iTunes/FCP conflict?

[Bouncing Account needs new email address]

As the old Vaudeville sketch goes…

PATIENT: Say, Doctor, it HURTS when I do that.

DOCTOR: Well, don’t DO that.

I would never expect a computer to be able to do these two things well at the same time.
There are plenty of other ways to play music while editing that don’t cause internal Mac problems.

[Shane Ross]

What he said. Two applications wanting to send audio out thru the same path…will cause problems.

[Andy Edwards]

Steve, I just wrote you a long reply about an editor I amd working with today that does just what you want on his older G4. I came into the edit bay and he was jamming with iTunes and FCP 4.5 running at the same time. He was not doing any interviews, just cutting video. I’ll ask him what he does to make sure there is not conflict with iTunes and FCP and post back to you tomorrow. Your G5 2.7 is more than powerful enough to run both at the same time.

Andy

[Ben Holmes]

Andy, I’m with the others on this. Firstly, your friend is only cutting video, so how would he know if he has a problem with his audio in FCP. Both FCP and iTunes use core audio, and access audio devices. Much could depend here on whether or not you are using a PCI capture card with seperate audio outputs, but at any rate both bits of software will clash on a core audio level, even before they wrestle for control of the audio output device.

I use iTunes when I’m editing sometimes to audition music and find a track for an edit. But I do it when FCP is not playing back, and I close iTunes before I go back to FCP. I have never had a problem.

You want to run FCP reliably? Shut down iTunes. An ipod and iM3 speakers does the job for me 🙂

Ben

Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd
EVS and FCP specialists
Current Mac systems All Dual 2.7Ghz with Kona 2 and Digital Voodoo cards, 6Gb Ram, Sapphire, SCSI320 Medea and Huge Arrays.
FCP projects include Sky TV coverage of the Ryder Cup and US Open Golf – Live OB specialists.

[Gary Adcock]

[Andy Edwards] “Your G5 2.7 is more than powerful enough to run both at the same time.”

Thats not the issue – one or the other of the applications will need to handle the system audio. these 2 apps are in constant conflict with each other.
IF the user is smart enough in Line Command to force FCP to always take charge that is one thing – but this is a really really bad idea – editing video is hard enough on your machines without the extra problems of playing seek intensive audio files while your editing.

Gary Adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation
Chicago, IL USA

[Andy Edwards]

ok Ben & Gary …..I’m wrong, your right 🙂 I know it conflicts if you are doing interviews and sound, but didn’t Steve ask if he could just assemble “lots of MOS footage” …. Isn’t that without sound. Don’t see how that could conflict if there is no audio coming out of FCP.

I know we are splitting hairs and I agree with you all on this. Just run an Ipod next to your edit station and make an edit machine an edit machine, not a multi tasking wonder box.

I’ll still find out what my editor does today and post back. Maybe he had some weird config.

Andy

[Michael Alberts]

I’m not sure what the hang up is, I listen to iTunes music/radio all day while editing. I generally have my system audio set to output through my Aurora Pipe Studio card as well as FCP. However, while digitizing I set the system audio to play out the internal speakers. I’ve never noticed a conflict in the 3-4 years I’ve been doing it this way. I like to listen to KCRW, the local public radio station here in LA while I edit.
What type of rig do you have set up? Are you using a capure card or mixer? Core audio should have no problem plaing multiple sources at the same time.

Michael Alberts
Ambidextrous Productions, Inc.

[Steve Courtney]

Thanks all. This was more of an ‘isn’t this odd’ post, than an actual problem. Obviously if I were editing anything time-sensitive or crucial, I’d edit without iTunes mucking up the works.

I just thought it was interesting that the result, for me, is the repeated corruption of my user preferences. There’s a simple fix, (“don’t do it”), but I was just curious why it was happening. So thanks for the information.

Steve
Patching his iPod into his Mackie.