It took me hours to upgrade to 8.5. I had to call tech support so they could take over my computer and dump Library files and then manually make changes in my subscription. Last time, it was the same trauma, but it took me much longer to find a way to contact Avid from overseas.
Don't get me wrong, Avid has been my go to for four years now. But my subscription is about to expire and I'm not sure I am coming back. Avid has many advantages over FCP and Adobe. But they just announced major cuts. The 8.5 upgrades were nice, but they didn't go far enough to bring Avid up to spec for todays world.
Finding information on 'how to' for Avid is like pulling teeth. There are tons of videos to sort through for that small sparkle of information you are looking for. Avid of course does not provide a free online manual on how to use their product.
So now here I am in 8.5, and just exporting a video has suddenly become a hide and seek search to figure out what the new menu items mean and how to export a simple piece of AAC audio to edit in my favorite audio software. And no, it is not Pro Tools.
I may have to seek a divorce in July when my cruurent subscription expires. If they are cutting staff and budgets, this may not get any better very soon.