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FCP P2 workflow – Organization, Storage, and AVID migration
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Transfer one of those drives to raid, and if we need to edit metadata, do it then. Send MXf files from P2 Flow to FCP. “
THERE! RIGHT THERE! You copy the files from one of those drives to the RAID. RIGHT THERE! That takes as long as Log and Tranfer. YOU DO COPY…you are transfering. THAT is the part where your “speed” argument doesn’t work.
I won’t argue about you with Metadata. That is very true, that when you need the metadata, that MXF4MAC and P2 Flow are the bomb. But not everyone needs all of that. Many people just need Reel number, shot and take…or just a description of the footage. So they don’t need the app for all that metadata.
But again, L&T is just as fast as your workflow…because you are copying to your media drives. Just what L&T does when it wraps, and that takes a comparable amount of time.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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[Shane Ross] “THERE! RIGHT THERE! You copy the files from one of those drives to the RAID. RIGHT THERE! That takes as long as Log and Tranfer.”
But we copied a copy of the MXF files form the shoot archive drives to the raid anyway, before we used MXF4mac. We didn’t just log and transfer from the shoot drives as those were usually out shooting.
[Shane Ross] “Many people just need Reel number, shot and take…or just a description of the footage.”
Which is way faster in P2Flow. I’m sorry man, I won’t give up. The P2Flow and MXF4mac workflow is faster all the way around.
[Shane Ross] “But again, L&T is just as fast as your workflow…because you are copying to your media drives. Just what L&T does when it wraps, and that takes a comparable amount of time. “
You are focusing on one aspect, I am talking form shoot to archive.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “But we copied a copy of the MXF files form the shoot archive drives to the raid anyway, before we used MXF4mac.”
Yes…I know. And that process takes just as long as L&T from the archive shoot drives to the media drive. So the MASSIVE SPEED difference you talk about isn’t there. It might be minor…talking a handful of minutes.
[Jeremy Garchow] “We didn’t just log and transfer from the shoot drives as those were usually out shooting. “
Uh, no they aren’t. You just said that “we copied a copy of the MXF files form the shoot archive drives to the raid” The shoot archive drives are there, in studio. Being copied to the media drive. And then to your main archive solution. Just like I do. L&T from the field drives, then archive to main archive solution.
[Jeremy Garchow] “Which is way faster in P2Flow. I’m sorry man, I won’t give up. The P2Flow and MXF4mac workflow is faster all the way around. “
Define “way faster.” I did a test of a 16GB card and I think the copy process, then P2 flow import was about 4 min faster…if that. But then I spent more than that making changes to metadata and all that. But again, that is the point…to preserve the metadata. Not everyone needs all of that.
[Jeremy Garchow] “You are focusing on one aspect, I am talking form shoot to archive.”
Nope…I am talking shoot to edit and archive. We Shoot, archive to field drives, L&T to FCP, then archive the field drives. You shoot, copy the media from the field archives to your Media drive, P2 Flow the clips, then archive the drive. Both times files are being copied from the field archives to the media drives, then main archived later.
The time difference is minor. And I won’t give up on that point. I have done tests. I still use P2 Flow, but the time savings isn’t as great as you make it out to be. Not enough to justify the cost to people who don’t need all the metadata.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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[Shane Ross] “Uh, no they aren’t. “
How are you going to tell me when my drives are or aren’t here next to me? Seriously? 😉
[Shane Ross] “The shoot archive drives are there, in studio. Being copied to the media drive. “
Yes, when we get back to the studio from the shoot, the drives are copied over night and then in the morning, off they go, or perhaps they are messengered to the studio, then picked up/messengered/FedExed back out to shoot site. Either way, the footage gets off the archive drives almost right away. We don’t edit off of them or really use them except as P2 storage.
[Shane Ross] “Not everyone needs all of that. “
I don’t see who wouldn’t need that, especially when going from FCP to Avid as the O.P. is.
[Shane Ross] “I did a test of a 16GB card and I think the copy process, then P2 flow import was about 4 min faster…if that”
OK, that’s one card, no multiply that out to the rest of the project. If you save an hour or two on the project, that’s the cost of the software right there.
[Shane Ross] “I still use P2 Flow, but the time savings isn’t as great as you make it out to be. Not enough to justify the cost to people who don’t need all the metadata. “
Bologna. It’s not that expensive and can be used by everyone. Especially in OPs case when they are moving from one platform to another.
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The OP needs to go from FCP to Avid. But lacks the MXF files. That was a bad oversight…so that software won’t work for him now. I will agree that for people who might need to do that, that the software is perfect for that.
ALL I am saying is that P2 Flow, when copying media from the backups to the media drive, then importing the footage to FCP and being ready to edit, is pretty much the same amount of time as it is if you Log and Transfer. Because when you log and Transfer, you can set that to go overnight…you can load multiple cards. Or, you can start the L&T process, and after the first clips is imported, you can start reviewing your footage, while the rest imports in the background.
And the amount of drive space needed on the drive for the native MXF files is the same as for the QT files. so the HUGE space savings is moot.
I will not deny that the workflow with P2 flow is pretty darn slick…and great with metadata. But not essential…and not really that much faster than L&T, nor take up less space.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] “.and not really that much faster than L&T, nor take up less space. “
We will agree to disagree.
MXF files + QT files on same raid = twice the disk space as having just the MXf files. But whatever….
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[Jeremy Garchow] “XF files + QT files on same raid = twice the disk space “
Who’s doing that? Not me. Again…L&T to QT to the RAID from the ARCHIVE drives. Then back up the archive drives to my backup solution. I don’t have MXF and QT on the same drives. Never said I did that. Never tell people to do that.
But yeah, we can agree to disagree. And sorry for taking over the thread with our banter, Andrea.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
[Shane Ross] “Who’s doing that? Not me. Again…L&T to QT to the RAID from the ARCHIVE drives.”
OK, we are starting to go in circles, but before MXF4mac, we had both the MXF files and QT files on the raid as the shoot drives were offloaded immediately so they could go back out.
Now we just need one copy of the MXF files on the raid, and if those files get moved to another machine, all of the metadata and logging goes with.
Andrea, keep your MXf files form now on.
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Yeah, we didn’t do that. Copy from Field Archive to BACKUP solution, then L&T. NOW I can see what you mean by time savings. You Copy to the RAID, begin working, then archive at the end of the day. NOW I get ya…
Yeah, huge time savings.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Well, I’m glad you’ve all come to some kind of agreement. A lot of the subsequent posts have gone over my head, but perhaps one day I will take the time to digest it all.
Moral of the story: we are saving MXF files. We will get a storage system with RAID 5 protection. You may see me again for questions about changing file and reel names, as I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the lingo (Global ID – can you break this down?) and the intricacies. Go easy on me.
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