup file. It installs just for you, no admin password needed.
  2. If Windows says it protected your PC, click More info, then Run anyway.

Updates

When there's a new version, MystikVault tells you when it opens and takes you to the same folder. Install it over the old one, and your drives, settings and history carry over.

Comments, complaints, coffee

MystikVault is free. If it saved your shoot, you can buy me a coffee on Venmo at @Mystik_Gonzo.

Bugs, ideas, complaints and compliments go to Gonzothenomad@aol.com. In the app, Report a problem packs up what I need to look into it.

MystikVault is provided as is, without warranty. Always keep two verified copies, and check your footage before you format a card.