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Any FCP users have experience with VelocityHD?
hi…I’m using the Harris/Leitch VelocityQ SD NLE and love it…fast and real time powerful and I hate waiting for renders so this is a big plus.
But my company is moving to HD and I’m trying to decide whether to stay with Harris/Leitch (VelocityHD) which has an iffy future or move over to MACville and FCP.
Can anyone give me a comparison of these two NLE’s? Pro’s and Con’s of each one?
Thanks
Sam Roberts
Toronto -
12 Replies
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[Sam Roberts] “I’m trying to decide whether to stay with Harris/Leitch (VelocityHD) which has an iffy future or move over to MACville and FCP.”
Sam,
I was under the impression that the future of VelocityHD was set in stone, that it was dead as a doornail. Am I mistaken?
Beyond that, perhaps the number one reason for moving to FCP would be the sheer number of trained freelancers available. The user base of FCP is enormous now, including large numbers of high-end professionals who have moved over from Avid and the like.
In addition, that huge FCP user base drives Apple’s own sofware engineers and an enormous number of outside vendors to produce both new products and updates to older products at a rate that hard to compete against.
David
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Hi David…well it is hard to get a straight answer and there are alot of rumours…they have already killed development and support for their VelocityQ SD NLE which I now use and love, so this is why I am not automatically staying with them…. which I would do if Leitch Harris was reliable when it comes to the future of their Post Production business.
All good points about FCP. I like the idea of strength in numbers and the fact there is so much support around offical and otherwise. But I’d really like to hear about the experience of actually switching over to FCP and what the differences are that effect the editor directly (besides having to learn a new platform OS and tons of new software.
Will a fully loaded MAC Pro do the real time thing as well as a fully loaded Velocity system…in HD? I don’t mind waiting for renders in an EFX program such as DFX or After Effects…but on the timeline?…
I
need
the
speed.Cheers,
Sam -
[Sam Roberts] “But I’d really like to hear about the experience of actually switching over to FCP and what the differences are that effect the editor directly”
I made the switch myself from Discreet Edit* and never looked back. It took me only 30 days to fully acquaint myself with the tools, and then almost immdiately I cut a feature-length documentary with a client looking over my shoulder much of the time. Any editor coming from another NLE will be able to make the switch.
In terms of all the rendering you hear about, thats only when going heavy on graphics, or when using Motion. Normal timeline editing is mostly all done in realtime — everything eventually has to be rendered, but thats usually fast enough as not to be an issue or it can be deferred until lunchtime or overnight.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Yeah it’s the rendering thing that has me standing on the edge. I hardly spend any time rendering in Velocity. So many pros and cons to both systems. I have posted this Stay or Go question all over the place and am amazed at all the differing opinions. Thanks for yours.
Sam
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[Sam Roberts] “I have posted this Stay or Go question all over the place and am amazed at all the differing opinions.”
The road to certain insanity.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.
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Sam
You will spend more time rendering – I know how much real time (rather than proxy) you get on Velocity. But as far as the future goes, I don’t see that you have a lot of choice…
Ben
Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd
EVS & FCP specialists for live broadcast.
OB Server 1 HD – Mobile FCP editing done right.
https://www.editecuk.com/OBServer2.html -
ok here’s another point in the discussion.
Let’s say I go with VelocityHD and in 5 years Harris Leitch terminates it’s post production business. It is a stable and well built system, it could last a few more years after that.
But somewhere along the road I WOULD have to buy another system. What about FCP? Would you not need to change it or upgrade it in a major way (or any other NLE software/hardware combo you may be using) every 5 years or so? Or at least spend a few thousand on hardware and software updates?
Perhaps worrying about having to shell out more bucks in the years to come is true for ANY system I get. In other words it’s the nature of the NLE beast. You can’t just buy a system and that’s it for say, 20 years.
All that Velocity hardware assisted processing power is better than CPU assisted power, at least now. Maybe that too will change in the years to come. Still, you do have a lot of great software to play with.
I feel like it’s me and a few Velocity buddies sitting around the house on a Saturday night wringing our hands and talking seriously about the future. Where as next door my Final Cut Pro neighbours are having this huge party with loud music and loud talking and laughter is making it difficult for us Velocity nerds to hear each other. We keep looking longingly over to your side of the fence wondering what if…….
