Avid MC3 AND FCP Studio2

[Shane Ross]

Gotta partition the hard drive. The OS and QT requirements for Avid 3.1 and FCP 6 differ, and getting them both to work on the same OS can prove difficult if not impossible. So it is best to partition the hard drive into TWO, one for FCP and one for Avid.

Bear in mind this will completely erase the current contents of the hard drive, so you will need to install FCP all over again.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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[Dave Schweitzer]

I’ve been wondering about this for a long time. If one needs to partition and install separate systems for FCS2 and Avid, what about other common third-party apps like Photoshop (CS Suite need its own partition/system?), Toast, etc? Do the other apps need to be installed on each partition discretely so that preference files and application support stuff is put in the right place? Or does everything get installed once into the Application folder and it’s up to the user to know which apps can run under which system?
Is there a helpful, easy-to-follow tutorial out there for those of us that just don’t get the whole concept?

Thanks,
DaveS

[Shane Ross]

[Dave Schweitzer] “what about other common third-party apps like Photoshop (CS Suite need its own partition/system?), Toast, etc? Do the other apps need to be installed on each partition discretely so that preference files and application support stuff is put in the right place?”

Nope. Those are fine. As long as they are supported by the main OS you have. Like 10.4 or 10.5. Only editing applications tend to rely on very specific numbers, like 10.4.11 and 10.5.2. QT 7.4.5 and QT 7.6.

ANd yes, you CAN install Avid and FCP on the same partition and Avid will work on QT 7.6 and the latest OS…but Avid doesn’t SUPPORT IT. They list the versions they have tested as being rock solid stable. So if you have issues of crashing and incompatility, you will know why.

[Dave Schweitzer] “Is there a helpful, easy-to-follow tutorial out there for those of us that just don’t get the whole concept?”

Nope. Stuff that is learned on the job or from a superior who knows the ropes. This is why it is good to work someplace for a living and know what the ropes are and how to look for the stuff you need to look out for.

Either that or painful experience on your own.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Dave Schweitzer]

So what one ends up with is two partitions. One (A) with all the FCS apps installed, running the latest OS/QT combination. The other partition (B) would have Avid and all other apps that don’t need constant point release updates, using an older Avid-qualified OS/QT.
In A’s Applications folder there would be aliases (aliaii?) pointing to programs that were installed while booted into partition B – and therefore in B’s Applications folder. And one could launch and run apps from partition B while booted under partition A (as long as those apps would function under the other OS).

Does that sound right?

[Shane Ross]

No. You need to boot into the OS that you have the applications installed on. When you boot to one OS, then that is the OS that is running, and the version of QT. You cannot then boot the application from another machine and magically the OS and QT versions change.

You need to boot the computer into each specific OS, then run the application you have installed on that OS.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Craig Mikhitarian]

That’s the problem with the 2 partitions scenario — you can’t use any application that’s on the unopened partition. To easily move from Avid to After Effects and also from Final Cut to After Effects, you need to install After Effects/CS3/CS4/Photoshop/whatever in both partitions. Or you have to reboot to whichever parition has the application you need to work with.

I found that unworkable, so I have both Avid 3.1 and FCS2 on the same partition using QT 7.5.5. I block the updater from automatically installing any updates without my permission. I’ll keep an eye on compatibility reports and update QT only when it is safe to do so for the Avid. So far, so good.

Craig Mikhitarian
ACM Productions, Ltd.