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[Sam Roberts] “What about FCP? Would you not need to change it or upgrade it in a major way (or any other NLE software/hardware combo you may be using) every 5 years or so? Or at least spend a few thousand on hardware and software updates? “
Undoubtedly. Although the costs will be a lot lower than the Velocity route. This means 1) You will be able to upgrade more regularly to take advantage of hardware improvements and 2) You can more easily add seats as required – or lose them in quiet times.
[Sam Roberts] “You can’t just buy a system and that’s it for say, 20 years.”
True.
[Sam Roberts] “I feel like it’s me and a few Velocity buddies sitting around the house on a Saturday night wringing our hands and talking seriously about the future. Where as next door my Final Cut Pro neighbours are having this huge party with loud music and loud talking and laughter is making it difficult for us Velocity nerds to hear each other. We keep looking longingly over to your side of the fence wondering what if…….
“You know, it’s worse than that. The party is going to get louder and longer. Your friends will all gradually leave. Look, I like Velocity a lot as a product, but recently we supplied FCP systems to a company that OWNED velocity for a job abroad. Why? They only had a couple of operators – and they weren’t available. We picked up a lot of hire, and the ops were a two minute phone call away. Also, don’t ask yourself if you want a velocity or a FCP suite – ask yourself if you want a Velocity or 3 FCP suites. Ultimately the lower cost and CRUCIALLY availability of operators will swing this. In the end, all NLE’s are just tools – it’s where the talent goes that counts. Oh, and the cost.
Ben
Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd
EVS & FCP specialists for live broadcast.
OB Server 1 HD – Mobile FCP editing done right.
https://www.editecuk.com/OBServer2.html -
[Sam Roberts] “What about FCP? Would you not need to change it or upgrade it in a major way (or any other NLE software/hardware combo you may be using) every 5 years or so? Or at least spend a few thousand on hardware and software updates? “
Undoubtedly. Although the costs will be a lot lower than the Velocity route. This means 1) You will be able to upgrade more regularly to take advantage of hardware improvements and 2) You can more easily add seats as required – or lose them in quiet times.
[Sam Roberts] “You can’t just buy a system and that’s it for say, 20 years.”
True.
[Sam Roberts] “I feel like it’s me and a few Velocity buddies sitting around the house on a Saturday night wringing our hands and talking seriously about the future. Where as next door my Final Cut Pro neighbours are having this huge party with loud music and loud talking and laughter is making it difficult for us Velocity nerds to hear each other. We keep looking longingly over to your side of the fence wondering what if…….
“You know, it’s worse than that. The party is going to get louder and longer. Your friends will all gradually leave. Look, I like Velocity a lot as a product, but recently we supplied FCP systems to a company that OWNED velocity for a job abroad. Why? They only had a couple of operators – and they weren’t available. We picked up a lot of hire, and the ops were a two minute phone call away. Also, don’t ask yourself if you want a velocity or a FCP suite – ask yourself if you want a Velocity or 3 FCP suites. Ultimately the lower cost and CRUCIALLY availability of operators will swing this. In the end, all NLE’s are just tools – it’s where the talent goes that counts. Oh, and the cost.
Ben
Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd
EVS & FCP specialists for live broadcast.
OB Server 1 HD – Mobile FCP editing done right.
https://www.editecuk.com/OBServer2.html -
Hi Ben..well since I am a one man band, the ability to have multiple systems isn’t a worry. If that was a concern I would be looking seriously at AVID too.
But you are correct….. for what you pay for a Velocity turnkey system you could by a few Mac Pro/FCP bundles. Still, money aside, my big worry is the real time handicap you get with any CPU driven system. In another discussion group on this Velocity vs FCP subject, a reliable source said that he asked Apple to build him an FCP system that would do real time like the $25,000.00 Velocity turnkey—-the price?…$65,000.00. This may be a bit on the high side but it does make Velocity’s price look resonable in comparison.
I guess I’m spoiled as far as renders go, I rarely have to do them even with multiple stacked effects on the timeline (with VelocityQ SD) and most of my rendering is done in Velocity’s bundled EFX program, DFX, which I don’t really have to use that often.
On the other hand for what I do…output to DVD and the WEB, FCP and the other bundled software is far superior and the new Adobe Premier bundle is even better still….
speed, functionality, longevity, price…..I wonder if the HD switchover on the camera side of things will be as much of a pain in the arse?
Cheers,
Sam
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